In 2021, when Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck got back together after nearly 20 years, with four divorces between them (three of them hers, one his) and one A-Rod, it felt like a romantic destiny fulfilled; like something amiss in the universe had been put back together. Much like Jen and Ben, we realized we may not have been ready for their relationship in the early aughts — it was too bright, too prominent, too blingy. We didn’t understand that something so high profile and overexposed could be genuine. Two decades later, we’ve had other (para-social) relationships with celebrity couples and have learned a thing or two about how the tabloid coverage contributed to their 2004 breakup. (Bennifer 1.0 walked — nay dragged itself through broken glass — so Taylor and Travis could run.)
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