Darren Waller Sorry, Swifties ... Taylor Shouldn't Get Chiefs' SB Ring
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If Darren Waller were running the Chiefs, he would not give Taylor Swift a Super Bowl ring ... telling TMZ Sports he thinks the championship jewelry should be strictly for actual members of K.C.'s squad.
The New York Giants star explained his thoughts on the matter after Swift's boyfriend, Travis Kelce, locked up his third Super Bowl title at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
Waller said while he'd be totally in favor of Swift scoring a replica ring ... the real-deal ice should go to "people in meetings, on the field -- like, really in the trenches, you know?"
Of course, there are plenty in Chiefs Kingdown who would disagree ... Swift, after all, seemed to be quite the good luck charm for Kelce and his teammates throughout their title run this season.
She attended 13 games in total ... including the four playoff contests the Chiefs had to win in order to get the SB LVIII crown.
But, clearly, Waller thinks that's just not enough to reward her with some big diamonds.
The NY tight end also spoke to us about Patrick Mahomes and the incredible run he's been on since he became the Chiefs' starter in 2018 ... and he said he can certainly see the quarterback catching Tom Brady's mark of seven Super Bowl titles one day.
"He's got the trajectory, for sure," Waller said. "He's got the GOAT trajectory, for sure."
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TMZ TV Recap Travis & Patrick Bad Optics in KC ... Taylor/Travis, Larsa & Marcus Jordan
Big day at TMZ, and we're almost at the finish line in the week ... but just getting started on our TV coverage which was chock-full of good stuff.
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Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes were taking lumps -- at least by some -- in the court of public opinion -- this after we reported that they were both in attendance at a restaurant/bar for a private party they'd booked as a team in the aftermath of the Kansas City shooting.
We know Patrick had actually organized this -- having booked the spot well before the shooting -- but they're catching flak for actually having gone ... even after the tragedy.
We talked about it all on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... and yeah, it got pretty intense.
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Over on "TMZ on TV" ... we were also talking about Travis Kelce, but in a much less serious way -- here, we just got into this new clip of him and Taylor Swift being "so magical."
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Finally, on 'TMZ Sports' ... Mike and Mojo talked about Larsa Pippen and Marcus Jordan seemingly rekindling their romance -- this on the heels of their "breakup." How 'bout that?!?
Check your local listings for when TMZ is on in your area or catch up on past episodes!
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Cynthia In 'Malcolm In The Middle' 'Memba Her?!
American actress Tania Raymonde was only 11 years old when she first started playing the role of Cynthia Sanders -- the new kid at school and Malcolm's friend/crush -- on Fox's sitcom "Malcolm In The Middle" back in 2000.
Tania was part of an ensemble cast including Frankie Muniz as the smart (and at times immature) student, Malcolm, Justin Berfield as Malcom's older brother and trickster who enjoys getting into trouble, Reese and Bryan Cranston as Malcolm and Reese's Dad who loves roller skating, Hal.
From 2006-2010, Tania played the role of Alex Rousseau on ABC's "Lost."
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Michael Jackson Nephew Jaafar In Full Costume On Biopic Set ... Looking Like King of Pop
Here's Michael Jackson's nephew Jaafar Jackson all set to portray the King of Pop on the set of the upcoming MJ biopic -- and we gotta say, he's the spitting image of his late uncle.
Jaafar was in full hair, makeup and costume Thursday on location in the Encino area of Los Angeles, where cameras were rolling for "Michael" ... the first official film to tackle the MJ's life on the big screen.
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JJ is Jermaine Jackson's son, BTW, and he looks eerily similar to his famous relative here.
Lionsgate, the studio behind the upcoming biopic, dropped the first look at Jackson as MJ earlier this week ... a photo replicating Michael's 1992-1993 Dangerous Tour. In that promo pic, too, Jaafar was seriously channeling MJ ... passing as a dead ringer for the entertainer.
Now, we're getting a slightly different view of Jaafar as Michael ... this time, he's a bit more formal with a white button-down shirt and a tie -- and we can really see how he looks.
Nia Long joined Jaafar on set here on Thursday ... remember, she's playing Michael's mother, Katherine Jackson. She's also fully transformed -- and pretty unrecognizable.
Like Jaafar, Nia's also a doppelganger for her character ... not very different than what we saw last week when she, Colman Domingo (playing Joe Jackson) and other actors portraying the younger Jackson 5. All of them were fully immersed in their roles, and looked great.
Jaafar, of course, is the star ... and from the looks of it, he has become Michael Jackson.
The highly-anticipated biopic won't hit theaters until April 2025 ... and everything we've seen so far seems to be hitting the mark, at least visually.
