Ben Affleck Recalls People Being ‘Mean’ To Jennifer Lopez During Romance: It Was ‘Sexist’ & ‘Racist’

Ben Affleck has opened up about his relationship with Jennifer Lopez in the early 2000s, revealing people were ‘mean’ to the A-list singer.

Ben Affleck, 48, has recalled the way his ex-girlfriend Jennifer Lopez, 51, was treated when they dated almost 20 years ago. The Academy Award winner opened up on an episode ofThe Hollywood Reporter‘s Awards Chatter podcast to discuss his upcoming movie The Way Back. In the wide-ranging conversation, Ben also spoke candidly about his broken engagement to JLo, and how much negative press she received while they were together. “People were so f*****g mean about her — sexist, racist. Ugly, vicious s**t was written about her in ways that if you wrote it now you would literally be fired for saying those things you said,” Ben revealed.

The A-lister continued, “Now it’s like, she’s lionized and respected for the work she did, where she came from, what she accomplished — as well she f*****g should be! I would say you have a better shot, coming from the Bronx, of ending up as like [Justice Sonia]Sotomayor on the Supreme Court than you do of having Jennifer Lopez’s career and being who she is at 50 years old today.” Ben also opened up about his highly-photographed walks around his neighborhood, revealing he never intended to appear in tabloids.

“You know, there’s always a story of the month, and me dating Jennifer Lopez happened to be that tabloid story at the time when that business grew exponentially,” he explained. Still, to this day, [some] will go, ‘I see you out there in the paparazzi and the pictures!’ It’s like, ‘Yes, I left my house and took out the trash. It’s not like I’m trying to—’ And it’s still like, ‘You were taking a pap walk!’ As if, if you leave your house, you’re only doing so in the hope that you could be so lucky that you could end up as the sixth item in The Daily Mail. It’s absurd!” Ben and Jennifer got engaged in 2002, postponed their 2003 wedding just days before they were set to say their ‘I do’s, then officially split in January 2004.