Jennifer Lopez had a playful yet poignant moment on Today when host Craig Melvin brought up her recent divorce from Ben Affleck — right in the middle of their chat about her upcoming musical film, Kiss of the Spiderwoman.

The singer and actress, who collaborated with her ex-husband on the project, had just explained how the musical sequences were filmed in one take, inspired by classic Hollywood productions. That’s when Craig shifted gears, noting that her divorce was finalized during filming.

“In the middle of this beautiful, elaborate musical, your divorce is also finalized with Ben—”
“There you go,” JLo interjected, cutting him off with a wry smile.

Craig clarified that he mentioned it because Affleck was also an executive producer on the film. Lopez didn’t shy away from giving him credit:

“If it wasn’t for Ben, the movie wouldn’t have got made, and I will always give him that credit. Things happen. You have to keep going.”

A Therapeutic Process

Lopez went on to describe how making the film helped her cope with a difficult personal chapter.

“The movie is about escapism — about how movies and art save us in the hardest times of our lives,” she said. “Doing this project was such a dream come true for me that it really got me through… to survive a moment that was difficult in my personal life as well.”

She added that she took some time off after filming, but now she’s excited for audiences to finally see the movie.

“It’s a beautiful film about love,” she smiled. “And it did — it really did save me.”

Growth Through Heartbreak

This isn’t the first time Lopez has opened up about how the breakup shaped her. In a recent interview with CBS Sunday Morning, she reflected on how the project — and her split — became pivotal to her growth.

“It was the best and the worst of times. On set, I was so happy. But when I went home, it was not great,” she admitted. “Honestly, it was the best thing that ever happened to me, because it helped me grow. I’m a different person now than I was a year ago.”

A Dream Role Realized

Kiss of the Spiderwoman hits theaters on October 10, and Lopez is already earning early Oscar buzz for her performance. The superstar said the film fulfilled every creative dream she ever had.

“I got to sing, dance, and play three different characters,” she told Access Hollywood. “I got to be dark, I got to be light, I got to be the old Hollywood movie star I dreamt of being as a little girl. This movie checked every box of every dream I’ve ever had for my career.”

Lopez recalled the moment she first read the script:

“I was in bed, laughing out loud and thinking, ‘Oh my God, was this written for me?’ And when I found out Bill Condon sent it because he wanted me to do it, I felt it immediately. It was meant to be.”