We'll see how it all plays out when it finally gets released -- lord knows MJ's many fans will be watching, and frankly ... so will we.
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'Outer Banks' Star Austin North Arrested in Vegas ... Allegedly Attacked ER Hospital Staff
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6:26 PM PT -- Austin North just addressed the situation online, and he says he was having a very severe panic attack where he thought he might die ... adding he doesn't remember much of the incident at all.
AN posted a lengthy description of what he says happened that day -- noting he's been dealing with this condition for a long time, and that the attack he endured Tuesday was by far the worst he's ever experienced. He apologizes to the hospital staff, and says he hopes to shed more light on his condition as time goes on.
Austin North went haywire at a hospital in Vegas this week -- attacking several emergency room staffers and needing to be restrained ... so claim cops, anyway.
According to the police report, obtained by TMZ, officers were dispatched to UMC Hospital Tuesday night for reports of an assault and battery that had occurred in the ER ... and when they arrived, cops say they interviewed the alleged victims.
According to a couple nurses and a phlebotomist -- who claim to have been struck by Austin in a bum-rush they say came out of nowhere -- the actor was throwing fists and shoving all three of them in succession ... for no apparent reason whatsoever.
He's alleged to have punched a nurse in the head, shoved the face of another nurse and pushed the phlebotomist into a table -- only for the latter alleged victim to use a tray nearby to smack him in the head in self-defense.
At this point, cops say Austin was restrained by security officers ... but he's alleged to have attacked one last person -- although it's not clear from the report what her job was.
In any case, they finally cuffed him to a gurney there in the hospital. The cops who arrived to deal with this say they read Austin his Miranda rights when they told him they were arresting him for battery, and when asked if he understood ... they claim he said "yes."
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He was hauled off to jail, where he was booked for gross misdemeanor battery ... and posed for this mug shot. Austin has since bonded out. The one thing that isn't addressed in this whole narrative is ... what the hell was he doing in the ER in the first place???
That remains to be seen ... but it's a very bizarre hole in the story. Interestingly enough, Austin was kinda documenting his weekend in Vegas -- the dude has a whole compilation up on his social media page that shows off everything he was up to ... and it looks like a lot.
We've reached out to his team for comment ... so far, no word back.
Originally Published -- 3:40 PM PT
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KANSAS CITY PARADE SHOOTING Gunman Sprayed Bullets in Circle ... Gunshot Victim Recalls
One of the Chiefs fans hit with bullets at the Super Bowl parade mass shooting says the gunman opened fire in the middle of a crowd ... spinning around as he kept a finger on the trigger.
Jacob Gooch Sr., a Chiefs fan from Kansas, was among the 23 people struck by gunfire ... and he joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to tell us about his harrowing experience.
Jacob says someone in the crowd was telling the shooter, "Not now, this isn't the place" moments before gunshots started ringing out. He says his daughters saw the shooter pull out a gun and fire shots as he spun around in a circle.
The shooting was captured on surveillance video and Jacob says he can see himself on the ground as panic ensues and people in the crowd start running for cover.
At first, Jacob says he thought the loud noises were fireworks, not gunshots ... until he looked down and saw smoke coming out from a gunshot wound to his ankle. He also says his son was shot in the foot and his wife was shot in the leg.
Cops say the shooting does not appear to have been an act of terrorism ... instead, authorities believe a dispute between multiple groups escalated to gunfire.
Jacob says he didn't get a good look at the shooter, but his family described the gunman as a middle-aged man.
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Chilli Brushing Off Usher Proposal Story ... Focused on Current Man!!!
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Chilli isn't letting Usher's bombshells ruin her good mood -- 'cause she's moved on with Matthew Lawrence, and couldn't care less about her ex's harsh feelings over a rejection.
Sources with direct knowledge tell TMZ ... the TLC singer-songwriter isn't giving a second thought to a new story that came out today, where Usher revealed he proposed to Chilli way back in the day -- while they were still dating -- and instead ... she's enjoying a vacay in Jamaica with her new man, celebrating his 44th birthday.
We're told Chilli and Matt are down in Sandals Dunn’s River where they hit up local hot spots, enjoying the island's natural beauty and even partaking in an intimate candlelight dinner. Check out these videos, obtained by TMZ, that shows 'em cuddling, laughing and even smooching ... clearly, these two are very much in love.
More importantly, her mind is a world away from all this Usher stuff. Speaking of which, our sources tell us that Chilli, generally, takes marriage very seriously ... and she's not just going to hop into a commitment like that until she's totally convinced she and her partner are both ready for marriage.
