Jennifer Lopez says it's 'simply not true' that she's mad at Ben Affleck over his Jennifer Garner comments

• Jennifer Lopez defended boyfriend Ben Affleck after he was criticized on social media.
• Affleck said his marriage to Jennifer Garner partly led to his alcoholism in a Howard Stern interview.

Jennifer Lopez defended Ben Affleck after he faced online criticism for his comments about his former wife, Jennifer Garner, and his past alcoholism.

Last week, several media outlets reported that Lopez, 52, was upset at Affleck, 49, for the comments he made about Garner, 49, during an interview on "The Howard Stern Show." However, Lopez told People in a statement that she isn't mad at all.

"This story is simply not true. It is not how I feel," Lopez told the outlet. "I couldn't have more respect for Ben as a father, a co-parent, and a person."

During the Howard Stern interview, Affleck reflected on his 13-year marriage to Garner. The former couple married in 2005 before they divorced in 2018 after having three children: Violet, 16, Seraphine, 12, and Samuel, 9.

Affleck suggested that he was unhappy in the relationship and turned to excessive drinking as a means to cope.

"We grew apart. We had a marriage that didn't work. This happens," Affleck, 49, said. "And you know what, we probably would've ended up at each other's throats. I'd probably still be drinking — which is part of why I started drinking alcohol — because I was trapped."

He added: "I was like, 'I can't leave because of my kids, but I am not happy. What do I do?' What I did was drink a bottle of scotch on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."

However, Affleck was slammed online by fans who believed he blamed Garner for his addiction.

Affleck spoke out against "clickbait" articles that claimed he directly blamed Garner, and during a Thursday appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" argued that media outlets misunderstood what he said.

"I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first and went through our stuff, and they said that I had blamed my ex-wife for my alcoholism and that I was trapped in this marriage," he said. "Like just made me out to be like the worst, most insensitive stupid, awful guy."

Affleck told Kimmel he was primarily concerned about what his children might think if they saw the articles.

"If it's about my kids, I gotta just draw a line," Affleck added. "I want to be really clear: that's not true, I don't believe that. It's the exact opposite of who I am, what I believe, and I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom because I never have, I never would ... It hurts my feelings, man!"

Affleck spoke candidly about his addiction and path to sobriety in the past. He first checked into rehab in 2001, and Garner transported him to rehab again in 2018.

In February 2021, Affleck said his divorce from Garner and other "life experiences" made him a better actor. Four months later, it was confirmed that Affleck had rekindled his relationship with Lopez. The two rekindled their romance after dating in 2002, becoming engaged later that year, and breaking up in 2004.

Affleck later praised Lopez in the media, saying he was "in awe" of her "effect on the world" as a woman of color.