Jennifer Lopez hasn’t forgotten the fact that her first wedding to Ben Affleck was called off just four days beforehand — with guests already on the way — back in 2003. In fact, it’s the reason the two eloped in Las Vegas this time around. “We were planning to get married in August in Savannah, Georgia, and the family was going to be there and everyone was going to be there,” Jennifer explained on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “It was so stressful. I don’t know if you guys know this, but 20 years ago, we were supposed to get married and it kind of all fell apart back then. So this time I absolutely still had a little PTSD.”
Jen explained that she and Ben were having a wedding planning meeting in July and it stressed her out so much that Ben was the one who suggested a Vegas wedding. When he brought up the idea of going to Vegas THAT night, Jen was skeptical, since she had a rehearsal that day. “He’s like, ‘Go to rehearsal, when you come back, I’ll have everything set up,'” the singer/actress went on. “Three of our kids were at camp and two were with us, and he’s like, ‘They’ll be our witnesses, let’s go, we’re doing it tonight.’ And we did. It was amazing. It was the best night.”
Eventually, Jen and Ben did have their planned Georgia wedding, with family and friends in attendance, as well. During the interview, Jimmy Kimmel questioned why he wasn’t one of the lucky friends to score an invite, and Jen had to admit that she had no idea. “Aren’t you and Ben, like, good friends?” she wondered. Luckily, it was all in good fun, and Jimmy wound up giving Jen his gift on the show: Dunkin’ Donuts-themed cups for Dunkin’ lover Ben!
Jennifer was on Kimmel’s show to promote her upcoming movie, Shotgun Wedding, which she stars in with Josh Duhamel. After filming the talk show, she attended the movie’s premiere, as well. Ben was by her side for the big night.