The 'Atlas' star reflected on difficult year after split (Photo by Amy Sussman/Getty Images)
Jennifer Lopez has revealed that she deliberately stepped away from work for a year following her split from Ben Affleck, saying she needed time to process the end of the relationship and focus on her family.
In an upcoming interview on Nightline, the 56-year-old singer, actor, and entrepreneur spoke candidly about the difficult period after she filed for divorce from Affleck in 2024. According to Lopez, the breakup forced her to slow down and rethink how she handled personal challenges.
“I had to stop everything and I took a year off. I canceled tours,” Lopez said of the tumultuous year she and Affleck parted ways.
The star explained that the decision to pause her busy career was intentional. Instead of burying herself in work or distractions, she wanted to confront the emotional impact of the breakup directly.
“I just decided to be home and sit in what had happened without running away from it through work, through another person, through anything just sit.”
Lopez, who has spent decades balancing a demanding schedule that includes music, film, business ventures, and touring, said taking a step back was necessary to understand what she was going through personally.
During that time, she also prioritized being present for her children. Lopez shares twins Emme and Max with her ex-husband, Marc Anthony, and said they became her main focus as she worked through the aftermath of the divorce.
“I needed to be home with my kids,” she said of her twins, whom she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony, “(Emme and Max were) the priority at that time.”
The singer also reflected on the personal introspection that followed the split, explaining that she wanted to examine her own role in the situation rather than blaming anyone else.
She added, “I was just at a point where I was like, ‘What is going on with you?’ Because I couldn’t blame anybody else because I don’t think that that’s where the lesson is and so I really wanted to figure myself out.”
Lopez and Affleck’s relationship has long been in the public eye. The couple first became engaged in the early 2000s, then ended their relationship in 2003. Nearly two decades later, they rekindled their romance and married in 2021, capturing widespread media attention.
Their renewed relationship was often described as a second chance at love for the Hollywood pair. However, the marriage ultimately came to an end when Lopez filed for divorce in 2024.
Now, Lopez says the experience pushed her to slow down, reflect, and focus on personal growth while spending meaningful time with her children.
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