Jennifer Lopez is ready to leave jaws on the floor with this romance confession.
Months after she and ex-husband Ben Affleck settled their divorce, the Kiss of the Spider Woman star got candid about her high-profile dating history—which includes a marriage to Marc Anthony and engagement to Alex Rodriguez—and she admitted the common thread that links her exes.
Indeed, Howard Stern pointedly quired to Jennifer on the Oct. 15 episode of his eponymous SiriusXM show whether she thinks she has "truly been loved," prompting her to admit with a sigh, "No."
While reflecting on her experience being in love, the 56-year-old—mom to 17-year-old twins Max and Emme with Marc—didn’t hesitate to share her theory on her failed romances. And why they had more to do with her exes' hang-ups.
"What I learned, it's not that I'm not lovable," Jennifer noted. "It's that they're not capable. They don't have it in them. They need to appreciate the little person inside of them. They need to love them."
But that’s not to say they didn’t necessarily try. As she emphasized, her former partners "gave me what they had."
"They gave me all of it, every time. All the rings, all the things I could ever want," explained Jennifer, who had most recently rekindled her romance with Ben in 2021 after calling off their first engagement two decades prior. "Tried to give me the houses, the rings, the marriage, all of it."
Still, it wasn’t enough, as Howard pointed out. "But they didn't love you," to which the Hustlers star replied, "They didn't," adding, "And I didn't love myself."
"But the truth is when you're in this type of career and you have the type of level of fame that we're talking about, there is a compromise," she continued, “There are adjustments that you do need to make, because it is a very blessed life."
And though she and Ben—who had previously detailed their differing perspectives of fame in her 2024 documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told—ultimately went their separate ways, they have remailed on friendly terms. In fact, with him even joining her on the red carpet at the New York City premiere of Kiss of the Spider Woman on Oct. 6.
And the Oscar winner, who is an executive producer on the film, sung his ex's praises.
"Jennifer is incredible in this movie," he exclusively told E! News at the film's Oct. 6 screening in New York City. “She's fabulous."
For a larger look back at Jennifer’s romance history, keep reading…
"But the truth is when you're in this type of career and you have the type of level of fame that we're talking about, there is a compromise," she continued, “There are adjustments that you do need to make, because it is a very blessed life."
And though she and Ben—who had previously detailed their differing perspectives of fame in her 2024 documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told—ultimately went their separate ways, they have remailed on friendly terms. In fact, with him even joining her on the red carpet at the New York City premiere of Kiss of the Spider Woman on Oct. 6.
And the Oscar winner, who is an executive producer on the film, sung his ex's praises.
"Jennifer is incredible in this movie," he exclusively told E! News at the film's Oct. 6 screening in New York City. “She's fabulous."
For a larger look back at Jennifer’s romance history, keep reading…
Husband No. 1: Ojani Noa
Jennifer Lopez married waiter-turned-restaurateur Ojani Noa in 1997 and the two divorced less than a year later.
Engagement Ring No. 1
Noa proposed with what appears to be a pear-shaped diamond ring, worth an estimated six figures.
Husband No. 2: Cris Judd
The multi-hyphenate and her former back-up dancer Cris Judd wed in 2001. The two split less than a year later and finalized a divorce in January 2003, while she was engaged to Ben Affleck.
Engagement Ring No. 2
Judd popped the question with this emerald-cut diamond ring, estimated to be worth six figures.
Fiancé No. 3: Ben Affleck
Kicking off a romance in 2002, Lopez and the actor filmed famous flop Gigli, the movie Jersey Girl and the singer's "Jenny From the Block" music video.
That November, Affleck proposed, with the two planning on having a wedding ceremony in Santa Barbara, California, on Sept. 14, 2003. Affleck called it off four days beforehand, citing "excessive media attention." In January 2004, the two publicly ended their engagement.
Engagement Ring No. 3
Affleck gave his bride-to-be a 6.1-carat pink radiant cut diamond Harry Winston ring, estimated to be worth between $1.2 and $2.5 million.
Husband No. 3: Marc Anthony
Lopez and fellow singer Marc Anthony, who share twins Max and Emme, wed in 2004 and announced their split in 2011. Anthony filed for divorce a year later and it was finalized in 2014.
Engagement Ring No. 4
Anthony proposed to Lopez with an 8.5-carat blue diamond Harry Winston engagement ring, estimated to be worth $4 million.
Fiancé No. 5: Alex Rodriguez
Having reconnected in 2017, former New York Yankees standout Alex Rodriguez swung for the fences, getting down on bended knee on the beach during their March 2019 trip to the Bahamas.
In April 2021, J.Lo and A-Rod called off their engagement.
Engagement Ring No. 5
The 15-carat emerald-cut diamond engagement ring Rodriguez chose is estimated to be worth between $1 million and $5 million.
Husband No. 4: Ben Affleck
The two rekindled their romance in spring of 2021. On April 8, 2022, she revealed in her On the JLo newsletter that they were engaged. But after a 2022 Las Vegas elopement—followed by fairytale vows in Georgia months later—she filed to end their nearly two-year union in August 2024. They settled their divorce the following January.
Engagement Ring No. 6
For the second go-round, Affleck went for a hue that Lopez had dubbed lucky after stealing the show at the 2000 Grammys in her iconic Verace gown. The green cushion-cut diamond was set with two white diamond side stones.