LOS ANGELES -- Is "Bennifer" back? Celebrity publications are abuzz with rumors that, after 17 years, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have rekindled their romance -- to the delight of their fans and even fellow Hollywood stars.
The 51-year-old singer and actress recently split from her fiance, former baseball player Alex Rodriguez. Meanwhile, the 48-year-old actor and director has been single for some time.
Photos of "Bennifer" -- their couple nickname from their highly publicized relationship between 2002 and 2004 -- have begun to circulate, showing the former fiances in a car together in the US state of Montana, sparking a frenzy of comments and speculation.
Neither star has given any indication that they have decided to give the romance another go, but entertainment magazines have been filled with "sources" suggesting that the pair may again have become more than just friends.
ALSO READ:
Love and Sex in the Time of COVID, Explained
Ellen Said Yes to Derek: Is the Pandemic a Time for Life Decisions?
When asked Tuesday on NBC about whether the pair had reunited, actor Matt Damon -- a childhood friend of Affleck's -- initially dismissed it, joking there was "not enough liquor in the world" to make him say anything on the topic.
He then added that a new relationship between Lopez and Affleck "would be awesome."
"I love them both. I hope it's true," he said.
"I'm more excited about this than I am choosing to reveal at this time," comedian Kathy Griffin tweeted about the rumors.
Internet users jumped in to discuss -- and joke about -- their sense of deja vu, especially since another event is about to reoccur after 17 years: the arrival of billions of cicadas along the US East Coast.
"Cicada brood is here, bennifer is back, all we need is an Usher song of the summer and i'm ready for you 2004!" tweeted Adam Harris, a writer for The Atlantic magazine.
Actress Bette Midler also weighed in, with her signature humor.
"#BenAffleck & #JenniferLopez might be back together? Aww," she tweeted. "That's nice, but I was hoping that if we could bring anything back from the early 2000's it would be my pelvic floor muscles."
Reportr is now on Quento. Download the app or visit the Quento website for more articles and videos from Reportr and your favorite websites.
