Jennifer Lopez has revealed some shocking details about her past abusive relationships in her new documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which premiered on Amazon Prime Video on Friday.
The Glass House of Jennifer Lopez
In the documentary, which follows the making of her original musical film, This Is Me … Now: A Love Story, Lopez candidly shares her 20-year journey to self-love and how she overcame the trauma of being “manhandled” and “disrespected” by some of her exes.
One of the most emotional scenes in the documentary is called “the glass house”, where Lopez performs a choreographed dance routine with a love interest, depicting a toxic and violent relationship. The song, titled “Rebound”, is part of her new album, This Is Me … Now, which is a sequel to her 2002 album, This Is Me … Then.
“Being thrown around and manhandled like that is not fun. I mean, I was never in a relationship where I got beat up, thank God, but I’ve definitely been manhandled and a couple of other unsavory things. Rough. Disrespectful,” Lopez says in the documentary.
She also recalls how a therapist once asked her how she would react if her daughter was in an abusive situation. “It was so clear. I’d tell her get the f–k out of here and never look back, but for me, it was so clouded and complicated,” Lopez says. “It was like looking through fog.”
The Greatest Love Story Never Told
Lopez does not name any of her abusers, but she has been married three times before: to Cuban waiter Ojani Noa, dancer Cris Judd, and singer Marc Anthony, with whom she shares 12-year-old twins, Max and Emme. She has also dated rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs, actor Ben Affleck, and baseball star Alex Rodriguez.
In her 2014 memoir, True Love, Jennifer Lopez wrote that she was “mentally, emotionally, verbally” abused but did not identify anyone. She also said that she had to hit “rock bottom” before she could break free from the cycle of unhealthy relationships.
“I think it might surprise some people,”Jennifer Lopez told Variety on the Golden Globes red carpet this past Sunday. “It’s definitely kind of a meta story about the journey that it takes from getting from heartbreak back to love … I am somewhat of an expert you could say in a real way. Not so much about marriage but on weddings”.
The documentary also shows how Jennifer Lopez rekindled her romance with Affleck, whom she dated in the early 2000s and was engaged to before calling off their wedding in 2004. The couple reunited in 2022 and eloped in Las Vegas in July, followed by a lavish ceremony in Georgia.
Jennifer Lopez admits that Affleck was a “reluctant” and “silent participant” in her documentary, but also credits him for encouraging her to capture some of the moments of their relationship. “He sees me as an artist,” she said. “He knows that I’m going to express myself. He’s my biggest fan and my biggest supporter, as I am of him, which I’m so glad to be here tonight because he’s nominated”.
This Is Me … Now
Jennifer Lopez’s new album, This Is Me … Now, is a nod to her 2002 album, This Is Me … Then, which celebrated her relationship with Affleck and featured songs such as “Jenny from the Block” and “Dear Ben”. The new album, which was written and recorded at her Los Angeles home, explores her personal and professional growth, as well as her love for Affleck.
The album includes songs such as “Can’t Get Enough”, “Mad in Love”, and “Greatest Love Story Never Told”. It also features a sequel to “Dear Ben” and a song called “Midnight Trip to Vegas”, which presumably references her marriage to Affleck.
“I think people would think I’m so used to being in front of a camera and I’m quite comfortable with it, and that is true,” Lopez said. “But when you are kind of sharing your … you don’t have a script that you’re reading and playing a character or you’re not singing a song that you’ve written and is going to go out to the world, but you’re just living your life and really sharing your deepest thoughts, because that’s what you have to explore to tell this story and to do what you’re trying to do. That one for me was very scary”.
The album, which is available now, also comes with a deluxe edition that includes a 40-page booklet featuring exclusive photos, as well as separate vinyls in different colors.
Jennifer Lopez also released the visual accompaniment, This Is Me … Now: A Love Story, on Amazon Prime Video, which is a musical film that showcases her songs and her story. The film, which was self-funded by Lopez, features cameos from celebrities such as Lizzo, Cardi B, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Jennifer Lopez, who has been in the entertainment industry for over three decades, said that she hopes her fans will enjoy her new projects and relate to her journey. “I really feel like as an artist, you have to be vulnerable. You have to, even when you’re playing a role, have to get down to the real parts of yourself to share what it’s like to be human. And that is a scary thing to do,” she said.
