Jennifer Lopez, 52, is setting the record straight about her feelings on beau Ben Affleck‘s recent SiriusXM interview with Howard Stern. Following reports that she was reportedly “pissed” about Ben’s out-of-context comments about his marriage to Jennifer Garner — particularly that he felt “trapped” in their relationship — J.Lo says this is not the case. “This story is simply not true,” she said to PEOPLE magazine. “It is not how I feel…I couldn’t have more respect for Ben as a father, a co-parent, and a person,” she added. HollywoodLife has also reached out for a statement.
Jennifer was reportedly “pissed” following the interview, with Page Six adding, “She is getting pulled into this because she is dating him. She doesn’t want to be dragged into this.” The report also said that J.Lo “has met Jennifer Garner” and is “trying to get to know her and Ben’s kids” (the Maid In Manhattan star was spotted trick-or-treating with her twins Max and Emme, 13, along with Jennifer Garner and her three children Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 12, and son Samuel, 9).
During the candid conversation with Howard, Ben openly talked about his and struggles, including his childhood and upbringing, failed marriage, and fatherhood. “We had a marriage that didn’t work, this happens, with somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn’t be married any longer…I knew she was a good mom,” he said on the radio show, touching on his addiction to alcohol. “Part of why I started drinking … because I was trapped,” he said.
The comments quickly went viral on social media as fans interpreted Ben’s comments as blame on Jennifer Garner for his alcoholism. Over the course of his marriage, Ben did seek help and check into rehab several times — including most recently in 2019. Jennifer Garner and Ben finalized their divorce a year prior in 2018 following a separation period.
The Boston native appeared on Jimmy Kimmel’s show a day dater his chat with Howard to clarify what he said. “They had, literally, taken the conversation I had for two hours and made it seem as if I was saying the exact opposite of what I said,” he said. “I had gone on and said, like, how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first and went through our stuff. And they said I had blamed my ex wife for my alcoholism and that I was ‘trapped’ and just made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid awful guy.”