Jennifer Lopez’s ex Ojani Noa says he relates to Ben Affleck’s ‘wanting to break someone’s head off’ look
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Jennifer Lopez’s first husband Ojani Noa, 50, is sympathizing with the actress’s estranged husband Ben Affleck, 52.
As the ‘Jenny From The Block’ singer, 55, and Affleck are going through a divorce after staying married for two years, the actor-turned-producer said he “could understand Ben” and the ‘Argo’ actor’s constant look of breaking “someone’s head off” while on red carpet with the actress.
Noa - who is known for his roles in films like ‘Vendetta: No Conscience, No Mercy’ (2004), and ‘Eye See Me’ (2007) - recently opened up to Daily Mail about the parallels between his former marriage to the ‘Selena’ actress with her latest marriage to the Oscar winner.
Jennifer Lopez’s ex-husband Ojani Noa sympathizes with Ben Affleck
Ojani Noa was married to Jennifer Lopez for less than a year in 1997. Citing the similarities between what he underwent in his marriage to the ‘Argo’ actor’s experience, the model said, "I could understand Ben," per OK! Magazine.
Referencing the episode shown in Lopez’s Amazon documentary ‘This Is Me…Now’, where ‘The Mother’ star repeatedly asked Affleck whether she looked “fat,” Noa admitted he could understand Affleck’s predicaments.
As he was asked in the interview regarding the level of attention the ‘Maid in Manhattan’ actress would demand in a relationship, Noa replied, “We would both try to get her confidence a little bit higher."
Nevertheless, Noa commented, "But she’s had four good husbands and she’s been loved before," before explaining wryly, "So, I don’t know how much love she needs or how much love she’s still looking for."
During the interview, Noa also alluded to Affleck's perpetually looking "like he wants to break someone’s head off" while discussing his way of dealing with media exposure.
"I could see myself doing that too," Noa admitted.
The fitness enthusiast recalled the need to pretend to be smiling in front of the camera when they had just had a disagreement moments earlier.
"I can tell you in my own experience, we would have disagreements in the car and then 20 minutes later, we’d have to sit and pretend everything was fine,” Noa continued.
He added, "But you can only pretend so much. When we were going through hell and going out as a couple, I was in a bad mood too,” and explained, “Because I knew inside we were not good."
He added, "I hated going on the red carpet. She would try and get me to come and I’d say: 'No way. I’m not going to pretend.'"
Ojani Noa has some advice for ex-wife Jennifer Lopez
After months of speculations of marital troubles between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, 'The Mother' star filed for divorce from Affleck on August 20, which coincidentally marked the second anniversary of Bennifer’s traditional Georgia wedding in 2022.
The ‘Shotgun Wedding’ star filed the divorce papers herself without the help of any attorney to the Los Angeles County Court and cited the reason for their split as “irreconcilable differences".
While following her divorce filing, the actress appeared upbeat during one of her outings in Los Angeles with one of her twins, Emme. Moreover, she also turned heads when she walked the TIFF red carpet for her film ‘Unstoppable’ in a blingy revenge dress.
Talking to Daily Mail, Lopez’s ex-spouse appeared to have some valuable advice for the actress.
He suggested, "Stay single for a while, take 12 months off. If she meets someone new, maybe keep it private and not get married again.”
“She has an amazing career and she’s a hard-working, beautiful woman,” continued Noa, before adding, “But when you’re with someone, you have to spend quality time with them and not think about being on camera."
He noted, "I would just say to Jen: you need to be yourself so you can find yourself.”
Thinking about his past relationship, he admitted, "There are no bad feelings at all. I would always be her friend. I sympathize with both of them because divorce is hard."
