Ben Affleck opens up about 'embarrassing' divorce from Jennifer Lopez

Ben Affleck is finally speaking out about his recent split from Jennifer Lopez, months after their divorce was finalized. 

In a candid interview for the April issue of GQ, released on March 25, the actor shared his thoughts on their breakup for the first time, revealing that it did not occur for any dramatic reason.

Ben Affleck shares the truth

The Good Will Hunting star said, “There’s no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue, the truth is when you talk to somebody, 'hey, what happened?' Well, there is no: This is what happened.”

He explained that their separation was simply two people trying to figure out their lives and relationships like anyone else, saying, “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.”

Ben's 'vulnerable' admission

Despite the end of their marriage, Affleck showed deep respect for Lopez and chose not to go into the personal details about their split because they feel too “embarrassing” and “vulnerable” of what went wrong. 

"There is no 'So-and-so did this' or 'This was the big event," he explained.

The 53-year-old compared it to a therapy session, saying, "It sounds more like a couple's therapy session, which you would tune out of someone else's couple's therapy after a while. For one thing, you start going, 'Okay, clearly this person has got these issues. Clearly they have these issues.' And the reason I don't want to share that is just sort of embarrassing. It feels vulnerable."

Ben and Jennifer's different views on fame

Ben Affleck also addressed rumors that their differing attitudes toward fame led to the breakup, since Jennifer Lopez is considered to be open and public about her life, while Affleck is more private. 

"My temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than hers. As happens in relationships, you don't always have the same attitude towards these things," he said.

The Pearl Harbor actor also referred to his appearance in Lopez’s 2024 documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told. Still supportive of her work, he added, "I love and support this person. I believe in them. They're great. I want people to see that."

Ben Affleck shared that these differences were not the cause of any major issue. He additionally noted, “You don’t marry a ship captain and then say, 'Well, I don’t like going out in the water.' You’ve got to own what you knew going into any relationship.”