Entertainment

Celebs Who Ruined Their Smiles with Bad Veneers

In the celebrity world, perfection is king. A dazzling, bright, white smile has become the standard for a flawless appearance, and more and more celebrities are falling victim to the pressure of getting porcelain or composite veneers. In short, porcelain veneers are thin shells or covers that are custom fit directly over one’s natural teeth after removing a thin layer of enamel. They closely resemble natural teeth, making them perfect for a natural-looking transformation. Composite veneers are slightly different: made using composite resin, these less-invasive teeth coverings sit on top of one’s natural teeth to reshape the smile to one’s desire. Composite veneers are perfect for superficial cracks or chips, while porcelain veneers are preferred to fully transform one’s smile.

Many celebs will nip and tuck themselves to death, all in the name of perfection. And it’s not just celebrities — even politicians go overboard with cosmetic procedures. While the results of cosmetic dentistry can beautifully elevate a smile, veneers can often look unnatural, fake, and just plain bad, with the worst cases exemplifying how dramatically veneers can change one’s appearance. Here are some examples of celebrities who ruined their smiles with veneers.

Miley Cyrus stole our hearts with her cute, gummy smile

Miley Cyrus first burst onto the Hollywood scene when she was just 13 years old as Disney’s Hannah Montana. At the time, the bubbly young actress was known for her gummy smile that perfectly embodied her innocence and youth. During filming, Cyrus used lingual braces — or braces fixed on the back of one’s teeth — to discreetly straighten her smile. While her teeth got straighter, Cyrus still maintained her prominent gums and minor teeth gaps into adulthood.

As Cyrus matured, so did her teeth. Over time, they appeared whiter, straighter, more uniform, and noticeably less gummy, but she still looked like the singer we grew up with. It wasn’t until 2023’s “Used to Be Young” music video that it became obvious that Cyrus was sporting porcelain veneers. Fans became fixated on her new look, taking to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their concerns. “When did Miley Cyrus’ teeth change?” one user said, via The News. “Love her. Don’t like the new veneers….too big,” said another, via NewsBreak. Even dentists weighed in on what might’ve changed. “Miley has likely had gum contouring (crown lengthening) to improve her gummy smile and even out the gum line,” Dr. Raj Juneja of Face Teeth Smile Dental Clinic speculates (via Hello! Magazine). Cyrus herself has never confirmed or denied getting dental work, but the proof is in the pudding.

Sam Claflin’s teeth lost their charm

Sam Claflin is an English actor best known for playing Finnick Odair in the “The Hunger Games” franchise. Claflin’s unique smile became a part of his signature look, separating him from other heartthrobs his age: it was warm and inviting with pointed canines, giving him a bit of a cheeky edge. They were also slightly discolored and uneven, but they added to his charm.

Recently, though, Claflin’s teeth look completely different. Before, his smile exuded confidence and ease. Now, they’re far more rectangular and almost uncomfortably white. In a 2017 interview with The Sydney Morning Herald, Claflin spoke candidly about the pressure to conform to Hollywood standards of beauty and how hard he’s willing to work to do so. “I’m not saying it’s anywhere near as bad as what women go through but I, as an actor approaching each job, am insecure,” Claflin explained. “I get really worked up to the point where I spend hours and hours in the gym and not eating for weeks to achieve what I think they’re going for.” With all this pressure, it’s no wonder he decided to change his teeth. Claflin will always be handsome, but many fans are disappointed that he’s lost his vampire-like charm. “I knew something was off about him lately,” one fan captioned a before and after photo.

Rex Ryan’s huge chompers distract NFL fans

Former New York Jets football coach and defensive coordinator Rex Ryan is known for more than just his coaching. Throughout his 30-year-long career, Ryan’s bold style and memorable press conferences have captivated both NFL fans and the media alike. It’s only natural that Ryan got flashy veneers to match his outspoken persona.

Before, Ryan’s teeth were distinctive but not extraordinary. They were slightly crooked and uneven in appearance, with minor discoloration and chips. Long-term tobacco use took a toll on Ryan’s dental health, leading to heavily stained teeth and the need for dental reconstruction. Moreover, Ryan was itching for a confidence boost, so he went ahead with getting the whitest veneers possible and underwent gastric band surgery to lose weight. However, his new smile caused a stir on social media, where many criticized the former coach for his mega-white, denture-like teeth. Ryan’s major weight loss only intensified how prominent the new teeth looked. “Dentures from Spirit Halloween?” one Reddit user jabbed. “Good God I need sunglasses for that,” wrote another. Most of all, people complained that his new pearly whites were just plain distracting. Thankfully, Ryan’s personality has not dimmed from the criticism, and he continues to flash his smile whenever he can.

