Entertainment

Jennifer Lopez's mom says she 'prayed for 20 years' that her daughter and Ben Affleck would get back together

Ben Affleck kisses Jennifer Lopez on the head at the premiere for "Marry Me"
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at the premiere for "Marry Me." Rich Fury/WireImage
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Jennifer Lopez's mom knew she'd find her way back to Ben Affleck.

On Wednesday, Lopez and her mother, Guadalupe Rodríguez, appeared on NBC's "Today" show and talked about the singer's rekindled romance with Affleck.

Towards the end of the interview, Savannah Guthrie included Rodríguez in the conversation, saying that the singer's mother was praising Lopez to her quietly throughout the interview.

"I knew that you would always get back together because I prayed for 20 years," Rodríguez then said to Lopez during the interview.

Lopez reacted with a playful eye roll and joked, "Let's keep going," to host Hoda Kotb. 

Earlier in the interview, Lopez teased her upcoming album "This Is Me... Now," which is about her relationship with Affleck after reconnecting in 2021.

"I went on an incredible journey through my life for the past 20 years and I think I've grown a lot," the "Waiting for Tonight" singer said. "I think the album's really are about capturing those moments in time. I captured that moment in time in 'This is Me... Then' album of falling in love with the love of your life. And having that moment 20 years later, us trying to capture what this moment was."

Lopez and Affleck were one of Hollywood's hottest couples in the early 2000s when they started dating in 2002. They got engaged that same year but ended up splitting and breaking off their engagement in 2004.

After reconnecting almost 20 years later, they got married in both a private Las Vegas gathering and a formal ceremony in Riceboro, Georgia, in 2022. 

Affleck and Lopez also now co-parent five children from their previous marriages to Jennifer Garner and Marc Anthony. Lopez shares two children with Anthony: 14-year-old twins Emme and Maximilian. Affleck shares three children with Garner: Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, 10. 

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Ayomikun Adekaiyero is the Entertainment Reporter at Insider's London bureau where he covers TV, movies, and celebrity culture. He covers a variety of topics including sci-fi and fantasy franchises (Bridgerton, House of the Dragon, The Wheel of Time, Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, MCU), dating reality shows, musicals, and animated series.You can get in touch with him through email at aadekaiyero@bjinnox.com or via Twitter @asadekaiyero
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Chris Panella
Chris Panella is a defense reporter for Business Insider. He covers technological transformations in the US military with focuses on US military modernization, US Army transformation, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and drones. Globally, Panella reports on China's military and Taiwan. Panella has embedded with the Army in Alaska, interviewed special operators learning to fly drones, and flown with US Coast Guard helicopters practicing drug interdictions. If you have a tip related to these areas or broader defense coverage, Panella can be reached at cpanella@bjinnox.com or on Signal at cpanella.85.