While things appear to be going from strength to strength in their relationship, it turns out that Jennifer Lopez isn't too big a fan of Ben Affleck's giant phoenix back tattoo.
In fact, the 'Ain't Your Mama' chart-topper well and truly slated her beau's colorful artwork in a resurfaced interview.
Appearing on Andy Cohen's Watch What Happens Live in 2016, JLo didn't hold back, telling the host: "It's awful! I mean, I would tell him that. I would tell him, like, 'What are you doing?' It has too many colors. His tattoos always have too many colors."
Lopez added: "They shouldn't be so colorful, you know what I mean? They should be, like, cooler, I don't know."
Check out the moment below:
Affleck's colorful ink first made an appearance back in 2015, with the actor initially telling Extra that it was "fake for a movie", adding: "I actually do have a number of tattoos… but I try to have them in places where you don't have to do a lot of cover-up… they get sort of addictive, tattoos, after a while."
When the tattoo was spotted again some years later, however, he was forced to admit that it was actually a real tattoo.
Appearing on The Ellen Show in 2019, he defended the artwork and described it as "meaningful".
Affleck said: "It's meaningful to me, I like it. It’s something that I sort of kept private. It wasn’t like I was sort of doing photoshoots or whatever. We didn't know the paparazzi was there so they got a picture of my tattoo and yeah the sentiment ran against."
Needless to say, the sizable tat certainly did not put Lopez off where rekindling her relationship with the Gone Girl star was concerned.
It's been a couple of months since the rumors began circulating, and while there's been no official confirmation that they are in a relationship, a recent Instagram post by Lopez does indicate that Bennifer is back on the cards.
On July 24, the Maid In Manhattan actress celebrated her 52nd birthday and took to the platform to share a photo of her and Affleck kissing in the South of France.
You know what means - Bennifer is now Instagram official!
"Bennifer" is back on, but that doesn't mean that Jennifer Lopez doesn't have hard feelings towards Ben Affleck's massive, infamous, back tattoo.
In a clip from 2016, which has been making the rounds since the pair started dating again, the singer was asked about her then ex's ink, and she didn't hold back. "It's awful! I mean, I would tell him that. I would tell him, like, 'What are you doing?" she said during an appearance on Watch What Happens Live.
So, in light of Affleck's phoenix — and J-Lo's disdain for it — we take a look at some of the craziest celebrity tats, starting with the man himself...
(Credit: Alamy)
Ben Affleck
The Good Will Hunting actor's massive back tattoo certainly has attracted a lot of attention over the years. Despite initially insisting it was temporary, and just for a film, it's definitely real — and here to stay.
During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres show back in 2019, Affleck defended his phoenix tattoo, saying that it is a "meaningful sentiment."
"I was about to say it represents something really important to me!" he told the host. "It's meaningful to me. I like it. It's not something I sort of kept private. The sentiment ran against... but I love my tattoo, I'm happy with it."
Kendall Jenner
In July of 2016, Keeping up with The Kardashians star, Kendall Jenner, got the word "Meow" inked on the inside of her bottom lip.
Two years later, on The Ellen DeGeneres show, Jenner told the talk show host that it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, fuelled by alcohol. "It was literally the first thing that came to my mind," she said. "I don’t know, just my drunk thoughts."
Ryan Cabrera
Ryan Cabrera actually has Ryan Gosling's face tattooed on his right calf.
Speaking about the decision to immortalise the actor on his body, he explained to the Las Vegas Review-Journal: "We like to play a game called tattoo roulette. We blindfold each other: 'You get to pick a tattoo for me, and I get to pick a tattoo for you.' And you don’t get to see it till they’re both done. I'm very proud of it. I consider it the Bentley of tattoos."
Jenni 'JWoww' Farley
Jersey Shore alum, J Woww, sports a sleeve of tattoos featuring her favourite Disney Princesses, Belle, Ariel, Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella — but they don't exactly get their fairytale ending.
“[The theme behind the tattoos] is sort of like 'Happily never after,'" she told Inked, per US Weekly. I took my four favorite Disney love stories and flipped them so they are more rooted in reality.
