Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck separated in 2024 after two years of marriage. While the former couple is reportedly on better terms now that they’re no longer together, Lopez admitted the divorce was very hard on her. She spoke about how she felt in the immediate aftermath of the split.

Jennifer Lopez shared how she felt after her divorce from Ben Affleck

Affleck was Lopez’s fourth husband. She said she wanted to focus on being alone after their marriage fell apart.

“You have to be good on your own. I thought I learned that, but I didn’t,” she told Nikki Glaser for Interview Magazine. “And then, this summer, I had to be like, ‘I need to go off and be on my own. I want to prove to myself that I can do that.’”

Though Lopez wanted to be alone, she admitted it was “f***ing hard.”

“It feels lonely, unfamiliar, scary,” she said, adding, “It feels sad. It feels desperate.”

She said that she has been able to work through these difficult feelings, though. 

“But when you sit in those feelings and go, ‘These things are not going to kill me,’ it’s like actually, I am capable of joy and happiness all by myself,” she said. “Being in a relationship doesn’t define me. I can’t be looking for happiness in other people. I have to have happiness within myself. I used to say I’m a happy person, but was still looking for something for somebody else to fill, and it’s just like, ‘No, I’m actually good.’”

She reportedly hopes to date a non-famous person after her split

While Lopez has spent some time alone, she reportedly hopes to find love again in the future. Sources say she is looking for someone who “has nothing to do with Hollywood.”

“Believe it or not, Jennifer says she wants a ‘regular Joe,’ a businessman or a blue-collar guy who’s secure in himself,” an insider told InTouch Weekly. “A guy who is strong in his convictions, someone who will make her feel special, safe, and secure. She’s tired of being taken advantage of by men who want the spotlight.”

In the future, she reportedly aims to focus on “meeting in the middle” with her romantic partners.

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are reportedly on better terms now

Lopez and Affleck are reportedly on much better terms after finalizing their divorce.

“Getting things all squared away has done wonders for the state of their relationship,” another source told InTouch Weekly. “They’re both saying they are impressed in the end by how sensible and fair it all came out and that’s left them both feeling about as happy as you could get after a divorce.” 

They’ve hoped to maintain a good relationship for the sake of their children.

“It’s a really hopeful sign that they managed to get through this without hating each other, because they would like to preserve their friendship,” the source said. “It’s also imperative to her that the kids continue to have a friendship as well. They’re both on the same page which is wonderful. They have a lot of love and respect for each other and ideally would love to stay in each other’s lives.”