Singer-actor Jennifer Lopez has spoken candidly about what she now looks for in a relationship, months after finalising her divorce from Ben Affleck. Addressing the audience during a recent show as part of her ongoing Las Vegas residency, the 56-year-old reflected on how her understanding of love has evolved over the years, shaped by experience, heartbreak and self-growth.
Before performing her 1999 hit If You Had My Love, Jennifer revisited the mindset she had when she first recorded the song. “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,” she explained, adding that the track has stayed with her through different phases of her life. “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,” she added.
Now, the song carries a different emotional weight for her. “But now, today, you know how I sing it? I sing it in power,” she said. That shift, Jennifer made clear, mirrors what she now expects from a partner. “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,” she said.
Jennifer also acknowledged the emotional risks that come with relationships, particularly after multiple marriages. “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,” she said.
Jennifer and Ben finalised their divorce in January 2025, five months after she filed in August 2024. Reports noted that the settlement formally marked their legal single status by February 2025, bringing an end to their brief marriage.