Simon Cowell’s blindingly white teeth get him ridiculed

Simon Cowell is a producer, talent scout, and entrepreneur known for his polarizing personality and for signing One Direction, Fifth Harmony, Little Mix, and Cher Lloyd, among others. Throughout his career, Cowell has had quite a few dental treatments. The former “American Idol” judge’s natural teeth were stained from smoking up to 40 cigarettes a day, so he began with a simple whitening in 2007. In 2019, while he was judging “America’s Got Talent,” his teeth suddenly appeared quite a bit straighter, larger, and weirdly wider than his natural teeth. The new teeth were also extremely white, making them look very artificial. Dentists speculate that he might’ve undergone porcelain veneers, teeth whitening, and gum reconstruction for this shocking new look, while fans and media ridiculed the producer relentlessly online. Ultimately, though, it was reportedly after an incident where he lost a tooth to peanut brittle that Cowell decided to fix his smile again.

In 2020 and 2022, Cowell underwent several treatments to undo his dental disaster. This time, he told TMZ (via Long Evita Dental) he wanted his look to be “less Simpson-y and more streamlined,” with more natural-looking veneers. He redid 28 teeth total, costing him an estimated £91,420 or $112,000 USD. Thankfully, that time, the results were positively received.

Hilary Duff’s tooth fell out on her wedding day

Hillary Duff is early 2000s royalty, but not even icons are immune to dental disasters. The actor and singer has dealt with dental issues her entire life, but in 2007, after years of seeing Duff as “Lizzie McGuire,” something looked different. In a 2007 interview with the now-defunct Jane magazine, the interviewer asks if she’d had veneers done. “Yeah, on my two front teeth,” Duff confirmed per Lasry Dental Clinic. “I was really sick as a kid and constantly on antibiotics, so my teeth aren’t the strongest, and I kept chipping them on the microphone. One show, I literally spit half of my two front teeth out,” she explained. “When I got to L.A., I got veneers. But it’s like, why is it people’s business?”

Even though veneers are meant to last a decade, just three years later, Duff had another dental dilemma — this time on her wedding day! At about 11 a.m., a few hours before getting ready, her worst nightmare came true. “I burst into tears,” she explained on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” via People. “Then I started laughing at myself, and then I really burst into tears.” Luckily, a friend of a friend happened to be a dentist and was able to save the day. “The actual wedding was perfect,” Duff gushed. “Thank God I didn’t swallow [my tooth]. Not good for a bride on her wedding day.” That certainly could’ve soured the mood.

Millie Bobby Brown opted for a more mature look with veneers at 16

Millie Bobby Brown was just 12 years old when she was cast as Eleven on Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” At the time, her teeth were crooked but suited her, adding to her youthful appearance. She appeared to start Invisalign just a few short years later. In 2020, the then-16-year-old actor made headlines when she debuted a brand new set of straight, white teeth on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” Though she didn’t directly address the change, fans noticed how different her smile looked. “It looks like she has had Invisalign, or some kind of straightening, as well as teeth whitening,” Dr Richard Marques of Devonshire Place Dental told the Daily Mail.

“It also looks as though she has had two porcelain veneers or composite bonding to improve the two lateral teeth (adjacent to the front teeth).” The new veneers definitely gave Brown a more mature look, but not without straying away from her original look.

Eva Marcille’s veneers left fans conflicted

It’s no secret that Eva Marcille has always been gorgeous. She rose to fame in 2004 when she won Cycle 3 of America’s Next Top Model – where winners were allegedly not paid a penny – and went on to have a successful career in acting and entertainment. These days, she’s mainly known for starring in “Buried Alive and Survived” and for appearing on “The Real Housewives of Atlanta.” In early 2021, Marcille raised eyebrows when she uploaded a clip of herself looking very different on her Instagram. As she grinned for her selfies, fans couldn’t help but zoom into her new teeth.

Many felt that her teeth were already perfect before she changed them. “Please tell us the dentist so we NEVER GO THERE!” one disappointed user commented (via Atlanta Black Star). “You had PERFECT TEETH BEFORE! These teeth are too big for your face!” they continued. Another wrote: “You are entitled to do whatever you want, but why mess with perfection?”

