Jennifer Lopez recalls 'brutal' criticism she and Ben Affleck endured: 'We were just too young to understand'

foxnews.com:

A lot has changed between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck in 18 years. The singer/actress, who is on the cover of Rolling Stone’s March 2022 issue, reflected on the intense media scrutiny the pair faced during the early years of their relationship. "It’s funny because Ben and I were together, and we were so in love," the 52-year-old explained. "It was one of the happiest times of my life.

But also, there was this other thing happening where we were being criticized, and it really destroyed our relationship from the inside out, because we were just too young to understand at that time what were really the most important things in life." The outlet noted how the press mocked her Latin heritage.

One outlet described how "Ben Affleck sleeps with the help," following her 2002 romantic comedy "Maid in Manhattan." While "South Park" called her a "mean-spirited b---h," Conan O’Brien said that he’d cast "our script intern" as Affleck and "our cleaning lady" as Lopez for a sketch.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend the red carpet of the movie ‘The Last Duel’ during the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 10, 2021, in Venice, Italy. (Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) "It was brutal," said Lopez. "It’s one of those things that you bury very deeply, so you can move on and get about your business." The "Hustlers" star, 52, and "Argo" director, 49, were previously engaged for roughly two years.The two split in 2004, and Affleck later married actress Jennifer Garner in 2005.