Jennifer Lopez is reframing the end of her marriage to Ben Affleck as a turning point rather than a defeat—telling interviewers that the divorce was “the best thing that ever happened” to her because it pushed her toward growth and deeper self-awareness.
“It Helped Me Grow”: What Lopez Said And Where She Said It
Lopez commented while speaking with CBS News Sunday Morning during promotion for Kiss of the Spider Woman, the film adaptation directed by Bill Condon. In that interview, she acknowledged the separation period was hard, but said she came through it changed—more self-aware and “a different person” than the year before.
She also described the emotional whiplash of working on a demanding role while her personal life was unraveling—calling the experience “tough,” and suggesting she was getting through it moment by moment.
The Context: A Film, A Split, And A Complicated Overlap
A notable wrinkle in the story is that Affleck’s company, Artists Equity (founded by Affleck and Matt Damon), helped produce Kiss of the Spider Woman. Lopez told CBS that the movie wouldn’t have happened without Affleck’s support and said she would always give him credit for that.
That detail matters because it keeps the narrative from sliding into tabloid simplicity. Lopez’s message wasn’t “everything was bad.” It was closer to: the relationship ended, it hurt, but she can still acknowledge professional support and a constructive outcome for her personally.
Why She Calls It The “Best Thing”
In a separate October 2025 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, Lopez expanded on what she meant: she said the divorce forced her into a serious period of self-work—therapy and coaching—focused on patterns, self-love, and understanding how relationships can fail when people are carrying unresolved issues
Importantly, she framed the lesson as internal: the “core” of what she needed to address was her, not simply blaming a partner or the circumstances.
The Timeline, In Brief
According to reporting on the legal filings, Lopez and Affleck married in July 2022 and later held a larger celebration in August 2022. Lopez filed for divorce in August 2024, listing April 26, 2024, as the separation date, and the divorce was finalized in January 2025.
Lopez’s headline-making line is blunt, but the full picture is more grounded: she’s saying the breakup was painful, but it also created the conditions for personal growth—especially around self-awareness, emotional patterns, and what she wants going forward.