"So with Ariel and Eric, Eric is looking away like he wants nothing to do with her and Ariel is looking at him with desperate puppy eyes,” she explained. "For Beauty and the Beast, he is a real beast. Sleeping Beauty overdosed and is dead. Her prince is crying over her because he knows that he pushed her to that limit. And Cinderella’s prince is beating her. To me, that is the reality of relationships, they are crazy and take hard work — not that happily ever after bullsh*t."
Ed Sheeran
British singer-songwriter, Ed Sheeran, actually has a tattoo that says "Galway Grill" on his arm in Saoirse Ronan's handwriting, all because they thought it would be a funny thing to include in the music video.
But now, he has it forever...
Chris Brown
In February of 2020, tattoo artist Joaquin 'Ganga' Lopex posted a photo of a new ink he did for the rapper, Chris Brown, which featured a black and white design of Nike's Air Jordan 3 sneaker — on the right side of Brown's face.
Talk about product placement!
Amanda Seyfried
Actress Amanda Seyfried has the word "minge" tattooed on her foot. It's a bit of an odd one considering that in the UK, we think of "minge" as "vagina".
Seyfriend, and her Mama Mia co-stars, Rachel McDowall and Ashley Lilley, all have the tat — which fortunately, does not mean the same thing in the US.
Speaking about her unconventional ink on Late Night With Seth Meyers back in 2018, Seyfriend said: "It’s a term of endearment, and in England, it means 'vagina'. But in the US, which is where I spend most of my time, it just doesn’t mean anything. So we commemorated out friendship with "minge" tattoos. There’s a lot of judgment. [But] It means so much more to me than vagina."
Grimes
In April of 2021, Grimes took to Instagram to show off her new ink: a sprawling full back design in white ink, which she said resembles "beautiful alien scars".
"Don’t have a good pic cuz it hurts too much and I need to sleep," she captioned the post. "It’ll be red for a few weeks, but gna be beautiful alien scars [sic]."
Aaron Carter
The singer actually got a large face tattoo of Medusa, which has proved to be quite the statement!
The giant face ink was inspired by Rihanna's own Medusa tattoo, and was created by Herchell L Carrasco. As you could imagine, it didn't come cheap, and reportedly set Carter back $5,000.
"Medusa is my protector so if you want to come at me with some negativity, my Medusa will stare you in the eye and turn you into stone," he told Entertainment Tonight.
Girls actor, Lena Dunham, got a large tattoo on the back of her neck in 2019, which read "SICK".
The ink was a testament to her struggle with endometriosis, as she explained in an Instagram caption: "Sometimes the thing you’re most scared of being called is the best thing you can call yourself. thank you @havenstudiobk for labeling me. And to my sisters in this dizzying but starry slog - i am lasso'd to you! [sic]."
Jennifer Lopez has seemingly covered up some ink work, which she got done while engaged to former partner Ben Affleck.
The American actress and artist finalised her divorce from filmmaker Affleck in January 2025, over two years after they finally got married in a Las Vegas wedding ceremony.
Lopez, 56, and Affleck, 53, had a relationship that led to an engagement in the early 2000s, but ended up calling off wedding plans.
Both A-Listers would go on to be married, the former several times, while having kids with their ex-partners before finding each other again in 2021.
But 'Bennifer,' as many called the celebrity couple, would not go the distance the second time either, despite fans rooting for them.
It seems that there is no bad blood, as the couple even reunited at the Kiss of the Spider Woman premiere in New York City, back in October.
Despite their split in 2024, the couple remain on good terms. Credit: Variety / Getty
Jennifer Lopez covers tattoo
A recent Instagram post has revealed that her back tattoo, which was in tribute to Affleck, has been tweaked slightly.
One of the snaps she uploaded has shown off her new-look tatt, as she can been seen hugging her son, Maximilian 'Max' David Muniz, 18.
The 'On The Floor' singer's original back ink revealed an infinity symbol featuring an arrow going through it, and the names ‘Jennifer’ and ‘Ben’ written in cursive.
It's now been reported by the likes of Hello! And PEOPLE, that Lopez's tattoo still featured her own name, while Affleck's looks to be blurred out.