The criticism worsened when Marcille posted again a few days later. “The fake teeth are so distracting,” a fan said via another Atlanta Black Star piece. A handful of fans commented their support, but the comments were overwhelmingly negative. Though it’s unclear exactly why Marcille underwent this dental transformation, in 2020, the reality star posted a short Instagram clip of herself seemingly getting a procedure done at the dentist’s office, perhaps hinting at what was to come.

Jojo Siwa’s teeth spent $50k on her new smile

JoJo Siwa spent an eye-watering amount of money on her new smile. At the GLAAD Media Awards in early 2024, the controversial singer and dancer was asked about the most expensive thing she was wearing. “My teeth,” she boasted after a moment (via BuzzFeed). “These motherf***ers cost me 50 grand!” she laughed, flashing her dazzling new smile to the camera.

The blinding transformation was done by celebrity dentist Dr. Kevin Sands, who creates a customized plan for each procedure. For Siwa, she planned veneers for both her top and bottom rows to correct misalignment, stains, or any misshapen teeth. “Even with all of her adult teeth, she had an immature smile with some staining, unevenness, chipping, and discoloration that we wanted to address to create a more mature, appropriate smile with facial harmony and symmetry,” Sands told Page Six. Siwa and Sands worked closely together to perfect each tooth’s color, shape, and size, and Siwa seemed very happy with her results. The dentist reportedly charges between $3,000 and $5,000 per tooth, depending on the required treatment, but he declined to share exactly how many teeth Siwa had replaced.

Steve Harvey’s teeth take on a life of their own

Comedian and television host Steve Harvey is often recognized by his comically large teeth. Along with his charismatic personality, Harvey’s smile has become a defining feature of his public persona, contributing to both his charm and quirkiness on screen. Though Harvey has never openly discussed the specifics of his dental work, many speculate that he may have undergone veneers and professional whitening treatments to achieve his unique look.

Nevertheless, Harvey’s teeth are now a source of comedy within themselves. In 2023, a tweet making fun of the comedian went mega-viral: an X user shared a photo of her stacked cheeseburger with two large onion slices packed in it. “Why they give me these big onion slices, my burger look like Steve Harvey,” the user captioned the photo, inspiring ridicule across the platform. Clearly, the burger reminded her of Harvey’s thick mustache and huge grin — and she wasn’t the only one who saw the resemblance. At the time of writing, the tweet garnered over 19.5 million views and more than 340,000 interactions. Harvey himself eventually responded to the hoopla, tweeting: “Stop sending me this $!,” alongside a screenshot of the original tweet.

While he’s not afraid to joke about them, Harvey refuses to give a straightforward answer about his teeth. In a 2020 episode of “Family Feud,” a contestant bravely asked if he was wearing dentures. “You just came on the Feud to talk about my ass,” he joked.

Katie Price’s veneers kept falling out

British model and TV personality Katie Price is perpetually under scrutiny for her changing appearance. Over the years, Price has undergone countless cosmetic procedures, leaving her virtually unrecognizable from her former self. In 1998, her teeth showed the first signs of change: her smile was suddenly less gummy, straighter, and with fewer gaps. Her new veneers were timeless and natural, but because of their 10-year lifespan, Price has had them redone several times since.

From 2017 onwards, Price’s veneers began looking more and more strange. Not only did they gradually become whiter, but their shape and length seemed to have changed as well, giving Price a very denture-like look. In 2019, she sought to fix her previous dental work, but things only got worse. Just weeks after getting a new set, Price was left “horrified” when several of her veneers fell out on vacation. “She literally spat them out!” a source told The Sun. “She’ll have to go back to Turkey after her Maldives holiday and get them sorted.” In 2023, Price shocked fans when her veneers fell out again — this time in front of an audience on TikTok live. As Price chatted, one of her teeth suddenly became loose. Without hesitation, Price pulled the loose tooth out and showed it to her dumbfounded fans. As of 2025, Price’s veneers continue to spark criticism for their exaggerated appearance, despite claims of not altering them further.

Nicki Swift

Entertainment

‘Hollywood ending’ takes on sad new meaning

Even Hollywood is struggling to script a happier ending for itself. Artificial intelligence has injected fresh fear across an industry already grappling with the fallout from work stoppages, fewer scripted shows and corporate consolidation. Chances are fading fast for it to avoid becoming the next Motown or Madison Avenue.

