What Jennifer Lopez's Exes Have Said About Her

Jennifer Lopez got brutally honest on an episode of the "SmartLess" podcast in 2026. The triple-threat performer may be in her 50s, but she's not close to being done working on herself. The "Out of Sight" actor is one of the many celebs who have been married four or more times, and has been engaged a total of six times. Following her divorce from Ben Affleck in 2025, Lopez knew that she needed to make changes. "I canceled my tour and I sat there, and I was just like, you need to f***ing figure yourself out," Lopez told "SmartLess" hosts Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes, and Will Arnett.

The "On The Floor" singer added, "There's been different times where I felt like, whether people outside knew it or not, where I feel like my life blew up in my own face, and it was because of the choices I made." Lopez realized it was time for some serious self-reflection. "There's nobody to blame here except yourself in a certain way," she added. "Not that people don't behave in a way that's not great, but 'What are you doing?' ... And that was that was a turning point for me."

A complete timeline of Jennifer Lopez's relationships reveals a mix of partners of equal fame and non-celebrity performers. Despite these relationships all ending, almost all of Lopez's former flames speak well of the superstar. Many are impressed with her work ethic and ability to handle the radical kind of celebrity that affects every second of her life. Who said what? Who felt scorned?

Ojani Noa, a Cuban actor and producer, was waiting tables when he met Jennifer Lopez. The couple married in 1997 and divorced 11 months later. Of all Lopez's exes, Noa is the only one who speaks negatively of the superstar in public. Noa and Lopez had a string of legal issues following their divorce, which included Noa unsuccessfully suing Lopez for $10 million over a film about their relationship. The lawsuit was dismissed in 2012. Additionally, Lopez successfully sued Noa for almost $545,000 over allegations he made that she was unfaithful in a tell-all book that he planned to publish. 

Noa dished about the pop star to the Daily Mail in 2022 following her second engagement to Ben Affleck. "I wish her and Ben the best," said Noa. "Jen loves being in love but she's been engaged six times. Ben is husband No. 4. I was husband No. 1, and she told me I was the love of her life. When we lay in bed on our wedding night, she said we would be together forever."

For context, Lopez's marriage to Noa happened the same year that her breakthrough movie "Selena" was released to international acclaim. "We fell in love when she was already famous. But during our marriage, she became a megastar," added Noa. "For years, it was too painful to talk about. I wanted to lie low and live my life. But when I saw she got married to Ben, who is a good guy, the feelings came flooding back."

Jennifer Lopez started dating Sean "Diddy" Combs (then known as Puff Daddy or Puff) in 1999. The two-year relationship was flanked by rumors that the music producer was unfaithful. "I was in this relationship with Puff where I was totally crying, crazy and going nuts, and it really took my whole life in a tailspin," Lopez told Vibe magazine in 2003.

In a 2017 interview with Entertainment Tonight, Combs told the outlet that Lopez was "without a doubt" one of the great loves of his life. He also reminisced about her green Versace dress that led to the creation of the Google Images.

Before the pair split in 2001, Lopez broke the internet when she and Combs arrived at the Grammys in 2000. The singer wore a jungle-inspired dress that became the early aughts version of viral. "I thought it was gonna really change the game as far as for her and fashion," Combs told Entertainment Tonight. "I didn't know how big it was gonna be, but it was a great moment for her. She deserved it. She is one of the fliest out there." Combs added that the pair were into turning heads with their attire. "We were just stepping up our game as far as what we were wearing and how we were gonna use fashion." It didn't matter who was nominated for what awards that night; Lopez's dress stole the show.

After her tumultuous relationship with Sean Combs ended, Jennifer Lopez was filming a video for her song "Love Don't Cost a Thing" when she met dancer and choreographer Cris Judd. The dancer later told OWN that it was a love-at-first-sight kind of moment. "When Jennifer walked in, I shake her hand, and we kind of looked at each other. In my head I'm like, 'Oh my God, I'm gonna marry this woman.'" Lopez's feelings were mutual. "Coming out of a torrid relationship, I meet this sweet person who's so refreshing," Lopez told Vibe magazine (via Entertainment Weekly). 

The "Hustlers" actor attempted to keep their fast-moving relationship under wraps, but by 2000, the performer was a massive international superstar. Judd and Lopez tied the knot in 2001 after being engaged for one month. However, they divorced about nine months later. If we look inside Jennifer Lopez's marriage to Cris Judd, it appears like the root of their issues may have been because of the performer's fame. Judd was reportedly devastated when Lopez filed for divorce, but the dancer remained classy and refused to dish on Lopez to the media.

"You know it's very tough," admitted Judd in an interview with Us Weekly in 2014. "Your privacy is breached. You're no longer a normal person. [Our wedding] was a circus. I think several people got arrested trying to climb up a mountain ... trying to sneak in. We actually rented the airspace." Judd contends that it wasn't her fame that broke up their marriage. "It had no bearing on the outcome of a relationship," Judd added. "Unfortunately, it just didn't work out."

