A-list celebrity couples are always fun to keep up with, and one of the quintessential pairs is Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who are also known by the portmanteau “Bennifer.” The term is one of the first instances of a couple’s names being used this way. Both artists are known for their illustrious careers. Affleck is an actor and filmmaker, while Lopez is a singer and actress.

The couple has a colorful dating history. The two actors met in 2001 on the set of the film “Gigli.”

They first began dating in 2002 and were engaged to be married in 2003. Sadly, their wedding was postponed, and then the pair decided to split up in 2004. However, during their time together, the couple became an iconic celebrity romance. There were tons of paparazzi photos of the two of them being affectionate that frequently made headlines. This coverage continued when Affleck showed up in Lopez’s music video for her song “Jenny from the Block.”

Before dating Affleck, Lopez had been married twice before. She then married Marc Anthony the same year she and Affleck decided to call it quits. She was married to Anthony until 2014.

As for Affleck, he married Jennifer Garner in 2005, and they were together until 2018. They share three children together.

In 2021, after both Affleck and Lopez were finally single again, Affleck and Lopez decided to get back together. In July of that year, Lopez confirmed they were dating in a social media post. And just one year later, in July 2022, Bennifer finally tied the knot and officially became husband and wife. Afterward, the couple announced their plans to move into Lopez’s beautiful Los Angeles mansion together. Read on to learn more about Lopez and Affleck’s heartwarming life together.

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez (2002), (Jim Spellman/WireImage via Getty Images)

Of course, the seeming speed with which Affleck and Lopez have picked up their relationship makes some fans and onlookers do a double-take. Merely a month was spent between Lopez calling it off with Rodriguez and getting back together with her former flame.

Us Weekly spoke to an insider source who gave insights into the speedy development of the stars’ love affair.

“The past few months have been a real whirlwind,” the insider told US Weekly in an anonymous interview. “They’re well aware some cynics still look at it as a big flashy attention grab and roll their eyes at the speed of it all, but it doesn’t faze them one iota. They’re fully committed to taking the next steps and spending the rest of their lives together.”

Continuing on, the source also added that the relationship did not feel rushed for Lopez and Affleck. Apparently, the couple slotted into each other’s lives seamlessly, almost as if they had never been apart for a couple of years:

“It feels like they’ve been together again for years, not months. As far as they’re both concerned, they’re just blessed to have found each other and discovered true love, which most people can only ever dream about.”

Although the first round of their relationship did not end with their happy ending, the source adds that they both feel that “there’s not a single doubt in their mind(s) that this is (not) going to work. Everything that went wrong in the past can only serve them in a positive way this time around.”

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez (2003), (Gregg DeGuire/contributor via Getty Images)

When they were first engaged in 2003, the pair made headlines for being in love but so different from each other. However, they said that they actually have more in common than some might think. Lopez said:

“We’ve talked about this so many times. And we talked about how people kind of see him with one type of person and me with another type of person, and the two of us together is like ‘How did that happen?’ and how we’re probably more alike and from the same kind of background and, you know, same kind of upbringing and same kind of family and same kind of house.”

As a romantic at heart, Lopez especially felt the love between her and Affleck. “I am such a kind of artist in that way, you know, just such a flutter bug in that way,” she said. “Where it’s just like, you know, the idea of love and fairy tales and romance and all that.”

Sadly, the pair had to postpone their wedding in 2003 because of security concerns. They shared a statement at the time: “Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date. When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry.”

The statement continued: “We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised. We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families, and our friends.”

All of a sudden, however, they were over by early 2004. The public never truly found out what happened between Bennifer, but it seems their story wasn’t finished.

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez (2021), (Stephane Cardinale – Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

After going through such a public split that the world was able to see, both Lopez and Affleck went on to date and marry other people. Affleck shares three children with his former wife of 13 years, Jennifer Garner. He’s noted to actively co-parent with Garner, as he is an active part of his children’s lives, and has even stayed in close contact with his former wife.

Similarly, Lopez also has two children from her former marriage to Marc Anthony. She is also notably involved in her children’s lives, making sure that her twins never take a backseat to her career and work. It’s no surprise that both parents want their children to be OK with the couple’s relationship.

“Family and kids are everything to (J. Lo),” the source explained to Us Weekly, adding also that Lopez wants to “respect” Garner, 49, as much as possible. “She’s more than willing to be patient and do this at a pace that’s comfortable to all parties, there’s no rush.”