Since the 1920s, Hollywood, and by extension Los Angeles, has been the beating heart of a $3 trillion worldwide entertainment market, opens new tab. Five big studios – Walt Disney, Universal Pictures, Sony Pictures Entertainment, Paramount and Warner Bros – are based in the second-largest U.S. city. Nearly a fifth of written projects were ‌filmed there in 2024, permit agency FilmLA estimates, opens new tab. At almost $120 billion, show business accounts, opens new tab for about 12% of local gross domestic product, according to the Los Angeles Department of Economic Opportunity.

Hollywood’s influence also extends far beyond its landmark sign. Blockbusters like “Project Hail Mary” or “Ted Lasso” can be as powerful an ambassador as anyone at the U.S. Department of State. It’s an unrivaled export that quietly shapes public and political opinions across the planet. As the country’s allies and enemies alike increasingly sour on U.S. policies and posturing, it’s arguable that everyone from Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg to “Euphoria” star Zendaya is more important than ever to the national brand.

This economic and reputational clout helps explain efforts to prop up Hollywood. California Governor Gavin Newsom last year more than doubled the state’s film and TV tax credit program to $750 million annually to compete with other domestic and international locations that have steadily lured productions with bigger financial incentives. A quest for federal handouts is now ⁠underway, with actor Jon Voight lobbying the White House earlier this year for a 20% U.S. tax credit for labor costs on homemade movies and programs.

President Donald Trump “is committed to make Hollywood great again,” a spokesman told Reuters, “and his administration continues to explore all possible policy options to ensure Hollywood remains a potent force of American culture.”

The situation keeps getting worse. A 2023 strike by actors and writers cost Los Angeles an estimated $1.5 billion, opens new tab, a UCLA analysis found. Mergers are also taking a toll. Walt Disney (DIS.N), opens new tab swallowed rival Twenty-First Century Fox and other assets in 2019, and now Paramount (PSKY.O), opens new tab is trying to wrap up a mega-deal for Warner Bros Discovery (WBD.O), opens new tab, with $6 billion of promised cost savings putting Tinseltown on edge.

There are significant knock-on effects, too. Part of the city’s tourist appeal is the chance of spotting A-list celebrities such as Charlize Theron and peeking into where “Friends” was shot. As Hollywood hollows out, with stars and productions moving elsewhere, local hotels, restaurants and other small businesses suffer.

Damage is evident from Los Angeles employment figures. Jobs in the motion picture and sound recording industries have collapsed 40% since 2022, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The number of shooting days in and around the city has halved since 2021 to about 20,000. Studios greenlit just 428 scripted series last year, some 200 fewer than in 2022, according to data cruncher Ampere Analysis.

From Hollywood’s backlots to dining hotspots, conversations feature AI. Although some insiders brush off the threat, one investor who had a front-row seat for the music industry’s Napster disaster ‌25 years ago ⁠is ready to call it quits because of the technology-induced bad vibes in movie-making.

Once AI worms its way into special effects and beyond, it will be hard to stop. The fully AI-generated movie “Hell Grind” may only appeal to a small audience: its three-minute trailer, opens new tab is a compendium of clichés. Other initiatives are gaining credibility, though. “The House of David,” a TV series on Amazon, openly touts, opens new tab its use of AI. Filmmaker Doug Liman is incorporating it, opens new tab into his movie “Bitcoin,” which will feature “versions” of tech bosses Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg while slashing production costs by roughly 65%, trade publication Deadline Hollywood reported.

AI also threatens Hollywood’s lock on creative material. Seven companies, including Netflix (NFLX.O), opens new tab, are responsible for more than 80% of original-content spending in the United States, McKinsey senior partner Marc Brodherson says. His consultancy estimates that $60 billion in revenue could be redistributed within five years of AI adoption, ⁠a pot of money once guaranteed to traditional gatekeepers.

Tax incentives will be of limited use to combat AI and the geographic flexibility it affords. For one thing, they tend to trigger a race to the bottom. Nothing prevents other countries from enhancing their own financial enticements. Or for a director with a laptop poolside anywhere to create a hit TV show.

Other challenges are growing, too. The weather is a big Los Angeles attraction, but wildfires and water shortages weaken the case. Housing prices also have soared. At the end of 2019, the typical Los Angeles ⁠home was valued, opens new tab at about the same $720,000 as in New York, per Zillow; it’s now around $950,000, compared to $820,000 in the Big Apple. Last year’s population exodus from Los Angeles County also was higher, opens new tab than in any other U.S. metropolis.

