‘Rough and disrespectful’ says Jennifer Lopez as she reveals she’s been ‘hit and manhandled’ by ex partner
JENNIFER Lopez has revealed she was “manhandled and hit” by an ex partner.
The singer, now married to actor Ben Affleck, reveals she was the victim of domestic violence in her new documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
She says: “I was never in a relationship where I got beat up, thank God, but I’ve definitely been manhandled and hit and a couple of other unsavoury things. Rough. Disrespectful.”
J Lo, 54, was previously married to actor Ojani Noa, 49, dancer Cris Judd, 54, and singer Marc Anthony, 55, and had long-term relationships with rapper P Diddy, 54, and retired baseball player Alex Rodriguez, 48.
However, she didn’t clarify who had mistreated her.
In the film, she continues: “There were people in my life who said ‘I love you’ and then didn’t do things that were in line with the word love.
“You have to hit rock bottom, where you’re in situations that are so uncomfortable and are so painful that you finally go, ‘I don’t want this anymore’.”
The Jenny From The Block star wore a brown leather skirt and top to the premiere of the Prime Video film in Los Angeles on Monday, after being seen kissing Ben, 51, earlier in the day.
Speaking about her love life in the documentary, released today, she says: “I’ve been married four times now. I’m sure people watching from the outside were like, ‘What is this f***ing girl’s problem?’
“You saw kind of a compulsive behaviour. What I portrayed to the world was, ‘Oh this didn’t work out and it’s fine and I’m good and they’re good and they were great and I was great’. And all of that was kind of bulls**t.”
J Lo continues: “I wasn’t struggling in my professional life. I feel like I had control of that and that’s why I put a lot into it.
“But when I went home at night, and when I was dealing with my own life and my own demons and my own relationships, it was such a f***ing struggle.”
She started dating Ben in 2002 but they split just three days before their planned wedding in 2003, before reconciling in 2021 and tying the knot in Las Vegas the following year.
Speaking about their time apart, she says: “For all those years it was really hard because I didn’t just feel like I lost the love of my life, I felt like I lost the best friend that I’d ever had.
“And I couldn’t talk to him for so many years and that was the hardest part.”
Ben also appears in the film and compares his own battles with alcoholism to his wife’s struggle for success.
He explains: “Jen felt emotionally neglected as a child.
“It’s a hard thing to look at somebody whose professional life is wildly successful and on Instagram looks like they’re living the happiest life in the world.
“The thing you discover, like you do with alcohol, is that there isn’t enough alcohol in all the liquor stores in the world to fill up that thing.
“In Jennifer’s case, I don’t think there’s enough followers or movies or records or any of that stuff to still that part of you that still feels a longing and a pain. Ultimately that’s the work you’ve got to do on your own.”
Jennifer Lopez's relationship timeline
Ojani Noa
Lopez was briefly married to Cuban waiter Ojani Noa. The pair wed on February 22, 1997, but split less than a year later.
Since then, Lopez has endured legal challenges regarding her relationship with Noa, including in 2006 when she sued to prevent him from publishing a book about their marriage.
Sean Combs
While working on her debut album On The 6, Lopez began dating record producer and rapper Sean Combs.
They dated for two years from 1999 to 2001.
Cris Judd
After splitting with Combs, Lopez began to date former backup dancer Cris Judd. They wed on September 29, 2001.
But this too was a brief marriage, as they divorced less than a year later in June 2002, citing irreconcilable differences.
Ben Affleck
Just months after divorcing Judd, Lopez became engaged to actor and filmmaker Ben Affleck in November 2002.
The pair were due to get married in September 2003 but postponed the wedding indefinitely just a day before the ceremony and then split January 2004.
Nearly 20 years later, the pair made headlines after rekindling their romance in July 2021.
Marc Anthony
Following her heartbreak with Ben Affleck, Lopez started a relationship with her longtime friend, singer Marc Anthony.
She married Anthony in June 2004, and on November 7, 2007, during the final night of their co-headlining tour, the couple announced they were expecting their first child.
Lopez gave birth to twins Emme and Maximilian in February 2008.
But three years later, in July 2011, the couple announced their split and filed for divorce in April 2012. Their divorce was finalized in 2014.
Casper Smart
Between October 2011 and August 2016, Lopez had an on-off relationship with her former backup dancer, Casper Smart.
She then found love with former New York Yankees baseball player Alex Rodriguez the following year.
In March 2019, the couple announced their engagement.
Alex Rodriguez
Rodriguez met Lopez 20 years ago when the baseball star asked for the pop star’s autograph and again at New York Yankees game.
It was first announced the couple was dating in March 2017.
On April 14, 2021, the couple released a statement to Today saying that they have ended their two-year engagement.