Jennifer Lopez says taking her husband Ben Affleck’s last name is a “power move.”
The 53-year-old singer added that the move has made her “proud” and said it reaffirms her feelings that she is in complete control of her life.
She made the remarks in a cover interview with Vogue magazine’s December issue after she and Ben, 50, married in Las Vegas in July before hosting another extravagant three-day wedding at the 8-year-old property. $.9 million from her new husband in Georgia.
Jennifer said: “People are still going to call me Jennifer Lopez. But my legal name will be Mrs. Affleck because we are united. We are husband and wife. I am proud of that.
“I don’t think that’s a problem…it’s not traditional. He has no romance. It feels like it’s a power move, you know what I mean?
“I have a lot of control over my own life and destiny and I feel empowered as a woman and as a person. I can understand that people have their feelings about it, and that’s fine too.
“But if you want to know how I feel about it, I feel like it’s romantic. It still gives me tradition and romance, and maybe I’m that kind of girl.”
Jennifer and Ben, nicknamed Bennifer, first dated between 2002 and 2004, with the couple marrying other couples during their subsequent two-decade break.
Ben married actress Jennifer Garner, 50, and the couple shared children Violet, 16, Seraphina, 13, and Samuel, 10, but split in 2018.
Jennifer married actor Marc Anthony, 54, in 2005 and three years later had twins Emme and Max, 14, before divorcing in 2014.
Jennifer added to Vogue about her and Ben’s initial romance: “We were so young and so in love at the time, really very carefree, no kids, no attachments.
“And we were living our lives, being happy and out there. It didn’t seem like we needed to hide from anyone or be very discreet.
“We were living out loud, and it turned out that it really bit us. There was a lot below the surface there, people who didn’t want us to be together, people who thought I wasn’t the right person for him.
“I became very cautious because I realized that you are going to be filleted. I really wish I could say more. I used to be like this. I am so. But I’ve also learned.”
Vogue’s December 2022 issue will be available on newsstands nationwide on November 15, and to see the full interview with Jennifer, visit vogue.com.