So, even when it comes to Matt -- who she's been with for a couple years now -- it's pretty obvious she takes her time and won't just say yes to anyone.
Clearly, she didn't feel Usher was the one to say "I do" ... 'cause he told People he got his heart smashed by Chilli two decades ago after she rejected him when he asked for her hand in marriage -- something he said gave him trust issues when it came to women.
It seems Usher's over those issues though ... as tied the knot with his longtime partner Jennifer Goicoechea on Super Bowl Sunday with his mother acting as a witness.
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As for Chilli ... she and Matthew Lawrence are pretty dang serious at this point -- with Chilli telling us last March that she was really hoping to marry ML ... but they ain't there just yet.
Chilli may want to ring Usher ... he might be able to get her a deal on her own Vegas wedding!!!
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ZENDAYA GOES FULL CYBORG AT 'DUNE 2' PREMIERE ... Steeling the Spotlight!!
Zendaya left her mark at Wednesday's world premiere of "Dune: Part Two" in London ... stealing the show in a vintage robot suit.
The premiere snaps of the actress are pretty wild ... she's absolutely rockin' the metallic Thierry Mugler Fall '95 haute couture look, with exaggerated shoulders and sheer-illusion cut-outs on her chest, stomach, and bottom. Talk about a cutting-edge vibe, huh?!?
There was no one else who had quite the flair the Zendaya brought with her futuristic look ... even posing like a robot on the red carpet at one point. However, all her stiff-looking angles may have just boiled down to how restrictive her suit was ... could be one or the other.
Zendaya's entrusted stylist, Law Roach -- the mastermind behind the archival look -- who was also at the premiere. Needless to say, it was quite the style moment ... despite some fans likening her look to "Wizard Of Oz"'s Tin Man. Either way, she's got a lot of heart!
Truth be told, Zendaya may have hogged the spotlight a bit ... but if you were to look elsewhere, other stars of the movie also brought an endless cycle of fashion in front of cameras ... and looked just as good.
Florence Pugh and Anya Taylor-Joy opted for similar head-covering looks -- the Brit in a plunging black number and Anya in angelic white.
Timothée Chalamet and Austin Butler, meanwhile, also made fashion statements on the red carpet ahead of their movie release on March 1 ... looking sharp and stud-ly.
This one's gonna make a big splash ... just like Zendaya did here. Domo arigato, as they say.
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KANSAS CITY Parade SHOOTING Chiefs Fan Tackled Armed Suspect ... I Saw Big Gun Fall Out
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The KC Chiefs fan who tackled an armed suspect at the parade shooting says he didn't think twice about going after him ... and the guy apparently had a big gun on him.
Paul Contreras is the person on video tackling one of the people who got detained Wednesday -- and he joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday to tell us how he ended up being hailed a hero.
It all happened super fast ... Paul says folks were yelling at the crowd to tackle an individual who was running the opposite direction of everyone else. He had an angle on the guy and he says his instincts kicked in and he went out and pounced.
Paul tells us he was wrestling the man to the ground when he noticed a large firearm hit the deck. As others fled for their lives, Paul says he fought for his ... wrestling with the guy and trying like hell to keep him pinned until police came and eventually handled the rest.
Cops say there are at least 3 people in custody in connection with the deadly mass shooting -- but none of them have been arrested or booked on any charges as far as we know.
Paul, a Chiefs fan from Nebraska, was at the Super Bowl victory parade with his 3 daughters ... one of whom tells us she helped keep the gun away from the shooter once the weapon was on the ground. That seems to be who we see pick up the gun in the now-viral clip.
Cops say the shooting does not appear to have been an act of terrorism ... instead, authorities believe it was a dispute between multiple parties that escalated.
Police say 23 people were shot and one person died.
For now, it's unclear if there was one shooter or several ... but Paul says, this guy was strapped.
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CARDI B & OFFSET ENJOY V-DAY DINNER DATE IN MIAMI ... But, Still Not Together???
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Cardi B spent Valentine's Day with her estranged husband, Offset -- and while they don't look very estranged here ... they have yet to definitively confirm they're back together.
The rapper's been keeping fans guessing about her relationship status with her hubby lately --- spending time with him on key dates such as Xmas and New Year's ... and even letting everyone know they've banged as of late -- despite having announced their split in early December.
Well, this is just the latest confusing curveball -- they were at it again with mixed signals for Valentine's Day ... hitting up Carbone in Miami Beach for the lovey-dovey holiday Wednesday.
Check it out, the pair arrived at the Italian eatery together ... and Offset went inside a few minutes after Cardi, seemingly trying to stagger themselves.
