Jennifer Lopez Is 'So Happy' Being Single After Ben Affleck Divorce — and Isn't Dating: ‘I Don’t Want to Ruin Anything'
Jennifer Lopez Is 'So Happy' Being Single After Ben Affleck Divorce — and Isn't Dating: ‘I Don’t Want to Ruin Anything'
Dave QuinnWed, March 11, 2026 at 2:35 PM UTC
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Jennifer Lopez attends The Hollywood Reporter's annual Women in Entertainment Gala at The Beverly Hills Hotel on Dec. 3, 2025 in Beverly Hills, CaliforniaCredit: Amy Sussman/Getty -
Jennifer Lopez says she’s happier than ever after her 2024 divorce from Ben Affleck and is embracing being single
Lopez took a year off work to reflect and prioritize her kids, calling the time a period of self-discovery
The singer is focused on her Las Vegas residency and cherishing life, saying she feels strong, happy and grateful
Jennifer Lopez is in a solid new relationship — with herself.
In a preview of her upcoming interview on Nightline that aired Wednesday, March 11, on Good Morning America, the superstar opened up about being single following her 2024 divorce from Ben Affleck — and why she’s happier than ever.
“I’m in my happy era,” Lopez, 56, said. “I think, for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m free; I’m on my own. And it feels really good.”
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The singer and actress reflected on how unusual the feeling is for her, noting that she has spent much of her life in relationships.
“I didn’t really know what that felt like since I was in my early 20s — and even before that,” she said. “I’ve always had boyfriends. There was always someone in my life, and so many things that I felt like were out of my control.”
Now, Lopez says she’s learning to trust herself more and let go of the pressure she once put on herself. “I’ve gotten to the point where I really trust myself and appreciate myself a little bit more, instead of being so hard on myself and always trying to prove myself,” she said.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend the red carpet of the movie 'The Last Duel' during the 78th Venice International Film Festival on Sept. 10, 2021Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty
Lopez originally dated Affleck, 53, from 2002 to 2004 after meeting on the set of the movie Gigli. They reunited in 2021 and eloped at A Little White Wedding Chapel in July 2022.
Two years later, in August 2024 — on the second anniversary of the larger wedding reception they held at the actor’s Georgia compound — Lopez filed for divorce. The divorce was finalized in January 2025.
Speaking with Nightline's Juju Chang, Lopez opened up about her decision to step back from work after the end of her marriage.
“I had to stop everything and I took a year off,” she said. “I canceled tours and 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.”
Previously, Lopez was quoted as saying that the time felt like "my life exploded."
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“It did. It did feel that way,” Lopez told Chang. “I needed to be home with my kids and that was the priority at that time.”
She said the difficult moment ultimately led to deeper reflection. “I just got to the point where I was like, ‘What is going on with you?’ ” Lopez said. “Because I couldn’t blame anybody else, because I don’t think that’s where the lesson is. And so I really wanted to figure myself out.”
Jennifer Lopez performs during the debut of her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Dec. 30, 2025 in Las Vegas, NevadaCredit: Denise Truscello/Getty
Now 56, Lopez said she feels stronger than ever — and is enjoying being single.
Asked if she's "dating up a storm,” Lopez said emphatically, "No!"
"No. I’m not!" she added with a laugh. “God forbid, I don’t want to ruin anything!"
She went on to say that she’s savoring this moment in her life. “It’s so nice right now. I’m so happy. It’s the best. I just feel really good right now,” she said. “And that was the scary thing for me when I was younger. Like, I didn’t know if I could do that. I was always afraid to do that.”
And even though she's not in a romance, Lopez said she's "surrounded by love."
“I am a mom of graduates this year who are going to college,” she said of the 17-year-old twins she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony, Max and Emme,. “I am a showgirl and an entertainer and an actor. An entrepreneur. And I am happy. I am happy. And I am healthy. And I am grateful.”
Jennifer Lopez performs during the debut of her Las Vegas residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Dec. 30, 2025 in Las Vegas, NevadaCredit: Denise Truscello/Getty Images
Lopez is busy with a new Las Vegas residency, Up All Night, which she opened at the end of last year at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.
For the show, Lopez said she wanted to take a different approach to her music. “I wanted to have an orchestra on stage for this show, which I’ve never done,” she said. “All of the songs are reimagined that way.”
“It’s a celebration,” she added. “You have to cherish and live every single moment.”
Nightline airs weeknights (12:35 a.m. ET) on ABC. GMA kicks off on the same network weekdays beginning at 7 a.m. ET.
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