J.Lo and Ben Affleck Are Engaged Once Again—and This Xennial Has Some *Thoughts*

They said the early 2000s were back, but I definitely didn't think they meant this. Low-rise jeans? Sure. "Frosted" eye shadow? Even better. But Bennifer engaged for a second time?! Please excuse me while I pick my jaw up off the floor.

So just in case you don't have a Google alert set for literally anytime Jennifer Lopez does so much as a hair flip (Guilty!), here's the 411: This week, Jenny from the Block revealed that she and former lover/not-so-great-Batman/current lover Ben Affleck are engaged to be married…again. The 52-year-old superstar even gave a look at her stunning green engagement ring (not to be confused with the pink rock Affleck gave her the first time around).

Now don’t get me wrong. I couldn’t possibly be more thrilled that Lady Lopez is pursuing happiness wherever her heart guides her. 

I was, of course, Team J.Diddy. I signed up wholeheartedly for #JAnthony. And even though I can't tell a baseball bat from a fishing pole, I was on board for A-Lo/J.Rod. But y'all, please don't toy with my emotions by making me believe Bennifer is here to stay for good.

It first came to light in May 2021 that the couple was hanging out together again in Los Angeles, according to reports from Page Six. (A-Rod, who?!) Then, sources told People that Bennifer was spending time together in Montana.

According to said sources, "[Jennifer] spent several days with Ben out of town. They have a strong connection. It's all been quick and intense, but Jennifer is happy." My thought at the time: What what what is happening?! Obviously, the duo later confirmed their reunion and has kept us fawning over every red carpet photo since.

As any good xennial knows (and probably any millennial, but I refuse to call myself one of those), Lopez and Affleck were a couple in the early 2000s. They started dating in 2002 and even had plans to wed in September of 2003. But the heartbreak I felt at the calling off of the first wedding—and the subsequent calling off of the first relationship in January 2004—was perhaps only rivaled by the dreaded separation of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston (AKA the other Bennifer). It was a devastating breakup for fans of celebrity love stories everywhere.

Fast-forward and Lopez has again found forever love in the arms of everyone's favorite Not-Matt-Damon. So what am I (and the rest of my generation) supposed to do with this information?

On the one hand, this is perhaps the most comforting of news. For starters, it takes me back to a simpler, easier time before face masks and political screaming matches at Thanksgiving dinner. A time when my biggest life concerns involved whether Emma Watson would be any better of an actress in the newest Harry Potter installment (spoiler: she was...and she wasn't). And of course, there is that warm fuzzy feeling that happens at the end of a rom-com when the couple that struggled against adversity and ridiculous plot devices finally ends up together. Isn't it smile-inducing that Affleck and Lopez have found one another at the end of a real-life Jersey Girl?! 

But on the other hand, am I jumping the gun by diving straight into that warm pond of nostalgia after this latest Bennifer news? I honestly don't know if I can afford to have my emotions toyed with in such a manner. It's entirely possible that this re-pairing could end in an un-Nora-Ephron-like manner, with "Bennifer Breaks Again" splashing across my screen—though likely with more thought put into the punny headline.

So while I and the rest of the world try to take deep breaths in response to this news, it seems most logical to temper expectations and set the bar low for future developments. Because if there's anything the last few years (and all of J.Lo's canceled weddings) taught me, it's that we all might be hoping for a Wedding Planner, but we're much more likely to end up with a Gigli.