Jennifer Lopez's 1st Spouse Demanded $10M Years after Their Divorce & Won Case to Release Their Home Video

Hollywood starlet, Jennifer Lopez, has been married four times to men in the showbiz industry. Her first husband, Ojani Noa, has criticized her fourth marriage to Ben Affleck, saying it would "not last."

Pop singer Jennifer Lopez reunited with actor Ben Affleck twenty years after they ended their marriages, including Lopez's engagement with baseball star Alex Rodriguez.

Affleck and Lopez wed in a surprise ceremony in Las Vegas in July 2022 at the A Little White Wedding Chapel. The minister who officiated the lovebirds' ceremony, Ryan Wolfe, told People that their love was genuine.

"You can see the love they had for each other. They definitely truly care and love each other. I've done probably 10,000 weddings now, and by this point in my life, I get a feel of couples – I can really tell it was real," said the pastor.

Wolfe also noted that the ceremony was "emotional" and that after witnessing the couple's connection, there is no shadow of a doubt that they will be together forever:

"It was real and evident for sure. After seeing them and the love they have for each other, I 100 percent believe they will last. They will make it. I believe they found their soulmates. I do believe they're meant for each other."

Affleck and Lopez went to Paris for their honeymoon and are reportedly still euphoric following the vacation. An insider told Entertainment Tonight that the newlyweds had a blast in the city of love:

"Ben and Jen had the best time in Paris. They went to the most popular restaurants and had the time of their lives. It was so nice being away together with their kids and just eat, relax and have some time off from work."

The source added that the duo loves the capital city of France, and the actress finds it particularly "romantic." Meanwhile, "Ben has been telling Jen how unbelievably happy he is that she is his wife," said the insider.

The pair first met in 2002 on the film set of "Gigli" and dated for two years amid the overbearing media attention they received at the time.

Lopez admitted to People in 2016 that when she and the filmmaker crossed paths, she felt, "Okay, this is it." The two got engaged in November 2002, and the actress described the engagement as "traditional."

The outlet reported that Affleck popped the big question with a custom-made Harry Winston pink-diamond solitaire ring at the time.

The couple quickly became one of Hollywood's famous duo and were the first to receive the world-famous moniker "Bennifer." However, the duo did not get to enjoy their time together because they got notoriously hounded by paparazzi and made tabloid headlines consistently.

That heavily affected their romance, and subsequently, the couple decided to postpone their engagement in September 2003, just days before they were supposed to get married. Affleck and Lopez cited the intense media attention as the reason for their decision.

As such, they reportedly broke up briefly after postponing their nuptials but rekindled their relationship. But the couple split up officially in January 2004 because of the high-profile publicity they were subjected to.

LOPEZ'S 1ST SPOUSE SAYS SHE & AFFLECK WILL NEVER LAST

Affleck and Lopez reconciled in 2021 and have since created a media buzz because of their long-awaited reunion. Even the dancer's first husband, Ojani Noa, has commented on their marriage.

In an interview with the Daily Mail in July 2022, Noa recalled that he was beyond happy being in a relationship with the "Jenny from the Block" hitmaker.

The former couple met in 1996 when Lopez walked into Gloria Estefan's Cuban restaurant, Larios on the Beach, in Miami. Noa was 22, working as a dishwasher, and eventually became a waiter. Meanwhile, the New York native had already established her Hollywood career.

At the time, Lopez was filming "Blood and Wine" with co-stars such as Jack Nicholson and Michael Caine. Noa recounted that the first time he laid eyes on her, he became instantly besotted by the Latina beauty:

"Our eyes glanced at each other, and I thought she was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen."

The next evening, Lopez, her pal, Anita, and her assistant, Arlene, came back. While sitting at the bar, Noa was serving another customer French fries, and the megastar said to him: "Oh my God, those look yummy."

The Cuban shared he handed the fries to her and remained mum. "She later told me she knew that first night she was going to marry me," Noa recalled.

He eventually proposed after Lopez mentioned that she liked a certain ring which was worth $15,000 then. She happily said "yes" to his proposal, and they wed in February 1997 at a friend's back garden in Miami.

For Noa, things drastically changed between him and Lopez after she received critical acclaim for her "Selena" first lead breakout role in 1997. They had been together for six months, and the more she received attention, the more their marriage suffered.

Lopez, a workaholic, did her best to stand out careerwise and even sobbed at night, thinking she was not good enough. Her husband was there to hold her every time, convincing her otherwise.

The fame pressure also affected the pair's decision to have children. Noa revealed that the "Marry Me" star told her that she could not have kids because they would "interfere with her career."

Soon, he saw photos of his wife with Sean Combs, better known as P. Diddy, who was producing songs for her new album at the time. He called and asked her why she was going on dates with the rapper, and Lopez said that it was purely "business" and had been "told" that was what she had to do.

The cracks widened in their union, and though the couple knew that their marriage was on the rocks, Lopez told Oprah Winfrey once that things were on par.

Noa disclosed that he lost 40lb because of stress from his marriage to Lopez. He fought to salvage their union while their lives increasingly became "a lie" on a daily.

When the pair attended the Golden Globes as Lopez's career gained momentum, they sat alongside Nicholson, who stated the couple seemed happier, but Noa told him it was the opposite. The duo eventually divorced in 1998, and shortly after finalizing their legal separation, Lopez publicly began to date P. Diddy.

However, they split, and she married backup singer Chris Judd in 2001. The marriage was short-lived, and it ended in 2003.

Noa revealed that he was there when Lopez and Affleck pursued a romantic relationship as she and he remained close following their divorce. Hence, he stated that her marriage to the Oscar Award winner would not last:

"I think she's someone who will be married seven or eight times. I can't see her ever settling down with one person. She pushes herself to constantly go forward in her professional life, which is why she's had a three-decade career, but she also moves on in her private life."

Noa explained his frustration following his breakup with Lopez, saying if it were not for those around her who influenced her, they would still be married to date.

"For many years, I felt burned, bruised. I think if she hadn't had all those people around her, then we might still be together. But I have my life, and I am happy. I still believe in love, and I hope Jen has finally found the love she has been looking for," he said.

NOA & LOPEZ'S DIVORCE SETTLEMENT

Noa and Lopez divorced in 1998, and he received a $50,000 settlement from the separation. The pair remained friends after splitting, and the personal trainer continued to wear his wedding ring.

However, things took a twisted turn in November 2009 when Lopez filed a $10 million lawsuit against her former husband. She also obtained a court order to prevent him from using their home videos that shows her kissing another woman and doing a lap dance- including footage from their honeymoon - for a film he was producing on his life.

The legal battle left Noa no choice but to file for bankruptcy, claiming the ordeal left him "broke and depressed." He told Page Six in April 2010 that the process caused "pain and frustration," adding:

"I'm losing everything."

However, Noa found a loophole in the case, and in May 2011, he won the fight against his ex-wife. The actor sold the tapes to his girlfriend Claudia Vazquez, who then released the footage.

In August 2007, Lopez was awarded $45,000 in a suit against Noa, who planned on publishing a tell-all book about their short-lived marriage wherein he accused her of having multiple affairs. He was prohibited by their agreement to avoid revealing private information.

According to MTV.com, per the Associate press, Noa reportedly demanded $5 million from the superstar to stop the book from being published. He deliberately went against the confidentiality agreement he and Lopez had about not disclosing any private details about their time together for financial gain.