Jennifer Lopez has spoken openly about taking an entire year away from work following her divorce from Ben Affleck, describing the period as one of genuine self-reflection and ultimately liberation.
Appears on Good morning America on Wednesday, March 11. Lopez, 56, said she had to “stop everything” following her breakup with Affleck, 53, and explained that being at home with her twins Max and Emme, 18, who she shares with ex-husband Marc Anthony, became her immediate priority.
But the time away was about more than family.
“I was just at a point where I was like, ‘What’s happening to you?'” she said. “I couldn’t blame anyone else because I don’t think that’s where the lesson is. So I really needed to figure myself out.”
Lopez filed for divorce in August 2024 after separating from Affleck earlier that year, with the divorce finalized in January 2025.
More than a year later, she says she’s come to a place she’s never quite been before.
“I feel for the first time in my life that I’m free. I’m alone. It feels really good. I didn’t really know what that felt like since I was in my early 20s, and even before that I always had a boyfriend. There was always someone in my life and so many other things that I felt were out of my control,” she explained.
“I’ve gotten to the point where I really trust myself and value myself a little bit more.”
Lopez has had a full romantic history, married to Ojani Noa from 1997 to 1998, Cris Judd from 2001 to 2003, Marc Anthony from 2004 to 2014 and Affleck from 2022 to 2025, with a high-profile engagement to Alex Rodriguez between 200219 and 200219.
When asked about dating again, she was emphatic.
“God forbid,” she joked. “I don’t want to spoil anything. It’s so nice right now. I’m so happy. It’s the best. I’m just really good right now, and it was a scary thing for me when I was younger. I didn’t know if I could do it. I was always really afraid of being alone.”
