Jennifer Lopez Says Divorce from Ben Affleck Had a Positive Effect: “I’m a Different Person Now”

In a wide-ranging interview with CBS Sunday Morning’s Lee Cowan, Jennifer Lopez opened up about the end of her marriage to Ben Affleck, calling their divorce “the best thing that ever happened to me.” She discussed how the experience ultimately helped her mature and clarified her priorities.

Lopez credited Affleck’s Artist Equity—his independent, artist-driven studio—for supporting the musical drama she’s starring in. “I told him that this was the role I was born to play and I wanted to do it, and he was like, ‘Okay,’ and he helped make it happen,” she said, noting that Affleck is one of the film’s executive producers.

She described working on the movie as a refuge amid personal turmoil: the set offered intense, constructive focus when her private life felt chaotic. “It was like the best and the worst of times,” she explained, because the joy of the role contrasted sharply with difficulties at home.

Reflecting on how the split affected her, Lopez said the separation forced growth and greater self-awareness. “It was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it changed me… it helped me grow in a way that I needed to grow,” she said, adding that she feels like a different person compared with the previous year.

The pair first became romantically involved years earlier, rekindled their relationship and married in 2022; they finalized their divorce in 2024. In March 2025, Affleck told GQ that he respects Lopez and asked that coverage not imply negativity about their split, saying there was “no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue”—just two people navigating their lives and relationships.

The remake of Kiss of the Spider Woman, based on Manuel Puig’s novel, is set to reach theaters on October 10, 2025. Lopez framed the project as both a creative calling and a catalyst for personal renewal.

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