On the other hand, it is unknown if Affleck still has his own tattoo, or if he also had a cover-up carried out.
Jennifer Lopez's tattoo has been altered. Credit: Instagram/@jlo
When Lopez first revealed her tattoo in February 2023, the now-deleted Instagram post was captioned: "Commitment. Happy Valentine's Day, my love.”
Affleck also got a tattoo at the time, which consisted of two arrows crossing each other with the letters ‘J’ and ‘B’ written alongside.
This latest move comes after J-Lo made a candid confession about her sex life on stage, during her 2025 European tour.
Her new songs even appeared to feature lyrics aimed at Affleck.
One of them, 'Wreckage of You,' includes digs such as: “Thank you for the scars you left on my heart / For showing me that stars shine brighter in the dark / I won't fall apart because of who you are / And all your broken parts. Because of you, I am stronger, wiser / Better than I've ever been," according to the Daily Mail.
The original tattoo was an ode to her then-partner, Ben Affleck. Credit: Instagram/@jlo
Speaking at the Lucca Summer Festival in Italy last year, she delivered a candid monologue about her sexual preferences: “I have to be honest with you, sometimes I get in different moods at night. I don’t know about you but I do, and sometimes I like it hard.
"Other days, I am feeling a little romantic. You put on candles and soft music. On those days, I like it real slow. But there’s other days...maybe because it’s a new kind of time for me, maybe because it’s summertime and it’s hot outside, I feel a little more naughty.
"You ever get that feeling? Where you feel like being naughty? On those days, I like it real fast," she added.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have unveiled matching tattoos which haven't gone down too well with fans as they are left cringing at the celebrity couple.
Affleck and Lopez haven't been far from the spotlight recently after making a number of high-profile appearances which resulted in fans speculating about their relationship.
For starters, they attended the Grammys together, and whilst it looked like 53-year-old Lopez was having the time of her life, the same couldn't be said for 50-year-old Affleck.
The Batman actor appeared to want to be anywhere else and the internet responded in typical fashion by turning him into a meme... again.
This moment at the Grammys spawned a series of memes centering around Affleck:
The married couple then surprised fans by appearing in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial during the Super Bowl which showcased the lighter side of their relationship.
Now the pair have got the internet talking yet again by unveiling matching tattoos and it would appear that fans aren't seeing the romantic side of it.
Celebrating their first Valentine's day as a married couple, Lopez inked herself with an infinity symbol that incorporates both her and Affleck's names, while her husband opted for two arrows that feature their initials.
Perhaps if the tattoos weren't enough to spark a tiny bit of cringe, following up with a series of sweet loving selfies dating back to 2008 might do the trick.
It's great they've found love together again and it appears that they are very loved up... but Valentine's day gets people feeling a certain sort of way and fans really let the pair have it in the comments.
"First lesson: don't you ever tattoo [sic] your partner's name..." one person commented, while a second added: "I love her to bits but why are people still tattooing names and initials of significant others in 2023 did we learn nothing?!"
Credit: Instagram
Credit: Instagram
A third expressed just how it makes them feel by saying: "They give the same level of cringe than Megan&MGK."
Credit: Facebook
That being said, the couple also received a lot of love for their cute post as someone said: "No stop I’m crying these are the cutest pics ever," with many adding that they think the images are adorable and that they are happy for the couple.
Credit: Instagram
Getting tattoos with a partner's name is always a risk... But it would seem that Affleck and Lopez are stronger than ever.
Who cares about celebrity tattoos? If it's not something reallyout there, or a part of some new blossoming romance, why should any of us care what strangers we'll never meet choose to do with their bodies?
That's my POV on most celeb tattoos, but when it comes to Ben Affleck, it's different. I mean, just look at this thing:
We first caught a glimpse of the back tattoo in 2015, shortly after his split from ex-wife Jennifer Garner. At that point, he already had a few tattoos, including a barbed wire across his right bicep, a fish, skull and crossbones on that same arm, and a dolphin on his right hip - reportedly there to cover up the name of a high-school sweetheart (never a good idea).
He was later seen with the back tat again, at which point he spoke up about it - announcing that it was all for a movie.
