Ben Affleck explains what he learned from watching Jennifer Lopez’s career

Ben Affleck says Jennifer Lopez is a “pioneer” who succeeded when she was told it wasn’t possible.

The 54-year-old actor spoke candidly about his ex-wife on the podcast The Moment with Jorge and Paola Ramoson Wednesday when the hosts asked what he learned from Lopez, 57, about how Latinos navigate Hollywood.

He said it would be hard to sum up briefly. He said she kept going even when “gates” were put in front of her, and used social media to show there was an audience for her work. He compared her career to a diver’s “degree of difficulty,” saying she deserves a “4X.”

“You have to understand, I think to understand Jennifer Lopez, honestly, is to understand somebody who really is a pioneer who did things when he was told they’re not possible and you’re not welcome and by kind of force of will,” Affleck said.

Affleck said Lopez still faces criticism that carries “an implicit or at least subconscious double standard.”

He praised her for betting on herself, taking real risks and investing her own money, “all the things that we’re told, ‘This is what great American entrepreneurs do.’”

He also called her “probably the hardest working person that I’ve ever known.” “I feel like I work pretty hard, but around her, I’ve always thought like, ‘Woo, damn,’” he said.

The comments echo what he told Variety recently, when he said he has “an enormous amount of respect and admiration” for her.

Affleck and Lopez dated in the early 2000s and ended an engagement in 2004. They married in July 2022. She filed for divorce in August 2024, and it was finalised in January 2025. Affleck produced her 2025 film Kiss of the Spider Womanthrough his company with Matt Damon, and went to its premiere to support her.