You have to kiss a few frogs to find your prince, and we took a trip down memory lane to revisit J.Lo’s past relationships, marriages, and flings.
Chris Paciello
Between 1993 and 1994, Jennifer Lopez briefly dated Chris Paciello. Paciello comes from Brooklyn, New York and has been linked to many famous women over the years including Madonna, Naomi Campbell, and Sofia Vergara. J.Lo wasn’t serious with Paciello, and that was probably for the best, as not long after their flirtation fizzled out he was implicated and charged with a federal crime as a getaway driver in a murder case. Paciello served 7 years behind bars for his part in the crime.
A Positive Future
Paciello has turned his back on his previously shady lifestyle and has most recently opened a new restaurant called Bianca in the Delano Hotel in South Beach, Miami. He told the press, “I regret the mistakes I made in the past. I am working hard to make a positive impact and to build a new life for myself in Miami. I am grateful to the many people here who have welcomed me back with open arms, and look forward to a positive future.”
Wesley Snipes
Jennifer Lopez was rumored to be getting pretty close to actor Wesley Snipes in 1995. The pair were co-stars in the movie Money Train, a buddy cop movie about the New York subway, and attended many events arm in arm at the time attracting questions from the press. Sources close to J.Lo said although Snipes was very keen on her at the time, she just wasn’t interested in dating someone 7 years her senior when she was in her early 20s.
Great Success
Wes Snipes got over his crush on J.Lo, finding love and eventually getting married in 2003 to a painter named Nakyung Park. The couple have four children together. Snipes has had great success as an actor, starring in 2 films a year on average since 1986. He recently starred alongside Eddie Murphy in the critically acclaimed 2019 movie Dolemite Is My Name. Snipes has been nominated by numerous awarding bodies as Best Supporting Actor for his role as D’Urville Martin.
Ojani Noa
J.Lo met Ojani Noa when he was a waiter at a Miami restaurant and fell head over heels. They were married in 1997, but J.Lo soon realized it wasn’t meant to be and they divorced within a year! Even after they divorced, J.Lo tried to help Noa out. When she opened her Cuban restaurant Madre’s in Los Angeles in 2002, she did him a favor by letting him run the place. But he let her down once more and she had to fire him after 6 months.
Downright Disrespectful
Noa has given J.Lo all kinds of problems over the years, first flirting with the idea of writing a book about their relationship, which would have gone against their confidentiality agreement, and then trying to commission a film about his life! He even tried to sell personal footage from their honeymoon, which is just downright disrespectful! Attempting to try and capitalize on someone else’s success is a low blow, and Jen was totally right to show him the door.
Boy, Bye!
The last that was heard of Ojani Noa was when he appeared on the Million Dollar Matchmaker in 2016. He listed his profession as a Cuban actor, although the only movie part he’s had was in 2002’s Rappin’ n’ Rhyming. He even tried to sell personal footage from their honeymoon, which is just downright disrespectful! Attempting to try and capitalize on someone else’s success is a low blow, and Jen was totally right to show him the door.
Tommy Mottola
In 1998, J.Lo was still in the fall-out of the messy divorce with Noa when she was rumored to be embroiled in a love triangle that involved Mariah Carey and her ex-husband Tommy Mottola, a Sony Music producer. He even tried to sell personal footage from their honeymoon, which is just downright disrespectful! Attempting to try and capitalize on someone else’s success is a low blow, and Jen was totally right to show him the door.
Rumors Or Romance?
Mariah Carey was not pleased when she realized that Jennifer Lopez and her ex-husband Tommy Mottola were seeing each other regularly, although it wasn’t clear if their relationship had changed from a professional to a more intimate one. The rumors of a possible romance between the music mogul and J.Lo were enough for Mariah Carey to leave Sony Music. She couldn’t bear to see Mottola was investing so much time and money into Jennifer’s career instead of hers.
Media Mogul
Mottola found love in his third marriage to Thalía, a Mexican star and songstress who married the music executive in 2000. They have two children together. At Sony, Mottola was credited for relaunching the careers of celebrities such as Lindsay Lohan and Marc Anthony (more on him later!). Mottola left Sony in 2003 and branched out into musical theatre and eventually TV, founding Mottola Media. The TV production department of Mottola Media is currently producing and developing many shows for cable and network television.
Sean Combs
Between 1999 and 2001, there was a new celebrity power couple making the rounds: J.Lo and Sean Combs, then called Puff Daddy. Paparazzi loved following the couple, and the photo of the pair at the 2000 Grammys, when J.Lo wore THAT Versace gown, is iconic. They went everywhere as a couple, from red carpets to music awards ceremonies, and were known for showing up in crazy coordinated outfits. There were plenty of public displays of affection too!
Too Much Drama
Drama struck when J.Lo and Puff Daddy were embroiled in a shooting in which three people were injured at a nightclub in Manhattan. They escaped unscathed, but their romance faded soon after. J.Lo didn’t need that kind of drama in her life! Combs actually tried to deny they had broken up for a while, but his publicist decided to break the news to the press on Valentine’s Day 2001. She said that it was true that Puff Daddy had broken up with ‘his love’ and asked the press to respect the rapper’s privacy.
Illustrious Career
Combs rebranded himself as P.Diddy in 2005 and has had an illustrious musical and acting career that’s seen him win three Grammy Awards and two MTV Video Music Awards. He’s currently busy filming the new season of Making The Band for MTV. Diddy broke things off with his long term girlfriend of 11 years, singer and dancer Cassie Ventura. He has 6 children, including twins, and is focusing on being a great father and supporting his children in their ambitions.
Cris Judd
After her relationship with Combs ended, J.Lo developed a relationship with her former back-up dancer Cris Judd. They first laid eyes on each other on the set of her music video for “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” in 2000. It was a whirlwind romance and the pair married in 2001. At first, things seemed to be going well, but cracks started to appear when the honeymoon was over and Judd had to start getting used to J.Lo’s hectic work schedule.
Irreconcilable Differences
According to reports, Judd found the attention surrounding J.Lo very difficult to handle. The marriage went south very quickly and they divorced in 2002, just 9 months after they had married, citing irreconcilable differences. J.Lo has since remarked that she was too young when she married Judd and didn’t know what she was getting into. She’s a powerful woman and needs someone who can match her energy, but it even seems in these photos that the pair weren’t a great match, with Lopez looking quite subdued.
I Just Wish Her The Best
Cris Judd said in a 2019 interview that he and J.Lo don’t keep in touch, but said, “I just wish her the best.” Judd found his own place in the entertainment world after the split and has appeared as a dancer in films like La La Land, Bringing Down The House, and Rock Of Ages. Judd is currently working on shows for Nickelodeon and Netflix including the second season of Mr. Iglesias, and a reboot of the 90s show All That.
Ben Affleck
In 2002, tabloid culture was booming and there was only one word in everyone’s life: Bennifer. J.Lo and Ben Affleck were the hottest A-List couple and their relationship was reported in magazines daily. The rise of the internet meant that this was the era when tabloid journalism and gossip columns were booming, and they could not leave the couple alone. They were followed around the country by reporters hungry for a story, and they couldn’t enjoy a meal anywhere without someone calling the press.
Very Different Lifestyles
Swept up in the moment, the early 2000s’ hottest couple got engaged in 2003. They ended up postponing the wedding due to excessive media attention and eventually called it off. The rise of the internet meant that this was the era when tabloid journalism and gossip columns were booming, and they could not leave the couple alone. They were followed around the country by reporters hungry for a story, and they couldn’t enjoy a meal anywhere without someone calling the press.
