Jennifer Lopez got surprisingly candid about her love life during her first-ever appearance on The Howard Stern Show – and even admitted that a superstar like herself has been rejected.
The 56-year-old icon didn’t hold back as she opened up about the pitfalls of dating in the spotlight, especially after splitting from husband Ben Affleck in 2024 following their two-year marriage.
When Stern suggested it must be tough navigating the ‘massive attention’ that comes with dating famous men, she agreed, telling him, ‘It’s difficult to be under that microscope.’
Jennifer Lopez added, ‘When you have this level of fame, there is a compromise… cause it’s a very blessed life… that’s one of the trade-offs… you have to learn to navigate your personal life and my personal life has suffered at times because of that.’
Stern then pivoted, asking, ‘Was there ever a time you wanted that guy and didn’t get him?’
Jennifer Lopez laughed, admitting, ‘There was one guy that I had my eye on… and I kind of threw it out there and he didn’t pick it up. I won’t say his name… but this was… 10 years ago…’
She continued, ‘Yeah, he didn’t respond back and I was just like “ok.” I just kind of moved on.’
Cracking up, she said, ‘I regret saying this already.
After a pause, she added with a grin, ‘I was very subtle so maybe he didn’t pick up the signal.’
Nearly a decade ago, when Lopez made her romantic move, she was busy working on multiple films, putting her in close orbit with plenty of Hollywood heavyweights.
She starred in Parker alongside Jason Statham and in The Boy Next Door with Ryan Guzman and Sex and the City’s John Corbett.
Her ensemble comedy What to Expect When You’re Expecting featured Chace Crawford, Dennis Quaid, and Chris Rock.
Even more high-profile, at the 2014 Oscars, Lopez presented Best Costume Design alongside Chris Pine.
And she rubbed elbows with nominees including Leonardo DiCaprio (The Wolf of Wall Street), Christian Bale (American Hustle), and Matthew McConaughey (Dallas Buyers Club).
The next year, she presented at the Oscars with Marvel star Jeremy Renner.
Clearly, Jennifer Lopez had plenty of A-listers around her, making her story of a missed romantic connection all the more tantalizing.
And Lopez’s past love life reads like a Tinseltown blockbuster.
The former Fly Girl’s first major public romance was with Cuban actor Ojani Noa, whom she married in 1997; the marriage lasted less than a year.
She then dated music mogul Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs in the late 1990s, a high-profile pairing that cemented her reputation as one of Hollywood’s most eligible stars.
In 2001, she married dancer Cris Judd, though that union ended in divorce after less than two years.
Jennifer Lopez later married singer Marc Anthony in 2004, a union that produced twins, Emme and Max, before ending in divorce in 2011.
Reflecting on her past loves, Lopez told Stern, ‘Now I realize that you have to change, you have to change your behavior’… if you want to have a successful relationship in your life.’
She also opened up about her on-screen chemistry with Affleck, explaining to the host, ‘The only costar I was ever with was Ben, who I wound up marrying eventually — and we were not together while we filmed the movie, it was after that that we got together.’
The pair first met on the set of Gigli in 2001, where their friendship eventually turned into something more.
‘When Ben and I worked together, I was in a relationship and I’m not sure if he was… and then months after that I was single and he called me… yeah, that’s what happened,’ she recalled.
And Lopez and Affleck are reportedly on good terms following their surprise reunion at the New York City premiere of Kiss of the Spider Woman last week.
Elsewhere in the interview, Lopez revealed the one movie role she wishes she hadn’t turned down.
‘Adrian Lyne’s Unfaithful,’ she said, referring to the 2002 thriller role that eventually went to Diane Lane opposite Richard Gere.
Jennifer Lopez admitted she passed on it ‘because the script wasn’t good… and then Lyne made it great’.
The cordiality between Stern and Lopez came as quite a shock to fans, given that the shock jock has repeatedly targeted her with scathing remarks over the last two decades.
He slammed her red carpet outfits, saying her MTV Awards look made her ‘look like a hippo’.
Stern mocked her singing, claiming her rendition of ‘You Belong to Me’ sounded like karaoke and proved she ‘isn’t a great singer’.
He also dismissed her acting and cop show projects as unconvincing.
Stern once publicly admitted he ‘can’t stand her’ because she ‘just rubs him the wrong way’.
Despite Stern’s long history of jabs, Lopez took it all in stride during her first appearance on his show, handling his tough questions with charm and humor.
She even wrapped things up by telling him, ‘You’re a gentleman, you’re kind.’