He was clearly taking his time to greet fans/onlookers, even sharing a hug with one of them. In the end, however, they emerged together after midnight, with Cardi holding her phone up to her face while signing some autographs before they headed into their vehicle together.
So, yeah ... they're together -- no questioning it now at this point, especially on V-day.
Of course, we know Cardi's gone off on people speculating on where things stand between them -- she's gone on online tirades on Twitter randos, at times suggesting they are NOT, in fact, together. Yes, it's all very confusing -- and they haven't provided much clarity.
Whatever the hell is going on -- obviously, they're on good enough terms to hang on a very special day in the year that's for lovers ... so you can draw your own conclusions.
Safe to say, C&O are working through things on their own timeline -- happy Valentine's Day, you two.
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Matisyahu Shows Canceled for Political Reasons ... Workers Bailed Last Minute
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Two of Matisyahu's recent concerts got canceled ... and he's theorizing the cancelations might've been caused by some workers making a political statement against Israel.
The singer-songwriter joined us on "TMZ Live" Thursday ... telling us his sold-out show in New Mexico was canceled just hours before the curtain was set to go up -- something he learned about very last minute.
As Matisyahu -- a very vocal supporter of the Israeli cause in Gaza -- explained it ... a fan approached him after he'd already performed a sound check in the Meow Wolf venue and said they had received an email saying the concert was called off because of security threats.
When his team approached the event organizers about it, Matisyahu says they told him workers were afraid to come to work because of possible protests outside the building and that they wouldn't have time to hire more staffers for the event.
BTW ... the protest didn't exactly take off -- with just about five people showing up, apparently, to voice their displeasure according to Matis. So, hardly a threat, really.
It's not the only show that's been canceled, as it turns out ... Matisyahu says his show tonight in Tucson, Arizona, is also not happening because employees there are also allegedly calling out.
The possible reasoning behind this ... Matisyahu says he thinks workers might've realized the event would have to be called off if they decided not to arrive for work -- adding social media posts of some of the New Mexico staff made it clear they stood against Israel.
Matisyahu insists he's not pushing his politics at his shows ... admitting he sometimes makes statements against Hamas but keeps political division out of his performances for the most part.
If boycotters are hoping to discourage Matisyahu ... it's not working so far, with him saying he's willing to play at any venue willing to host him and his group. He even mentioned his cousin who goes to school in Tucson -- and said he'd put on a show at a frat house if they're interested!
Of course, tensions have been especially high between Israeli and Palestinian supporters since a surprise attack by Hamas on a music festival on October 7 sparked a full-on war in the region.
A spokesperson for Meow Wolf tells TMZ ... "Yesterday, we canceled a concert at the House of Eternal Return. Two hours before the show was set to begin, we found ourselves without adequate staff to safely manage the sold out crowd. Meow Wolf will always prioritize the safety of our employees and our guests. We are in the process of refunding all ticket holders."
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Patrick Mahomes Attended Private Party with Travis Kelce at Restaurant Other Teammates Also Attend Post-Shooting
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Travis Kelce was only playing follow-the-leader when he walked into a restaurant to keep on celebrating after the Kansas City shooting -- 'cause we've now learned Patrick Mahomes planned the whole thing, and was there as well.
Multiple sources with direct knowledge tell us the get-together at the Granfalloon Restaurant And Bar in K.C. Wednesday evening was actually spearheaded by the Chiefs QB -- and, according to our sources, he had the idea shortly after the Super Bowl win.
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We're told Pat was the one who rented the place out. Cops were on hand for crowd control. Travis obliged when several cops asked him for selfies.
While we only got pics of Travis rolling into the establishment hours after the shooting ... our sources tell us Patrick was also in attendance, as were other Chiefs players.
Unclear who else was there at the Granfalloon -- but we spoke to the restaurant owner ... and he said a few other players had rolled in, and that it was a private event. Unclear exactly what the guys were doing inside -- presumably, eating, drinking, etc.
The question, of course ... why would Pat, Travis and other teammates go out in public and keep their good time rolling after a massive tragedy?
It's something many have been wondering since we broke the story of Travis attending this gathering ... with a beer in hand.
As we reported ... the shooting left one person dead, and 22 others injured with gunshot wounds. Cops have said this didn't appear to be a terror attack -- but rather a dispute between parties.
Now that we're learning Patrick was in the mix for this party -- it makes ya wonder what sort of thought process went into their decision to go through with the party ... especially since they were all well aware of the shooting.
We've reached out to Patrick's team, as well as the Chiefs themselves ... so far, no word back.
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DJ Khaled Cops Pull Him Over In Golf Cart ... Yabba Dabba Doo!!!