Mere months after Bennifer 1.0 ended, Jennifer Lopez married Puerto Rican singer Marc Anthony in 2004. The pair had previously met in 1998 and became friends. Lopez said that the "Vivir Mi Vida" singer helped her through her rough breakup with Ben Affleck. "To have one of my best friends, who I'd known for years, who I actually love and did have chemistry with, come into my life and say, 'I'm here,'" Lopez told Today in 2014. It would be Lopez's third marriage; this time around, it was a secret and toned-down wedding ceremony held at her house in Beverly Hills.

In 2008, Lopez gave birth to twins, Emme and Max. The duo were Lopez's first kids and her husband's fourth and fifth. However, their parents called it quits in 2011, but Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's relationship has remained amicable as they co-parent their children.

Anthony is impressed with Lopez's work ethic. "Before she even brings an idea up, she has visualized it a thousand times," Anthony told InStyle. "And if anyone says it might not be the greatest idea, she'll say, 'You just don't see it yet.' Nine times out of 10, she'll nail it. She's the first one in the room and the last to leave. The hardest worker I've ever met." He added, "When we were together, it was quite the opposite for me. That has changed since. I learned so much from her. She's the original!"

Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart met in 2011 when he worked as a backup dancer on her tour. They started dating and embarked on an on-again, off-again love affair that was heavily featured on social media and in the tabloids. "I don't feel older, and I don't feel like I look it, either, so I am just acting the same way I have always acted," Lopez told Vogue of their 18-year age gap. Smart became an important voice in Lopez's music career as a dancer, choreographer, and the creative director of her Las Vegas residency. However, the pair split for good in 2016 with rumors that Smart had been unfaithful.

Before they broke up, Smart sat down with BET.com and talked about how Lopez was able to separate her work and home life. "She's easy," he said. "She's so not like the alpha female. She's just mommy and girlfriend, and the Puerto Rican girl that cooks Puerto Rican food all the time. It's not once in a blue moon." He added, "When she's at work, she's the mogul, and she does that. When she's at home, she's like the mommy housewife. So, it's like perfect worlds."

Smart continued to praise the pop star after the pair called it quits. "Jennifer is, like, phenomenal, phenomenal, phenomenal," the budding actor told Us Weekly in 2017. "She would absolutely give me advice when it came to acting, for sure."

It was the union of J.Lo and A-Rod. Jennifer Lopez started dating former New York Yankee slugger Alex Rodriguez in 2017. They had met a few times before; one memorable instance came in 2005 during a Mets game. "We shook hands, and it was this weird electricity for, like, three seconds," Lopez told Sports Illustrated in 2019. However, they were both married to other people at the time. 

Over their five-year relationship, the photogenic couple paraded down a slew of red carpets and made appearances at prestigious events like the Met Gala. The all-star even gushed about his girl on "The View" in 2017. "We're having a great time," said Rodriguez. "She's an amazing, amazing girl, one of the smartest human beings I've ever met, and also an incredible mother."

A-Rod and J.Lo got engaged in 2019. The bride-to-be wore a 15-carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring worth between $1 to $5 million. But fancy rings could not save the relationship. They called off their engagement in 2021 over Lopez's alleged lack of trust in Rodriguez and rumors of his infidelity. But when Alex Rodriguez opened up about his relationship with Jennifer Lopez, it was clear he had no hard feelings toward her. "Here's what I will tell you about Jennifer — and I was telling some of my colleagues here the other day — she's the most talented human being I've ever been around," Rodriguez said on "The Martha Stewart Podcast" in 2022. "Hardest worker. And I think she is the greatest live performer in the world that's alive today."

In 2001, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck met on the set of "Gigli." The movie would go on to bomb at the box office, but it would spawn the ultimate Hollywood power couple. The press called them "Bennifer" and could not get enough of the PDA-loving pair. They got engaged in 2002 but called it off in 2004 after multiple wedding delays. The pair reportedly split on amicable terms and remained friendly. 

But there is a second chapter, this one called Bennifer 2.0. Following her broken engagement to Alex Rodriguez, Affleck and Lopez rekindled their early-aughts love affair in 2021. The older, wiser pair married at a secret wedding in Las Vegas a year later. However, like its predecessor, Bennifer 2.0 was not built to last. All the signs J.Lo and Ben Affleck were headed for a second split included public spats and Affleck's downer body language. The pair separated after two years of marriage. 

The Oscar winner made it a point to note during an interview with GQ in 2025 that he was impressed with the way that Lopez handled her celebrity. "I have nothing but respect," he said of his ex-wife. "I guess there's a tendency to look at breakups and want to identify root causes or something. But honestly, like I said, the truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting. Yeah, there's no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue."