Ben Affleck is still surprised by Jennifer Lopez's fame all these years later.
In fact, the Oscar winner recounted being shocked by a recent fan encounter he and his wife had while out in New York City with their blended family, which includes his kids with ex Jennifer Garner, Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, as well as the "On the Floor" singer's 16-year-old twins Max and Emme.
"She's so famous and people love her," Affleck shared on the June 20 season four premiere of Peacock's Hart to Heart. "She really represents something important to people. People are like, 'Ah! J.Lo!' It's amazing."
As he explained, the couple and their brood were headed to a play when they hit traffic in Times Square.
"We had to get out of the car," the Argo star explained, "I was like, ‘F--k it, baby, we're gonna be late. We gotta walk a block and a half.' She was like ‘alright.' She didn't say s--t. I was like, 'We gotta go, we gotta walk!' You get impatient because the traffic's gonna be like 10 minutes and it will take us two minutes to walk."
But Affleck was not expecting the attention their family walk would receive.
"This s--t was like f--king bananas," the 51-year-old told host Kevin Hart. "There was a lady smoking weed, she's in a purple skin-tight suit. And she starts running backwards filming going 'J.Lo!' like a herald that then gets everybody else—and they're all tourists—just whoosh!"
However, the fanfare proved thoroughly entertaining for Affleck's kids, who have a long-standing joke of coming up with hypothetical titles for their future autobiographies.
"My daughter just turns to me," the actor noted, "and goes, 'J.Lo Was My Stepmother.' I was like, ‘That's a good title.' Could be a lot worse than that."
Jokes aside, Affleck also got candid about witnessing the negative effects all the media attention surrounding him, Lopez and Garner has had on their children.
"Every day I'm alive I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing by them, making their lives better," he reflected. "And that doesn't mean that sometimes I don't come home and I see that they've gone through some bulls--t. It breaks my heart where I'm like, ‘This s--t would never happen if I wasn't in this life.' And it's hard. I really, really f--king second guess it a lot."
However, Affleck acknowledged their fame does have benefits.
"But I also know I like this life better for them than the one I had," he added. "And that's the balance. And I talk with Jennifer about that a lot as we look at what's the difference between our kids lives."
Keep reading to look back at Affleck and Lopez's decades-long relationship. New episodes of Hart to Heart premieres Thursdays on Peacock.
December 2001: Filming Gigli
The two prepare to film a scene for the movie in West Hollywood. The couple met on the set of the film.
October 2002: Spotted in Beverly Hills
The two are spotted in the city.
November 2002: Filming Gigli and Engagement
The two film the movie on Will Rogers State Beach in Los Angeles. That month, the actor proposes to the actress with a 6.1-carat pink diamond ring.
November 2002: Filming Jersey Girl
The two film the movie in New York City.
November 2002: Leaving MTV's TRL
Is there anything more '00s than both Bennifer 1.0 and TRL?
December 2002: Red Carpet Debut
The two make their red carpet debut as a couple at the premiere of her film Maid in Manhattan.
January 2003: Sundance
The two bundle up at the Sundance Film Festival in Utah.
February 2003: Daredevil Premiere
The two appear at the premiere of Daredevil, starring Ben as the superhero.
February 2003: Daredevil Premiere
The two appear at the premiere of Daredevil, starring Ben and future ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
March 2003: Oscars
The two attend the Academy Awards together.
May 2003: Basketball Game
The two sit courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
July 2003: Canada Trip
The two film a Dateline interview for NBC in Vancouver.
July 2003: Gigli Premiere
The two appear at the premiere for their movie in Westwood, Calif.
August 2003: Gigli Is Released
...it flops at the box office.
September 2003: Wedding Is Off
The two postpone their wedding. No future date is given.
October 2003: Baseball Date
The two are seen at a Boston Red Sox game. The team is Ben's favorite.
January 2004: It's Over
The two end their engagement.
September 2021: Red Carpet Royalty
They're baaaack. On Sept. 10, the couple makes their first red carpet appearance in 18 years at the Venice Film Festival premiere of The Last Duel.
September 2021: Look of Love
There's no denying J.Lo makes for a stunning plus-one!
September 2021: Back to the Stage
Ben supports J.Lo at the 2021 Global Citizen Live event in New York City, where she performed onstage. It marked her first music gig since she performed at VAX LIVE in May, where the actor also appeared onstage separately, fueling rumors of a rekindled romance.
September 2021: Met Gala Debut
The two attend the Met Gala together for the first time.
October 2021: PDA at Premiere
Jen and Ben put on a sizzling display on the red carpet at the premiere of his film The Last Duel in New York City.
April 2022: Engaged Again!
Jennifer confirmed her engagement to the Gone Girl actor with a video posted to her On The JLo site, revealing a glimpse of her beautiful engagement ring with a green stone.
July 2022: Married!
On July 16, Jennifer and Ben tied the knot in a surprise ceremony at A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas.
July 2022: Post-Wedding Trip to Paris
The two vacation with her twins and two of his kids in the French capital soon after their wedding.
June 2023: Red Carpet Fabulous
J.Lo steps out with Ben in support of his movie The Flash.
February 2024: This Is Them...Now
Jennifer release This Is Me... Now, an album about her relationship with Ben. The record is accompanied by a musical film titled This Is Me... Now: A Love Story and the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
March 2024: Jenny on the Block
The couple enjoys a day out in NYC on March 30, 2024.
August 2024: Divorce
J.Lo filed for divorce Aug. 20, listing the date of separation as Apil 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.
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