NEED TO KNOW
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The Kiss of the Spider Woman New York City premiere occurred on Monday, Oct. 6
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Both the musical’s star, Jennifer Lopez, and the film’s executive producer, Ben Affleck, appeared at the event
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The former couple posed together on the red carpet
Ben Affleck continues to support Jennifer Lopez‘s professional endeavors.
Lopez, 56, stars in the upcoming musical, Kiss of the Spider Woman, and appeared at the Monday, Oct. 6, New York City premiere.
Along with Lopez, the film’s executive producer, Affleck, made a surprise appearance at the N.Y.C. event. Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artist Equity production company co-produced the movie.
At the premiere, the former couple posed together in celebration of the production. A few photos captured the two A-listers chatting with each other on the carpet. Affleck, 53, also spoke to the press about the film.
For the occasion, Lopez wore a sculptural gown from Harris Reed’s spring 2026 collection.
Ahead of the screening, Lopez introduced the film and thanked her ex-husband, saying, “Thank you so much, thank you everybody for being here tonight. Thank you, Ben, this movie wouldn’t have been made without Ben and without Artist Equity.”
“I read the script, if you know, I was in bed and I was just floored,” she continued. “I was just like could this be happening right now. I get to sing, I get to dance, I get to act. I get to be an old-time Hollywood movie star.”
Slaven Vlasic/Getty
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck on October 06, 2025 in New York City.
Affleck’s supportive appearance follows their 2025 divorce. The former couple initially met in 2002 and began dating. After ending their engagement in 2004, they both pursued other relationships and started families of their own. Then in 2021, they rekindled their romance and they married in an intimate Las Vegas ceremony in July 2022. The next month, they celebrated their nuptials with a second ceremony in Georgia in front of friends and family.
In 2024 they split, citing irreconcilable differences. They settled their divorce in February.
Despite their relationship coming to an end, Lopez has opened up about Affleck’s involvement in the musical’s production. During a Monday, Oct. 6, appearance on the TODAY show, she said, “If it wasn’t for Ben, the movie wouldn’t have gotten made,” adding, “And I will always give him that credit.”
During the TV appearance, Lopez also said in reference to their divorce, “Things happen, you have to keep going.”
She noted how working on the film has been a healing experience, saying, “It’s funny, the movie is about escapism. It’s about how movies and art save us in the hardest times of our lives. Doing this project was such a dream come true for me that it really got me through to kind of survive a moment that was difficult in my personal life as well.”
Days before Lopez’s N.Y.C. events, she candidly discussed on CBS News Sunday Morning what it was like to film the musical amid her personal heartbreak.
“It was a really tough time,” she admitted. “Every moment on set, every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy, and then it was like, back home, it was not great. And it was just like, oh, you know, ‘How do I reconcile this?’ “
Slaven Vlasic/Getty
Ben Affleck on October 06, 2025 in New York City.
The new Kiss of the Spider Woman, which first premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival, is a reimagining of the stage musical from Kander, Ebb and Terrence McNally that first starred Chita Rivera on Broadway in 1993. It also draws inspiration from the 1985 film starring William Hurt, Raul Julia and Sônia Braga; all are adapted from Argentine writer Manuel Puig’s 1976 novel.
The film was written and directed by Bill Condon (Chicago). Lopez stars alongside Diego Luna and Tonatiuh in the film as a “silver screen diva” named Ingrid Luna.
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Kiss of the Spider Woman, which counts Lopez, Ben Affleck and Matt Damon among its producers, is in theaters Oct. 10.
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