Jennifer Lopez said her divorce from Ben Affleck was the ‘best thing that ever happened’ to her. 

Reflecting on their breakup over a year later, the 56-year-old actress revealed that the separation ‘changed’ her and ‘helped me grow in a way that I needed to grow.’

Back in August 2024, Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck on their second wedding anniversary, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’

After their divorce was finalized earlier this year, she said she ‘had so much fun.’ 

On Sunday’s episode of CBS News Sunday Morning, however, she told Lee Cowan about how she had a ‘tough time’ in the wake of their split.

She recalled working on her new movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, which also had her ex serving as an executive producer on the film.

Jennifer Lopez said her divorce from Ben Affleck was the ‘best thing that ever happened’ to her; pictured May 2023 in Los Angeles

The movie premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January earlier this year, the same month they finalized their divorce. 

When asked about how she handled the time when her personal life was ‘not great,’ she said she ‘barely’ could.

‘It was a really tough time,’ she confessed about working on the same project he was also working on in the wake of their split. 

She said working on the film helped her focus on something outside of her heartbreak. 

‘It was hard not to think about stuff, but it was like the best and the worst of times, in a way. 

‘Every moment on set, every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy,’ she said. ‘And then it was like, back home, it was not great.’

She added: ‘And it was just like, “How do I reconcile this?” But you get through it.’

The On the Floor hitmaker said she later realized their divorce was the ‘best thing that ever happened to me’ as it helped her ‘grow.’ 

Looking back on their breakup over a year later, the 56-year-old actress confessed that the split ‘changed’ her and ‘helped me grow in a way that I needed to grow.’

On Sunday’s episode of CBS News Sunday Morning , however, she told Lee Cowan about how she had a ‘tough time’ in the wake of their split

She recalled working on her new movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, which also had her ex serving as an executive producer on the film

In August 2024, Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck on their second wedding anniversary, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’ After the divorce was finalized earlier this year, she mentioned she ‘had so much fun’; pictured September 2021 in Venice.

She expressed that working on the film helped her divert her attention from her heartbreak. The On the Floor singer later realized their divorce was the ‘best thing that ever happened to me’ as it contributed to her ‘growth’; pictured January 2024 in Los Angeles.

She said their separation ultimately helped her ‘become more self-aware.’ 

‘I’m a different person now than I was a year and a half ago,’ she told Cowan.

And following their split, she said she was able to enjoy ‘probably the best summer I’ve ever had’ this year.

‘I had so much fun. I’m able to enjoy things more and be great,’ she said. 

She also spoke fondly of her ex when talking about his contribution to her film adaptation of the Broadway musical Kiss of the Spider Woman. 

‘The movie wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for him and Artist Equity,’ she said of her ex-husband and his production company. 

‘I will always give him credit for that,’ she stated, clarifying that it wasn’t because he was constantly ‘pushing’ for the movie but rather because ‘they financed it.’

‘I told him this was the role I was born to play and I wanted to do it and he was like, “Okay.” And he helped make it happen,’ she recalled.  

Lopez and Affleck were married for two years, from their quiet wedding ceremony in July 2022 up until the singer filed for divorce in August 2024. 

They had previously been in a relationship back in the early 2000s and rekindled their romance in 2021 before tying the knot a year later.