What’s a sports game without a Bennifer sighting? Not a very good one at all. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck sat courtside at the game between the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers. The two were all smiles as they held hands and enjoyed the basketball game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, Dec. 7.
No, you aren’t in a 2002 time warp: following their split in 2004, Jennifer and Ben rekindled their romance in May, ushering in a new Bennifer era for a new generation. The reconciliation came after the singer split from fiancé Alex Rodriguez in April.
The romance has been growing strong ever since: the two have gone on vacation together, celebrated their birthdays, and spent time with each other’s children over the holidays. J.Lo shares twins Max and Emme, 13, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Ben shares Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
In his Wall Street Journal profile published on Dec. 1, Ben called the reconciliation “beautiful” and reveled at the beauty of second chances. “I can say that it’s definitely beautiful to me,” he said. “And it is a good story. It’s a great story. And, you know, maybe one day I’ll tell it. I’ll write it all out. And then I’ll light it on fire.”
“I am very lucky in my life in that I have benefited from second chances, and I am aware that other people don’t even get first chances,” Ben continued. “I’ve definitely tried to take advantage of that. I haven’t always been successful, but in cases in which I have, they’ve turned out to be the defining aspects of my life.”
As for whether a Bennifer engagement could happen again, J.Lo revealed in November that she’s open to marriage amidst her romance. While fielding questions on TODAY about whether she’d consider getting married again, she said, “Yeah, I guess. You know me, I’m a romantic. I always have been.”
She quipped about her previous marriages to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd, and Marc, “I’ve been married a few times. I still believe in happily ever after for sure. One hundred percent.”