Jennifer Lopez on divorce from Ben Affleck and why her love must be ‘earnt’

Jennifer Lopez says she wants her next partner to accept her for all she is and treat her with respect. Photo / Getty Images

Jennifer Lopez wants her next partner to “accept” her for all that she is.

The 56-year-old singer, who divorced Ben Affleck, 53, in January 2025 after two years of marriage, explained what she was looking for in her next relationship when performing her 1999 track If You Had My Love.

In an Instagram post of Lopez’s performance at her Up All Night in Las Vegas residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, she said: “When I first sang it, I was very young. I was a little baby in the woods and I sang it with a lot of hope.

“But I’ve also sang it over the years. I’ve sang it while I was sad and I’ve sang it when I was happy. But now, today, you know how I sing it? I sing it in power.

“Because the truth is, if you wanted to have my love, you would have to earn it. You would have to treat me right. You would have to respect me.

“You’d have to accept me for all that I am. You’d have to love me if you wanted my love.”

The On The Floor hitmaker, who has married four times, said: “Love is a complicated thing and I know that… you can’t have love without heartbreak. You can’t. That’s what you sign up for.”

Lopez also joked about her marriage to Affleck during her first Vegas show.

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The Dancing Again singer recalled her 2016 residency Jennifer Lopez: All I Have and said: “It’s been 10 years since my last residency… That went by in a blink.

“I tell you… and I’ve only been married twice since then. That’s not true! It was only once, felt like twice. I’m kidding.”

She then joked “things happen”, before kicking out her leg and adding “and then get rid of them”.

Lopez and Affleck ended their first engagement in 2004 before rekindling their romance in 2021.

The pair tied the knot in July 2022 and Lopez filed for divorce two years after their second wedding ceremony in Georgia, listing April 26, 2024, as the date of their split.

A further eight shows in Jennifer Lopez: Up All Night Live in Las Vegas are due to take place in March 2026.