Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez have confirmed they've split up and are 'better as friends'

• Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez officially split and called off their two-year engagement.
• The two stars revealed the breakup in a joint statement to the "Today" show on Thursday.
• "We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so," they said.

Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez have confirmed they called off their two-year engagement, saying they're "better as friends."

The couple revealed their breakup in a joint statement to the "Today" show, shared on Thursday.

"We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so," they said. "We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another's children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support."

Lopez and Rodriguez first met at a baseball game in 2005 and reconnected in 2016. They started dating in February 2017 and Lopez said that she knew Rodriguez was the one "probably like a year in."

Lopez and Rodriguez got engaged while on vacation in the Bahamas on March 9, 2019. In an interview with Jimmy Fallon, the former baseball player said that he practiced the proposal three days in a row because he "wanted the sunset to be perfect."

The couple went on to gush about each other on social media, show support of their joint and separate business ventures, and talk about their similarities during interviews.

They also opened up about their blended family (Lopez shares twins named Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony while Rodriguez has two daughters named Ella and Natasha with ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis).

In an Elle cover story released in January 2021, Lopez said that she and Rodriguez planned to wed in Italy in 2020 but the event was postponed twice due to the coronavirus pandemic.

During the pandemic, Lopez said that the break allowed her and Rodriguez to "work on ourselves" and do couples therapy.

"I think it was really helpful for us in our relationship," the singer told Allure in a March 2021 cover story.

In early February, people speculated that Rodriguez and "Southern Charm" star Madison LeCroy were having an affair.

LeCroy told Page Six that they had never met in person but spoke over the phone. An unnamed source close to Rodriguez told the New York Post that Rodriguez didn't know the reality TV star and "definitely didn't hook up with her."

The following month, Page Six reported that Lopez and Rodriguez split, citing an anonymous source.

"He's now in Miami getting ready for baseball season, and she's filming her movie in the Dominican Republic," the source told the publication.

The breakup was also confirmed by TMZ, E! News, and People. A source told People that the split "has been a long time coming" for the two stars.

The following day, the couple shared a joint statement with People and said: "We are working through some things."

An anonymous source also told the publication that "they never officially broke up and talked about it but are still together. They hit a rough patch. But were not broken up."

Breakup speculation reemerged in April 2021 when Lopez posted a series of photos on Instagram without her engagement ring.

Representatives for Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez didn't immediately respond to Insider's requests for comment.