Ben Affleck is not digging into the details.
After breaking his silence on his divorce from Jennifer Lopez—which was finalized in January—the Air director said there was “no intrigue,” when it came to the reason for their separation and he won’t be giving any other details.
“The reason I don’t want to share that is just sort of embarrassing,” Ben told GQin a profile published March 25. “It feels vulnerable.”
Ben—who shares kids Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel, 16, with ex Jennifer Garner—noted that fame was not, in fact, the schism that drove the couple apart—despite their greatly differentiating desires when it comes to a public life.
“There is no: ‘This is what happened,’” he explained. “It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do.”
J.Lo, for her part, shared her perspective on the couple’s separation—which was cited as last April—back in October, admitting in an Interview profile at the time that her “whole f–king world exploded,” when her marriage fell apart.
“This summer, I had to be like, ‘I need to go off and be on my own. I want to prove to myself that I can do that,’” she detailed. “You have to be complete, if you want something that’s more complete. You have to be good on your own. I thought I learned that, but I didn’t.”
She did not mention Ben by name, but she alluded to their prior relationship adding, “I can’t be looking for happiness in other people. I have to have happiness within myself.”
And while Ben insisted that fame was not what pulled him and J.Lo apart, he admitted it has never been an easy thing for him to grapple with, since the success of Good Will Hunting in 1997.
“I remember feeling very small,” he explained of his early days in Hollywood to GQ. “And then I didn’t feel big, but I felt thrust out in front. And I remember feeling not sure. Like: How does a person behave? What does a person do? How does a person handle this?”
The 52-year-old admitted it was difficult to adjust to the overnight success.
“Sometimes I did stupid things and feel embarrassed of ridiculous, goofy things I said, because I really didn’t know, like, am I here doing Jackass or something?” he recalled. “Am I just running through the background streaking across the Oscars naked and that’s my character? You can feel uninvited or, it’s going to go away soon.”
Those feelings seemed to linger for years.
“It took a long time,” he added. “There’s no playbook.”
However, Ben insisted he had no “negativity or judgement” toward J.Lo’s own relationship with fame.
As he put it, “This is someone I have a lot of respect for.”
Keep reading for a look back at Ben and J.Lo’s romance…
December 2001: Filming Gigli
The two prepare to film a scene for the movie in West Hollywood. The couple met on the set of the film.
October 2002: Spotted in Beverly Hills
The two are spotted in the city.
November 2002: Filming Gigli and Engagement
The two film the movie on Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles. That month, the actor proposes to the actress with a 6.1-carat pink diamond ring.
November 2002: Filming Jersey Girl
The two film the movie in New York City.
November 2002: Leaving MTV’s TRL
Is there anything more ’00s than both Bennifer 1.0 and TRL?
December 2002: Red Carpet Debut
The two make their red carpet debut as a couple at the premiere of her film Maid in Manhattan.
January 2003: Sundance
The two bundle up at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
February 2003: Daredevil Premiere
The two appear at the premiere of Daredevil, starring Ben as the superhero.
February 2003: Daredevil Premiere
The two appear at the premiere of Daredevil, starring Ben and future ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
March 2003: Oscars
The two attend the Academy Awards together.
May 2003: Basketball Game
The two sit courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
July 2003: Canada Trip
The two film a Dateline interview for NBC in Vancouver.
July 2003: Gigli Premiere
The two appear at the premiere for their movie in Westwood, Calif.
August 2003: Gigli Is Released
…it flops at the box office.
September 2003: Wedding Is Off
The two postpone their wedding. No future date is given.
October 2003: Baseball Date
The two are seen at a Boston Red Sox game. The team is Ben’s favorite.
January 2004: It’s Over
The two end their engagement.
September 2021: Red Carpet Royalty
They’re baaaack. On Sept. 10, the couple makes their first red carpet appearance in 18 years at the Venice Film Festival premiere of The Last Duel.
September 2021: Look of Love
There’s no denying J.Lo makes for a stunning plus-one!
September 2021: Back to the Stage
Ben supports J.Lo at the 2021 Global Citizen Live event in New York City, where she performed onstage. It marked her first music gig since she performed at VAX LIVE in May, where the actor also appeared onstage separately, fueling rumors of a rekindled romance.
September 2021: Met Gala Debut
The two attend the Met Gala together for the first time.
October 2021: PDA at Premiere
Jen and Ben put on a sizzling display on the red carpet at the premiere of his film The Last Duel in New York City.
April 2022: Engaged Again!
Jennifer confirmed her engagement to the Gone Girl actor with a video posted to her On The JLo site, revealing a glimpse of her beautiful engagement ring with a green stone.
July 2022: Married!
On July 16, Jennifer and Ben tied the knot in a surprise ceremony at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
July 2022: Post-Wedding Trip to Paris
The two vacation with her twins and two of his kids in the French capital soon after their wedding.
June 2023: Red Carpet Fabulous
J.Lo steps out with Ben in support of his movie The Flash.
February 2024: This Is Them…Now
Jennifer release This Is Me… Now, an album about her relationship with Ben. The record is accompanied by a musical film titled This Is Me… Now: A Love Story and the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
March 2024: Jenny on the Block
The couple enjoys a day out in NYC on March 30, 2024.
August 2024: Divorce
J.Lo filed for divorce Aug. 20, listing the date of separation as Apil 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.
