Jennifer Lopez Calls Her Divorce from Ben Affleck “the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me”
- Sep 28, 2025
- 3 min read
28 September 2025
In a heartfelt interview on CBS News Sunday Morning aired on September 28, Jennifer Lopez reflected openly on her divorce from Ben Affleck, describing it as painful yet transformative. The split, which was finalized in January 2025, came amid a period of professional and personal turbulence. Lopez, now 56, said the experience forced her to grow in ways she needed. “It changed me,” she told reporter Lee Cowan, adding that though the process was difficult, she considers it one of the most important chapters of her life.
Lopez spoke candidly about working on her film Kiss of the Spider Woman during the separation, a project Affleck executive produced. She described what it felt like to dive into the creative process when her personal life was unraveling. “Every moment on set, every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy, and then it was like, back home, it was not great,” she said. For Lopez the set became both an escape and a stage for self-rediscovery.
The actress and singer called the divorce a “growth moment” that she needed. She noted that although she never wanted things to end, she recognized the split was necessary for her own evolution. “It is the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said. In her telling the divorce has become less about pain and more about rebirth.
Lopez also tied her personal journey to the film’s deeper meaning. Kiss of the Spider Woman premiered at Sundance and is due in theaters October 10. She explained that the production holds emotional weight: it pays homage to her mother, Guadalupe Rodríguez, who instilled in her a love of musicals, singing, and dance. Lopez grew up watching musicals with her mother, an experience she said shaped who she is.
When asked about handling the emotional contrast between her work and home life during that period she admitted to internal conflict. She wrestled with how to carry her character’s energy into real life, even when her heart was heavy. She said she questioned how to sustain strength in both realms. That tension, she believes, ultimately deepened her empathy and resilience.
In linking her art to this life pivot Lopez emphasized that her identity does not depend on romance or marriage. She said she now views relationships as chapters, not definitions. The divorce has affirmed for her that a relationship does not define the full scope of her life or purpose.
Her openness about vulnerability and self growth struck many as rare in celebrity narratives. She did not shy from describing hurt but did not dwell there either. Instead she chose to frame it as a turning point. By doing so, Lopez invited a conversation about how strength often follows surrender.
Affleck has also addressed their divorce in public. In a GQ interview he said sharing details felt “embarrassing” and vulnerable. He refuted sensational narratives and emphasized that their split was not the result of scandal but of two people trying to evolve.
Lopez’s remarks arrive at a moment when public figures are called on for transparency in how they navigate personal upheaval. Her decision to reveal her emotional arc without shaming or blame adds to discussions about how high-profile splits are told, often with more spectacle than sincerity.
In her reflections she balances openness with discretion. She doesn’t give a blow-by-blow of what went wrong but rather sketches what came next. That choice reveals an understanding that healing need not be broadcast in full to be authentic.
Her story now unfolds in her film, her music, and her public presence. She is reentering the world on her own terms. Lopez’s message is not one of bitterness but of reclamation: “It changed me” she says, not as a badge of pain but as testimony to survival, self-discovery, and the possibility of new beginnings.
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