JLo Gets Real About Putting Her And Ben Affleck’s Life In The Spotlight For This Is Me … Now: ‘We Both Have PTSD’

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - NOVEMBER 17: Jennifer Lopez (L) and Ben Affleck attend the 2023 Eastern Congo Initiative Poker and Blackjack Tournament hosted by TAO Group Hospitality at LAVO Restaurant & Nightclub at The Palazzo at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas on November 17, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
(Image credit: Mindy Small/Getty Images)

For as long as there have been famous people, the public has been obsessed with celebrity couples. There is perhaps no better modern example than Ben Afflek and Jennifer Lopez, with Bennifer 2.0 breaking the internet by getting married in Vegas. Since then they’ve been photographed everywhere they went, with Affleck even going viral at the Grammys for looking miserable. JLo got real about putting her and Ben’s life in the spotlight for This Is Me… Now movie, even being quoted saying “we both have PTSD.”

This Is Me… Now will debut JLo’s new album, complete with stunning visuals. But it’ll also presumably offer a peek behind the curtain on their relationship, and the limited privacy they have. The Shotgun Wedding actress spoke to Variety about the upcoming visual album, and got real about the complicated feelings shared by both Lopez and Affleck. In her words:

We both have PTSD…but we’re older now. We’re wiser. We also know what’s important, what’s really important in life, and it’s not so much what other people think. It’s about being true to who you are.

Points were made. While fans are still absolutely obsessed with the pair of A-listers, they’re seemingly able to have a better perspective on that level of scrutiny nowadays. After all, they’re older now and have been through this process before. And becoming parents has no doubt helped to change their view as well.

Lopez’s comments to Variety is an honest look at how she and Affleck are feeling as they prepare for This Is Me… Now to be released to the masses. JLo and Affleck’s relationship has been entertaining audiences for a long time, even if they were broken up for a number of years in the middle. And while there is a ton of chatter about the couple, Lopez’s new visual project will be able to show what it’s really like from within their marriage.

Bennifer has made countless headlines since they reunited, and eventually got married in Sin City. Since then the public has dissected their behavior during most public appearances, including when lip readers tried to figure out what Lopez and Affleck were saying at the Grammys. And it should be interesting to see if/how This is Me… Now changed the public’s perception of the power couple.

One can’t blame Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck for having some PTSD related to their relationship. They made countless headlines when they were originally together, and a lot of the coverage wasn’t exactly positive. They seem to be living in wedded bliss now, but it must have been difficult to open up in the new movie.

This Is Me… Now (both the album and visuals) will arrive on February 16th. In the meantime, check out the 2024 movie release dates to plan your next movie experience. 

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.