City officials and residents don’t have far to look for places or metonyms that lost their swagger, or worse. The Motor City was once the country’s fifth largest metropolis thanks to Ford Motor, General Motors and Chrysler, with adjacent industries amplifying the effect. New technology and competition eroded the trio’s domestic market ⁠share, opens new tab from more than 90% in 1965 to less than 40%. After Detroit went bankrupt in 2013, the U.S. government led a $300 million aid package to help a recovery effort, one that continues even today.

Pittsburgh similarly hit hard times after losing its Steel City cachet. When sofa and table manufacturing migrated overseas, High Point, North Carolina had to reimagine its position as “Furniture Capital of the World.” Madison Avenue is hardly the advertising powerhouse it once was. In California, century-old infrastructure ensures that filmmaking’s epicenter will live on, albeit in notably diminished form. Even with additional financial relief, “Hollywood ending” will soon mean the opposite of what it does now.

Reuters

Entertainment

‘Toy Story 5’ Lands Year’s Biggest Box-Office Debut

NEW YORK: “Toy Story” still has a friend in moviegoers.

The fifth installment in the Pixar series debuted with $160 million in domestic ticket sales, according to studio estimates Sunday, easily setting a new franchise record and notching the biggest opening weekend of the year.

Launching 31 years after the original “Toy Story” first landed in theaters, “Toy Story 5” far surpassed the previous series-best debut: $120 million for “Toy Story 4” in 2019. Internationally, it was just as successful, with $152 million in opening-weekend sales, for a worldwide haul of $312 million.

The “Toy Story” franchise is one of the most profitable for The Walt Disney Co. Before “Toy Story 5” launched, the movies had collectively grossed more than $3 billion, while also pulling in billions from merchandising.

Though the series seemed to reach a conclusion with 2010’s “Toy Story 3,” the decision to revive the franchise almost a decade later — while controversial — has been extremely lucrative. “Toy Story 4” exceeded $1 billion in ticket sales, and “Toy Story 5” is all but certain to as well.

Among animated films, only 2018’s “Incredibles 2” had a bigger opening weekend ($182.7 million) than “Toy Story 5.”

These toys aren’t cheap

Keeping the “Toy Story” movies going has gotten more expensive, though.

The fifth movie cost $250 million to make, not including marketing. It returns a voice cast led by Tom Hanks (as Woody), Tim Allen (as Buzz Lightyear) and Joan Cusack (as Jessie).

In the sequel, the toys are pushed aside when Bonnie gets a new tablet. It’s directed by Andrew Stanton, the Pixar veteran who helmed “Finding Nemo” (2003) and “WALL-E” (2008). “Toy Story 5” also features a new song by Taylor Swift, “I Knew It, I Knew You.”

Reviews have been very good and audiences gave “Toy Story 5” an “A” CinemaScore, suggesting it should remain a force in theaters for weeks.

After its chart-topping debut, Steven Spielberg’s “Disclosure Day” slipped to second place with $17 million in its second weekend. That’s not the hold that Universal Pictures was hoping for. Dropping 61% from its first weekend suggests “Disclosure Day” might not find the legs Spielberg’s sci-fi thriller needs to break out this summer.

Still, the $115 million budgeted movie, starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colman Domingo, has grossed $160.4 million globally in two weeks. “Disclosure Day” stands a good chance of remaining the top adult-oriented option in theaters in the coming weeks.

“Toy Story 5” faced little competition from newcomers.

‘Robin Hood’ misses the bullseye

A24’s “The Death of Robin Hood,” a violent revisionist approach to the old legend, flopped with $2.6 million on 1,762 screens. The film, starring Hugh Jackman and directed by Michael Sarnoski, was modestly budgeted at $20 million. But after finding mixed reviews, audiences didn’t go for the movie, either. It earned a “C+” CinemaScore.

Neon’s “Leviticus” came out just ahead of “The Death of Robin Hood,” with $2.7 million from 1,076 theaters. Written and directed by Adrian Chiarella, the buzzy low-budget horror film is about two teen boys who meet at conversion therapy. It’s a fine start for an indie with a small budget of $3.5 million and good word-of-mouth. But “Leviticus” also faced unusually strong competition in the still-potent horror hits “Obsession” and “Backrooms.”

