Stamp of approval! Ben Affleck’s dad, Timothy Affleck, was “happy” about the news of his son’s engagement to Jennifer Lopez—that is, when he finally heard about it on the internet.
The 78-year-old father of two revealed in an interview with The US Sun that he had no idea that Ben proposed to J-Lo again following their first engagement nearly 20 years ago. The Argo producer and the Marry Me star were previously engaged after meeting in 2002 on the set of Gigli. Though they called off their engagement in 2004, fate would have it that they’d have another chance at love. Bennifer rekindled their romance in 2021 following J-Lo’s split from ex-fiancé Alex Rodriguez in April of that year. Now, the pair clearly aren’t wasting any more time: In April 2022, Ben popped the question to J-Lo for the second time, much to his father’s surprise.
“I haven’t talked to them in ages, but if everything one reads on the internet is true, they’re having a good time together,” Ben’s dad told the US Sun in an interview published on April 13, 2022. “He’s quite busy with all of his newfound activities. He’s been working a lot, which no one seems to care about. They care about romance.”
When asked if he approved of Ben and Jen’s engagement this time around, Ben’s dad was more than supportive. “That’s fine by me,” he said of their engagement, adding, “I’m happy about it.” The elder Affleck went on to express his faith that the couple are better prepared to handle romance in the spotlight. “I don’t know anything about wedding plans or anything like that. But I don’t imagine there will be a repeat of the last wedding arrangements. The last time the media went berserk. They just went crazy, and I’m sure that had an effect; it would have an effect on anyone, really,” he said. “But I imagine they can handle it more now, I hope so. Ben’s getting up there; he’s pushing 50.”
Years before they rekindled their romance, Ben and J-Lo notably cited media pressures as one of the major reasons why they ultimately called off their wedding in 2003. “Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date,” the pair said in a joint statement at the time. “When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate ‘decoy brides’ at three different locations, we realized that something was awry.”
As for what Ben’s dad thinks of J-Lo herself? Well, there’s a reason why he’s happy about his son marrying the Hustlers star. “I did meet Jennifer when they first dated,” he told the US Sun. “There’s a lot I admire about her. She’s quite a special woman. What I like most about her is that she did it all herself. She brought herself up on so many different levels. She’s obviously very talented.” He went on to add, “She’s a hard worker, and I admire that. I think she deserves everything she gets.” Including, of course, Ben himself! When it comes to his son, Ben’s dad says he’s “very proud of him.” He shared, “He’s doing extremely well.”
While Ben’s dad has yet to snag an invite to the upcoming wedding, he’s excited by the prospect. “It’s always great to see my grandkids and my son. It’ll be nice to see Jennifer,” he shared. “I hope it all works out well for them.”
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.
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