Major key alert ... DJ Khaled got pulled over by police while driving around his Miami neighborhood ... where he came across a little Fred Flinstone-y in a golf cart.
The "We The Best" mogul was tooling around in his golf cart Thursday morning when a cop on a motorcycle lit him up on the road.
As you can see, Khaled pulled off to the side of the road and it looks like the motorcycle cop may have ended up writing him a ticket -- although it's unclear what exactly happened.
Fact is, we don't know for certain if Khaled got dinged here or for what, if anything ... but it does appear he isn't wearing a seatbelt in any of the photos ... and in one shot he's got one hand on the steering wheel and a phone in the other hand.
Oh, and Khaled's barefoot here BTW ... so, that's an interesting tidbit. The good news for Khaled, whatever this was seems to be pretty minor -- so no harm, no foul really.
We reached out to cops in Miami to find out what exactly happened with Khaled ... so far no word back.
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Millie Bobby Brown Cannolis and Shopping In NYC ... V-Day With Jake Bongiovi
Millie Bobby Brown and Jake Bongiovi enjoyed a low-key Valentine's Day in New York City ... doing some window shopping and chowing down on pastries.
The "Stranger Things" star and her fiancé strolled arm in arm through Chinatown on Wednesday night, stopping to browse around a few shops ... including a fun-looking arcade.
Millie and Jake, the son of Jon Bon Jovi, bundled up with jackets and a colorful scarf ... but she still got cold ... and Millie ended up buying a pair of gloves.
After walking around Chinatown, the couple hoofed it over to Little Italy and picked up a box of cannolis from Ferrara Bakery. Millie smiled before taking a bite, and Jake captured her excitement with a selfie. We gotta say, it looks pretty damn yummy.
Millie and Jake have been engaged almost a year now -- and their romance reportedly first popped off sometime in 2021, when they first started posting pics together.
Cannolis go great with coffee, and these longtime lovebirds ordered some java and then hopped in a cab. Simple, yet effective ... and definitely romantic, no doubt.
Check out the gallery ... Millie and Jake don't need anything fancy to enjoy their V-Day.
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Cops: SB Parade Shooting Not Act Of Terrorism ... Likely 'Dispute Between Several People'
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Cops say the shooting at Wednesday's Super Bowl parade does not appear to have been an act of terrorism ... instead, authorities believe it was simply a dispute between multiple parties that escalated.
Kansas City Police Department Chief Stacey Graves made the revelation at a news conference with reporters Thursday morning ... explaining detectives have obtained no evidence that shows the gunfire at Union Station was a planned attack.
"This appeared to be a dispute between several people that ended in gunfire," she said.
Graves also revealed that 23 people in total were struck by bullets during the incident. One, 43-year-old Elizabeth "Lisa" Lopez-Galvan, has been confirmed dead. Eight others, law enforcement added at the news conference, are currently in critical condition.
Graves also said that of the 22 victims who are still fighting to recover ... at least half were under the age of 16 years old. The youngest of the victims, she said, was 8 years old.
Two of the people detained in connection with the shooting are juveniles, Graves added.
As we previously reported, the gunshots erupted just minutes after Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce wrapped up speeches at a rally following bus rides through Kansas City streets.
Both stars -- and their org. -- released statements following the tragedy ... expressing their thoughts and prayers for the victims.
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Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck Postponed Wedding Beginning of End ... Too Immature To Figure Out
Jennifer Lopez says she and Ben Affleck didn't break up the day they postponed their wedding in 2003 ... instead, they split well into the aftermath of the stunning delay.
The singer-songwriter spoke with Zane Lowe during an Apple Music interview and revealed the couple may have been headed down the path to breaking up when they called their wedding off, but they stayed together for a while later ... trying to make their coupling last.
JL said the wedding delay sparked doubt in both herself and BA about "what our relationship was and where it was going" and -- even though she knew she wanted to be with him forever -- she felt their marriage wasn't going to make it the distance.
Lopez explained they weren't "mature" enough to make the relationship work despite their repeated attempts ... and she added they were under the impression people broke up when "things get hard" -- so they went their separate ways.
Good thing too ... 'cause Lopez says they both needed to go find love and make families with other people before they could really work at being a couple again.
Remember ... in the time after "Bennifer" broke up and before they reconciled, Lopez married singer Marc Anthony and had two kids while Affleck hooked up with his "Daredevil" costar Jennifer Garner leading to a trio of children.
Lopez said she and Ben both felt more confident in themselves as individuals when they got back together ... and this time the relationship seems permanent with the two officially tying the knot in 2022.
Absence makes the heart grow fonder ... at least it seems to have for Ben and Jen!