Why The Location Of Ben Affleck And Jennifer Lopez's Wedding Was So Controversial
If you're passionate about celebrity relationships, then Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Hollywood love story has definitely crossed your radar. Affectionately known as "Bennifer," the couple first turned heads in the early 2000s after meeting on the set of "Gigli." While Lopez was still legally married at the start of their love affair, the couple wasted no time exploring the full depth of their romance, resulting in them getting engaged after only a few months of dating. In an interview with Diane Sawyer at the time, the "Waiting For Tonight" singer described the proposal as "traditional, but also in a very spectacular way."
While the two were seemingly in a happy place and ready to exchange vows, Bennifer surprisingly called it quits in 2004. "I am confirming the report that Jennifer Lopez has ended her engagement to Ben Affleck," a representative for Lopez said at the time. "At this difficult time, we ask that you respect her privacy." In the years following their high-profile breakup, the two superstars went on to live separate lives, which featured new relationships and the birth of their respective children. However, in 2021, the former couple surprised fans when they rekindled their romance. Like their first outing, the love birds wasted no time tying the knot. But despite their newfound romance being a hit with pop culture enthusiasts, their wedding venue resulted in some backlash.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez wed on a plantation-style estate
In April 2022, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez announced that they were engaged (again) after rekindling their romance in 2021. "Saturday night while at my favorite place on earth (in the bubble bath), my beautiful love got on one knee and proposed," she revealed in her newsletter. This time around, the pair were quick to exchange vows not once but twice, with the first wedding taking place in Las Vegas' The Little White Chapel. While their Vegas nuptials were well received, their second Georgia-based wedding caused controversy.
For the special day, the two used Affleck's "plantation-style" estate to host their lavish ceremony. While the home, which was built on Hampton Island in 2000, was not a historic plantation, the land was once home to rice and cotton plantations according to the Hampton Island Preserve. Because of its troubling history, pop culture enthusiasts slammed the two superstars on social media. One person on Twitter wrote: "Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez getting married on a slave plantation is CRAZY."
Author Monisha Rajesh echoed similar sentiments on Twitter before seemingly hinting at Affleck's ancestors being slave owners –– which was proven in a 2015 episode of PBS' "Finding Your Roots." "Lovely that Ben Affleck's plantation-style home was built with 'historically accurate details,'" she tweeted. "Does that mean it's also got coded graves of his ancestor's slaves as well? Curious." Despite the backlash, Lopez and Affleck refrained from making a statement and continued with their wedding festivities.
Bennifer's history with the Georgia estate goes back to the early 2000s
While Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez sparked backlash for their Georgia estate wedding, a source revealed that the couple shared a sentimental past with the controversial home. Speaking to ET, the insider revealed that the home was first purchased when the love birds dated in the early 2000s. "He has always felt at ease here. He got his home in Riceboro when he was dating Jen and loved that they could be low-key and private there," they explained.
The source also revealed that while the estate was initially constructed in a "Plantation style", the couple redid the home to "their personal taste." "It's no question that Ben and Jen love the location," they said. While the Affleck's have yet to comment on the home's murky past, Lopez gushed about the Georgia-based ceremony in her August 2022 newsletter (via People). "Some old wounds were healed that day, and the weight of the past was finally lifted off our shoulders. Full circle –– and not at all the way we planned it. Better," she wrote.