Jennifer Lopez’s ‘extravagant lifestyle’ posing difficulties for marriage and love, claim experts
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Jennifer Lopez is a global sensation, yet despite her unparalleled success, her love life has struggled to keep pace with her star-studded career now that she has filed for divorce from her fourth husband, Ben Affleck, after a two-year marriage
Experts note that sustaining a long-term relationship has been a recurring challenge for the iconic performer.
Matchmaker points out Jennifer Lopez's 'trouble sustaining a long-term relationship'
Amy Laurent, a professional matchmaker and author of '8 Weeks to Everlasting: How to Get (and Keep!) the Guy You Really Want' said, “Jennifer Lopez is a powerhouse who leads a life far different from most of us."
“Celebrities, in general, are in very unique circumstances so are naturally going to face much greater challenges in finding love. For mega-stars with extravagant lifestyles, the difficulty is even greater."
“Jennifer Lopez has no trouble finding love, she has trouble sustaining a long-term relationship, much like Elizabeth Taylor,” added Alessandra Conti, a celebrity matchmaker, in a conversation with Fox News Digital.
Taylor's romantic life was as dramatic as her legendary film roles, with eight marriages to seven different men, including two passionate unions with her one true love, Richard Burton.
Notably, Lopez recently filed for divorce from Ben Affleck after rekindling their romance nearly 20 years after their first relationship. The announcement of the split occurred barely two years after Lopez and Affleck married on July 17, 2022, in a private ceremony.
"Married four times, engaged six times, [she] has no problem falling in love and getting to the commitment stage with a man, but it appears that she may lack the tools needed to grow with a partner past that honeymoon phase," Conti said.
"Falling in love and staying in love takes a completely different skill set. Biologically speaking, studies have shown that the hormone spikes that are present in the falling in love stages taper off around year two, and that is when love becomes a verb, and not just a cocktail of hormones and feelings."
From a Cuban waiter to Oscar-winner, Jennifer Lopez's four marriages
Jennifer Lopez's first husband was Ojani Noa, a Cuban waiter. In a 2022 interview with Daily Mail, Noa revealed that they first crossed paths in 1996 and married in February of the following year.
"I had no idea who she was," Noa shared. "Our eyes glanced at each other and I thought she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen."
"We fell in love when she was already famous," he told the outlet. "But during our marriage, she became a megastar. 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."
Lopez then met dancer Cris Judd on the set of her 'Love Don't Cost a Thing' music video in 2001. They married later that year. In 2002, after just 9 months of marriage, Lopez filed for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences." Their divorce was finalized in 2003.
As her divorce from Judd was wrapping up, Lopez began her romance with Ben Affleck.
Their paths crossed on the set of the 2002 film 'Gigli', a box office flop, but it sparked the beginning of the "Bennifer" era in the early 2000s.
Lopez went on to marry Marc Anthony, and the couple enjoyed a decade together from 2004 to 2014.
They initially met in 1998 when Anthony was part of the Broadway show 'The Capeman'.
In 2007, Lopez announced she was pregnant. In 2008, they welcomed twins Max and Emme. The couple announced their split in 2011 and divorced in 2014 after 10 years of marriage.
After her divorce from Anthony, Lopez had an on-again, off-again relationship with dancer Casper Smart.
She then dated New York Yankees star Alex Rodriguez in 2017, and got engaged in 2019, but postponed their wedding twice due to Covid-19 before splitting in 2021.
Soon after her split from Rodriguez, Lopez rekindled her romance with Affleck. They surprised everyone with a Las Vegas wedding in July 2022, followed by a grand, traditional ceremony in Georgia a month later.
Jennnifer Lopez needs 'a secure partner or no partner'
Jennifer Lopez rocketed to fame in 1997 with her breakout role in 'Selena'.
Damona Hoffman, host of 'The Dates & Mates Podcast', told Fox News Digital that the ongoing tension between Lopez’s soaring career and personal life has been a persistent challenge.
"From early in her career, Jennifer Lopez seemed to be driven for the spotlight," she said.
"Even when she was in background dancing roles she worked her way to being featured, then earning leading roles, and eventually mega-stardom. That kind of drive requires sacrifice in your personal life and some level of obsession with, not just getting it right but getting it perfect."
She continued, "Her love life in many ways has mirrored her career trajectory. She has had many relationship highs and lows and had as many hits as she has failures, but she always goes all in on her career and relationships and sometimes when you care that much, you're going to get your heart broken."
Hoffman observed that Jennifer Lopez's relationships often follow a pattern of being on-again-off-again, noting that breaking such habits can be challenging. He mentioned that whether with Sean 'Diddy' Combs, Casper Smart, or Ben Affleck, Lopez might be tempted to return to past relationships for comfort and familiarity, as it often feels safer than embracing new possibilities.
On the other hand, Conti noted that, "power dynamics may be a huge cause for her issues in sustaining a long-term relationship. JLo needs a totally secure partner or no partner at all because her success and take-charge personality could lead to feelings of inadequacy in a man who is not totally secure within himself, which then leads to resentment and a power imbalance."
Conti noted that Lopez needs a partner with strong communication skills who is also willing to work on their own skills. She emphasized that relationships require daily commitment and compromise from both partners.