"[It’s] fake for a movie," Affleck told Extra’s Mario Lopez in a 2016 interview. "I actually do have a number of tattoos but I try to have them in places where you don’t have to do a lot of cover up they get sort of addictive, tattoos, after awhile."
As if this tattoo saga become overblown enough, Affleck was later seen with the back tattoo in March 2018. So either it was never fake, or he liked the fake tattoo so much he forked out for the real deal?
That same March, the New Yorker published a pretty brutal article titled 'The Great Sadness of Ben Affleck,' a half-joking article about how he's lonely, sad, and has a huge not exactly great tattoo on his back:
“Affleck, who is forty-five, was photographed wading into the ocean carrying a small red life preserver, running in the shallow waters, and towelling off on the beach. The tattoo—so gargantuan that the bird’s tail found itself dipping below the waistband of Affleck’s blue swim trunks—was plainly visible…His gut is pooching outward..."
He responded with a pretty witty retort, to his credit:
However, now he's spoke about the tattoo again - and he's no longer denying it's real presence on his back. On an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week, Affleck took the opportunity to defend the tattoo and the meaning behind it.
Ellen was obviously on top form when it came to Affleck's striking tattoo:
"Your back tattoo got a lot of attention", Ellen said, to which the actor responded:
"Not so much positive! It's a phoenix. I was about to say it represents something really important to me!
"It's meaningful to me. I like it. It's not something I sort of kept private. The sentiment ran against... but I love my tattoo, I'm happy with it."
I feel like we've come full circle with the saga of Ben Affleck's back tattoo. The lesson here is to love yourself, flaws, warts, gigantic phoenix back tattoos and all.
Remember, no matter how bad life gets, at least you don't have Ben Affleck's back tattoo. This week the world realized that the Batman actor has a gigantic colorful phoenix design on his back. In a 2016 interview with Extra, he lied about it, saying it was fake, and he got for a movie. (What movie? The Guy With The Crappy Tattoo?) But a photograph of him on the beach revealed that this sadly is not the case. It is truly the Gigli of tattoos.
Everybody on the Internet savaged Affleck for the ink, with a slew of hilarious tweets: "Ben Affleck’s back tattoo looks like it was ALSO directed by Zack Snyder." "Don’t mock Ben Affleck’s phoenix tattoo. It symbolizes how he has risen from the ashes, reborn as a guy with a tattoo that sucks." "Ben Affleck is short for Benjamin Awfulback." These snarky people are going to get strung upside down by Batman, but who cares? The jokes were worth it.
Even celebrities rinsed Affleck for his back tattoo. On The Daily Show, Trevor Noah asked Matt Damon what he thought, and the actor squirmed uncomfortably. "It's not one man's job to tell another man what he can do to his back," said Damon. "I... I — you know — I support him in all of his... artistic expression." On Watch What Happens Live, Andy Cohen asked Affleck's ex, Jennifer Lopez about it. She replied, "It’s awful! What are you doing? His tattoos always have too many colors, they shouldn’t be so colorful. They should be cooler."
In an interview with Vanity Fair, Affleck's other ex, Jennifer Garner chimed in: "You know what we would say in my hometown about that? ‘Bless his heart.’ A phoenix rising from the ashes. Am I the ashes in this scenario? I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes." But perhaps Conan O'Brien had the funniest response, tweeting a photo of his own "back tattoo." Instead of a phoenix, it simply reads University of Phoenix. More embarrassing or less embarrassing? You be the judge!
These comments were meant in good humor, but The New Yorker recently posted a scathing article entitled "The Great Sadness Of Ben Affleck." The story drew a backlash, since it appeared to fat-shame Affleck. When describing the actor's shirtless photos, the author writes "his gut is pooching" and "a blue-gray towel is wrapped protectively around his midsection—recalling a shy teen at the local pool." The author also suggests the actor is sad, based on his 2015 divorce from Jennifer Garner, and his low-energy interviews for Batman v. Superman.
On Thursday, Ben Affleck finally decided to clap back at his critics. He responded directly to The New Yorker on Twitter, writing, "I’m doing just fine. Thick skin bolstered by garish tattoos."
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