Foreshadowing. After her surprise wedding to Ben Affleck, fans are wondering what will Jennifer Lopez’s last name be. Will she take Affleck or will she stick with Lopez? The “On The Floor” singer might have hinted at her new name in her newsletter.
On July 17, 2022, J-Lo confirmed that she married Ben Affleck in Las Vegas on her newsletter OntheJLo. TMZ first reported the news when they obtained their marriage certificate from Clark County, Nevada. In her newsletter, she gushed about the decision to marry Ben in an intimate ceremony. “Last night we flew to Vegas, stood in line for a license with four other couples, all making the same journey to the wedding capital of the world,” she wrote. “Behind us two men held hands and held each other. In front of us, a young couple who made the three hour drive from Victorville on their daughter’s second birthday—all of us wanting the same thing— for the world to recognize us as partners and to declare our love to the world through the ancient and nearly universal symbol of marriage.” She signed off the newsletter, “With love, Mrs. Jennifer Lynn Affleck”
Why did Jennifer Lopez change her last name to Affleck?
On their Nevada marriage license, J-Lo changed her legal name to Jennifer Affleck. In her December 2022 Vogue cover story, Jennifer opened up about why she made the change to her last name. “People are still going to call me Jennifer Lopez. But my legal name will be Mrs. Affleck because we’re joined together. We’re husband and wife. I’m proud of that. I don’t think that’s a problem.” When she was asked if Ben was open to taking up her last name, she laughed and responded, “No! It’s not traditional. It doesn’t have any romance to it. It feels like it’s a power move, you know what I mean? I’m very much in control of my own life and destiny and feel empowered as a woman and as a person. I can understand that people have their feelings about it, and that’s okay, too. But if you want to know how I feel about it, I just feel like it’s romantic. It still carries tradition and romance to me, and maybe I’m just that kind of girl.”
When Jennifer and Ben were first engaged in 2003, the Hustlers star hinted that she would take Ben’s surname if they got married. “I wanna know, a week after you’re married, what will your name be?” Access Hollywood’s Pat O’Brien asked her. “Jennifer Lopez, but my name will be Jennifer Affleck, obviously,” she affirmed, also noting that she’ll add her new surname to her stationery. “J-Aff…doesn’t quite the same ring to it,” she laughed.
Though the first wedding was certainly a surprise to everyone, the wedding wasn’t “completely unplanned” according to an insider quoted in People. The source told the outlet on July 18, 2022, that the couple had toyed around with the idea of eloping. “They were both comfortable with the idea of eloping,” the source said. “They talked about it for a while. It was very important for them to have a private ceremony. They didn’t want their wedding to be a spectacle.” The insider continued, “The Las Vegas ceremony was perfect. They both loved it. It was private and low-key. That’s all they asked for.”
If one wedding wasn’t enough, the two also got married a second time at Ben’s estate in Riceboro, Georgia on the weekend on August 19, 2022. The wedding lasted for three days and J-Lo dished about the deets on the wedding on her newsletter OntheJLo. She wrote, “The twenty years between those dreams of youth and the adult world of love and family we embraced that day, brought more to this marriage than either of us ever could have imagined. We weren’t only marrying one another; we were marrying these children into a new family. They were the only people we asked to stand up for us in our wedding party. To our great honor and joy, each one did.” She continued, “Years ago, we had no idea the road ahead would mean navigating so many labyrinths and hold so many surprises, blessings, and delights. It all culminated in this moment, one of the most perfect of our lives. We couldn’t have been happier. I wish all of you the same kind of happiness…the hard-earned kind that’s all the sweeter for the journey that came before it.”
J-Lo and The Last Duel star were previously together from 2001 to 2004. after meeting on the set of the RomCom Gigli. The couple ended their engagement in 2004. “I am confirming the report that Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck,” J-Lo’s rep said in a statement at the time. “At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy.”
The couple reunited in April 2021. Jennifer and Ben announced their engagement on April 8, 2022, in Jen’s newsletter On the JLo. Jennifer was first spotted with the green engagement ring on April 7 causing rumors that the couple was engaged again after 18 years. Lopez’s sister confirmed the announcement as well on Instagram with a picture of the stunning ring writing, “So this happened. Love you @Jlo #benaffleck.”
Image: Courtesy of Celebra.
For more about J-Lo’s life, check out True Love by Jennifer Lopez. The 2014 memoir covers the “Jenny on the Block” singer’s career and personal life, from her start as a dancer to when she became a mom of two twins with her now ex-husband Marc Anthony. In the book, which includes more than 200 personal photographs from J-Lo’s never-before-seen collection, the Selena actress writes about how “she confronted her greatest challenges, identified her biggest fears, and ultimately emerged a stronger person than she’s ever been” to become the pop icon we know today.
Our mission at STYLECASTER is to bring style to the people, and we only feature products we think you’ll love as much as we do. Please note that if you purchase something by clicking on a link within this story, we may receive a small commission from the sale.
