Ojani Noa, Jennifer Lopez's first husband, says he empathizes with Ben Affleck and has offered the actress some relationship advice amid her recent divorce.
Jennifer and Ojani met when he was working as a waiter in Miami in 1997. The two were immediately attracted to each other. They got married the same year and divorced a year later.
Highlights
- Jennifer recently filed for divorce from Ben Affleck after two years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.
- Jennifer's first husband, Ojani Noa, empathized with Ben Affleck, saying he was also "in a bad mood" when he was with the star.
- Ojani advised Jennifer to stay single for a while and focus on herself without rushing into another marriage.
The Selena actress recently filed for divorce from Ben Affleck after two years of marriage. According to the New York Post, Jennifer cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split.
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Many netizens speculated that Ben was unhappy in the relationship, arguing that he often appeared to be in a bad mood when he was around the Marry Me singer.
When asked about this rumor, Ojani said he saw similarities between himself and the actor, whom he described as looking like he wanted "to break someone's head off."
"In my own experience [married to Jennifer], we would have disagreements in the car, and then 20 minutes later, we'd have to sit and pretend everything was fine," the Cuban personal trainer and model told The DailyMail.
"But you can only pretend so much," he added. "When we were going through hell and going out as a couple, I was in a bad mood, too. Because I knew inside we were not good. I hated going on the red carpet."
Ojani noted similarities between his relationship with Jennifer and Ben Affleck's, as both men struggled with the intense media scrutiny of their private lives
Image credits: Christopher Polk/Golden Globes 2024
During their short-lived marriage, Ojani advised his wife to "be private."
"You can't be real in a relationship if you're always being photographed," he allegedly told her.
In Jennifer's documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, Ben said that he had learned to compromise with the singer over "the amount of scrutiny" around their private lives.
Jennifer and Ojani met in 1997 when he was working as a waiter at a restaurant in Miami
Image credits: Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection
The Argo actor further admitted that the overwhelming media attention had been the catalyst for their first breakup in 2004. The pair began dating in 2002 after meeting on the set of Gigli.
"I had a very firm sense of boundaries, initially, around the press," Ben said in the documentary, which premiered in February 2024.
"Getting back together, I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media,'" he recalled. "And then I sort of realized it's not a fair thing to ask. It's sort of like you're gonna marry a boat captain and [say] like, 'Well, I don't like the water.'"
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"Ben is husband number four. I was husband number one, and she told me I was the love of her life," he said.
During the recent interview, he added that he would "in no way" be interested in rekindling his romance with his ex-wife.
"If she meets someone new, maybe keep it private and not get married again.
"She has an amazing career, and she's a hard-working, beautiful woman, but when you're with someone, you have to spend quality time with them and not think about being on camera.
"I would just say to Jen: you need to be yourself so you can find yourself."
Jennifer recently filed for divorce from Ben Affleck after two years of marriage
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In addition to Ojani and Ben, Jennifer married dancer Cris Judd and singer Marc Anthony in 2001 and 2004, respectively.
Following their divorce, Jennifer sued Ojani after he wanted to publish a book about their marriage and release a documentary using private footage from their honeymoon.
In 2012, the star claimed that Ojani had blackmailed her, demanding $3,780,000 in exchange for not revealing intimate details about their relationship, according to Standard.
"I knew inside we were not good. I hated going on the red carpet," Ojani said
Image credits: Barry King/WireImage
After being informed that the manuscript of his book violated a confidentiality agreement with the singer, he reportedly demanded the money when contacted by Jennifer’s lawyers.
The On the Floor singer was recently spotted having a friendly lunch with Ben. The two are "still moving forward with their divorce" and "working out financial details amicably," a source told People Magazine.
While many agreed with Ojani's words, others suggested he should move on instead of offering advice to Jennifer