The top horror choice remained “Obsession,” the microbudget phenomenon by 26-year-old Curry Barker. In its sixth weekend, it nearly equaled its $17 million opening weekend from mid-May. The Focus Features release, which cost less than $1 million to make, added $14.2 million to bring its domestic total to $215.8 million and its global haul to $333.3 million.

With “Toy Story 5” and “Obsession” driving sales, the summer box office is up 15% from the 2025 summer, according to Rentrak. More impressively, summer ticket sales are nearly equal to the 2019 summer at the same point, not accounting for inflation. The summer to date is just 1.9% down from that year.

Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, expects that Hollywood is heading for its best summer since before the pandemic. And the success is coming from both expected and unexpected places.

“To me, this is a hybrid summer and this could be the new blueprint for how you build the perfect summer box-office beast,” says Dergarabedian. “You throw in a mix of very eclectic films and not just the usual suspects — the big franchise films, the known brands — but also films like ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ and original films like ‘Disclosure Day.’”

Top 10 movies by domestic box office

With final domestic figures being released Monday, this list factors in the estimated ticket sales for Friday through Sunday at U.S. and Canadian theaters, according to Rentrak:

1. “Toy Story 5,” $160 million.

2. “Disclosure Day,” $17 million.

3. “Obsession,” $14.2 million.

4. “Backrooms,” $7.3 million.

5. “Scary Movie,” $6.7 million.

6. “Masters of the Universe,” $5.6 million.

7. “Star Wars: The Mandalorian and Grogu,” $3.9 million.

8. “Leviticus,” $2.7 million.

9. “The Death of Robin Hood,” $2.6 million.

10. “Michael,” $2.2 million.

Entertainment

JENNIFER LOPEZ IS LOVING HER POST-DIVORCE LIFE

After her most recent short-lived marriage, Jennifer Lopez has taken sly digs at ex-husband Ben Affleck more than once. The “Kiss of the Spider Woman” star appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in May 2026, where she was asked about her post-divorce love life. “You’re single right now,” Jimmy Kimmel noted, and Lopez gave an enthusiastic reply. “I should have done it sooner! I’ve been doing it all wrong!” she exclaimed while laughing. Kimmel had a recommendation for how Lopez could find her next beau, and playfully suggested she should sign up for “The Bachelorette.” The “Hustlers” star shot down that idea and explained that she enjoyed being single too much. “Are you crazy? I’m not doing anything to ruin how I feel right now,” she told Kimmel. Even though she seemed opposed to the idea of settling down again, Lopez didn’t completely rule out the idea of future romance. “I’ll meet somebody, somewhere, one day,” she said.

In 2025, rumors swirled that Lopez had potentially met her next somebody while filming the rom-com “Office Romance” with co-star Brett Goldstein. Lopez and Goldstein reportedly had terrific chemistry both on and off camera. “They’re both professional … when the cameras are rolling, but in between, it’s a flirt fest,” an inside source told InTouch in April 2025. Another insider claimed that while Goldstein seemed very into her, Lopez wasn’t interested in pursuing him as a proper boyfriend. “She had fun with him … but it was never going to turn into anything serious for her,” the source told InTouch in April 2026.

Jennifer Lopez has actually been quite frank about how her past husbands and partners fell short. While appearing on “The Howard Stern Show” in October 2025, Jennifer Lopez gave the inside story on her four divorces. Howard Stern asked her if she had ever “truly been loved,” and the actor didn’t mince words, responding, “No.” Going into further detail, Jennifer Lopez not-so-subtly confirmed that Ben Affleck was always the problem. “When I got divorced this last time, it was the best thing that ever happened to me,” she said. Her divorce from Affleck drove her to find various therapists to get to the root of why she had been married and divorced so many times. “What I learned, it’s not that I’m not lovable — it’s that they’re not capable,” Lopez said of her past partners’ ability to give true love. Though she said her past partners were very generous with material things, when it came to love and real intimacy, she said, “they don’t have it in them.”

It would seem that calling it quits with Affleck was the right decision for Lopez, and she has reportedly been thriving since finalizing her divorce in January 2025. “She’s been having the time of her life this summer,” a source told People in August 2025. Besides all the self-reflection that Lopez mentioned, the actor-singer also found joy performing throughout her “Up All Night” music tour. “It’s been a great focus for her. She’s been doing what she really enjoys,” the insider added. Given how happy and fulfilled she seems now, perhaps it may actually be a while until we hear that Lopez is set to walk down the aisle again.

Nicki Swift