Going through changes can be complicated enough, especially when it comes to blending families. However, it seems that Lopez and Affleck have already found ways to fit their families and lives together while they were thoroughly enjoying their rekindled flame. For an interview on the Apple Music radio show, Lopez told host Zane Lowe:

“I’ve never been better. I’ve really gotten to a place in my life where I’m great on my own. And I think once you get to that place, then amazing things happen to you that you never imagine in your life happening again … I just want everybody to know that it’s the best time. It’s the best time of my life.”

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez (2021), (Pascal Le Segretain via Getty Images)

In 2021, the couple got back together and were seen showing affection to one another at the gym. An insider shared with PEOPLE: “They were holding hands, hugging, kissing. They weren’t trying to hide the fact that they were together. They are very much into each other and being together.”

While still in a long-distance relationship, the couple made a great effort to see each other. Another source said: “They will travel back and forth as much as they can to make things work. They don’t want to hide anymore. They are both excited about their relationship. They want to make sure they do everything they can to make this work. Jennifer is incredibly happy. She feels like she can just be herself around Ben.”

For Halloween 2021, the couple was joined by Affleck’s ex, Jennifer Garner, while taking their kids trick-or-treating. A source claimed: “Everyone gets along and the focus is always on the kids. Jennifer, Ben, and Jen Garner all wanted the kids to have an amazing Halloween. The kids are friends and wanted to go trick-or-treating together. It made sense that they all went together.”

The biggest news of 2022 for Bennifer was that the couple took things one step further and got engaged! Their second engagement has proved that finding the greatest love of your life when you are older is not only possible but can become one of the best things to happen to you.

Lopez spoke to PEOPLE about what makes their relationship different today as compared to 18 years ago and said, “We’re older now, we’re smarter, we have more experience, we’re at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things.”

Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez (2022), (Frazer Harrison via Getty Images)

On July 16, 2022, Lopez and Affleck finally tied the knot, becoming husband and wife! According to NBC News, the couple obtained their marriage license in Clark County, Nevada, that same day and wed in Las Vegas.

Lopez shared the news on social media and in her newsletter. She wrote, “We did it.” She added:

“Behind us two men held hands and held each other. In front of us, a young couple who made their three-hour drive from Victorville on their daughter’s second birthday – all of us wanting the same thing – for the world to recognize us as partners and to declare our love to the world through the ancient and nearly universal symbol of marriage.”

The newsletter continued:

“It was the best possible wedding we could have imagined. One we dreamed of long ago and one made real. So with the best witnesses you could ever imagine, a dress from an old movie and a jacket from Ben’s closet, we read our own vows in the little chapel and gave one another the rings we’ll wear for the rest of our lives.”

Lopez happily went on to share the news on social media and wrote, “We did it.” She added: “It was the best possible wedding we could have imagined. One we dreamed of long ago and one made real. So with the best witnesses, you could ever imagine, a dress from an old movie and a jacket from Ben’s closet, we read our own vows in the little chapel and gave one another the rings we’ll wear for the rest of our lives.”

After tying the knot, the families will live under one happy roof. Affleck listed his $30 million dollar mansion on the market so that the newlyweds could start their new life together as one big happy family. His old place of residence had seven bedrooms and nine bathrooms, according to TMZ. The award-winning actor originally bought the home back in 2018 for $19 million. The home has a massive pool and spa, and is over 13,500 square feet.

According to Daily Mail, the couple would be moving into Lopez’s Los Angeles mansion that she has owned for years. Lopez first purchased the Bel-Air home in 2016 that was previously owned by stars like Sel Ward. The singer bought the home for a humble $28 million.

The home is 14,000 square foot home has a Mediterranean-style mansion. The home has seven bedrooms and 13 bathrooms. Aside from the plenty of rooms to lay your head on, the home offers a chef’s kitchen, a glam room, and a home theater. The outside of the home offers a gorgeous outdoor lounge area, a swimming pool, and a hot tub. The superstar first renovated the home when she first purchased it, but Daily Mail shared that the newlyweds will be renovating the home again before fully moving in 2023.

While the couple waited to move into Lopez’s renovated home, they had planted roots in James Packer’s $60 million dollar home in Beverly Hills. Packer has formerly been engaged to Mariah Carey. Lopez and Affleck’s rental home was 29,000 square feet which would fit the couple’s blended family with five children. Their rental also includes a home theater, gym, hair salon, a large pool, and several guesthouses.

And in May 2023, TMZ reported the pair was finally moving into their purchased home together.

Are you a fan of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck? Can you believe that this couple was able to rekindle their relationship after so many years? What do you think about them merging their families — and their lives — together? Let us know your thoughts, and be sure to pass this along to your family, friends and anyone else who might find this story interesting!