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Ben called Lopez "the greatest performer in the history of the world," and fans have questions.
By John Sundholm — Written on Apr 06, 2023
Ben Affleck, 50, and Jennifer Lopez, 53, seem to be in it for the long haul — and Affleck has shown a next-level commitment in recent comments he's made about his megastar wife's singing voice.
Lopez is widely known for her acting talent, and her singing career — not so much her talent for singing. But Affleck seems to think otherwise. So much so, in fact, that some fans feel he might have lost touch with reality.
Ben Affleck complimented Jennifer Lopez's singing voice and called her 'the greatest performer in the history of the world.'
Lopez of course has had a string of megahits, especially in the late 90s and 2000s with songs like "Love Don't Cost a Thing" and "Jenny From the Block."
Still, Jennifer Lopez's singing voice has never shined as bright as her star at the box office, where she's had a 30-year string of hits like "The Wedding Planner" and "Hustlers." But that didn't stop Affleck from gushing about his wife's musical talent on a recent episode of Jason Bateman, Will Arnet and Sean Hayes' "Smartless" podcast.
Ben Affleck said Jennifer Lopez's singing voice is so good it makes him feel embarrassed about his own.
Affleck was appearing on "Smartless" to promote his new movie "Air," about basketball legend Michael Jordan and the creation of his namesake Nike Air Jordan shoes, but all Bateman, Arnett and Hayes wanted to talk about, at first anyway, was Jennifer Lopez.
"It takes a big man not to feel inadequate in the face of my wife's many, many accomplishments," Affleck told the hosts, adding, "I don’t feel bad about myself."
He then had to back off that claim a bit when it came to talking about singing, however. Lopez's "brilliant" singing voice, Affleck said, is so good that it tends to make him feel bashful about his own.
"Here’s this incredible actress and this incredible performer," he said of Lopez, "and then we’re sitting in the car and I’m humming along, as I will with the radio, and then a professional singer goes ahead and sings along and you kinda feel like 'Well that’s embarrassing, maybe I should just zip it.'"
Affleck says he knows and loves all of Lopez's songs, even the negative ones about him.
"Do you know all her music? Don’t lie," Bateman asked of Affleck during the interview. "I do know all her music," Affleck replied as Sean Hayes began singing Lopez's 1999 hit "Waiting for Tonight."
But what about songs that have been specifically written about Affleck himself? Obviously, hits like 2002's "Dear Ben," chronicling their doomed 2000s romance, and 2023's "Dear Ben Part 2" chronicling their current one, are all about her love for Affleck.
But there are apparently some songs Lopez has written about Affleck after their first 2004 break-up that are... well, less than complimentary — or as Affleck put it, "there are some negative things in there." Nevertheless, he loves every song his wife, who he called "brilliant," ever made, good or bad.
"The songs that have been written about me have been written by the greatest performer in the history of the world, Jennifer Lopez," he said, going on to add, "I do love her music and it’s brilliant and I know all of it, thank you."
Of course, it would've been pretty awkward if Affleck had done anything besides gush about Lopez's music career — she ended up joining him on the podcast later.
Some fans called Affleck's gushing about Jennifer Lopez's singing voice 'delusional' and pointed out her habit of having other vocalists sing her songs for her.
Quote-tweeting Affleck calling his wife the "greatest performer in the history of the world" and a "professional singer," one woman on Twitter quipped, "I hope my husband is this delusional about me one day. Amen."
Many on Twitter agreed. One user joked, "Is this professional singer in the room with us? Ben?" while others referenced Lopez's infamous habit of having other vocalists sing her songs for her on her recordings.
Lopez's songs have contained lead vocals by artists like Ashanti, Christina Milian, and Natasha Ramos on her hit songs like "Play," "Jenny From the Block" and, most hilariously, "I'm Real." As seen in the TikTok below, vocalist Y'anna Crawford claims she sang the lead vocal on Lopez's 2005 hit "Get Right."
"Delusional" or not, many shared the sentiment that they want a partner as dedicated to gassing them up as Affleck seems to be with Lopez. "Tbh everyone deserves a partner who puts them on a pedestal like this, delusional or not," one Reddit user wrote. "Manifesting this for me," another Redditor joked.
Perhaps delusion is the key to a lasting, happy relationship after all. We'll have to wait and see how it works out for Ben and Jen.
John Sundholm is a news and entertainment writer who covers pop culture, social justice and human interest topics.