Now that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are definitely, definitely back together, it feels like anything is possible. If two superstars can reconnect with an ex of nearly two decades ago, who knows what else might be written in the stars for us, waiting for us to return to our destiny? Some celebrity couples have a way of seeming inevitable and Bennifer is definitely one of them, the pull of time no match for these charismatic actors finding their way back toward one another — and they’re far from the only Hollywood couple with this otherworldly magnetism attached. Many of the most famously hot-and-heavy couples of all time have broken up at one point or another, only to be drawn back into each other’s orbits — think Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, or Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick. With the Bennifer wedding still stuck in our heads, we’re taking a look back at some of the other most thrilling re-couplings of exes we’ve seen over the years…some of whom we still hope might be on their way to a happy ending.
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While Affleck and Lopez certainly win the prize as the couple who went the longest broken up before reuniting, we can’t help but wonder what other long-lost loves might one day be added to this list. For those who dare to dream, there’s a spot for Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston to be had here — for agents of chaos, one for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, perhaps.
As you read and remember, let these celebrity reunions, both real and imagined, act as your proof that no time spent in love was ever wasted: five, ten, or 17 years down the road, you may pick up just where you left off.
A version of this article was previously published in June 2021.
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Sam Hunt & Hannah Lee Fowler
Image Credit: Gilbert Flores/Billboard via Getty Images Country star Sam Hunt and his wife Hannah Lee Fowler were all smiles at the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Their appearance was their first following their brief split in February 2022.
At the time, Fowler filed for divorce and cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason to terminate the marriage, per Entertainment Tonight. The documents, which also revealed she was pregnant with their first child, accused Hunt of “inappropriate marital conduct,” and claimed that he was “guilty of adultery.”
Two months later, in April, the two called off the divorce. “Sam and Hannah are working on healing their relationship,” a source told the outlet at the time. “They’re very excited to be welcoming their baby girl together and focused on that. Sam has been putting the work in and making sure that Hannah feels comfortable, safe and trusts him.”
Since then, the two have welcomed two kids and have appeared to have gotten back on track.
“There were years there where, you know, maybe I didn’t realize how much growing up I had needed to do,” Hunt told ET Canada about his budding family. “And having a child forces you to do that. It shifts something in your nervous system. There’s a skin that I needed to shed, and I did that when I had my child.”
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Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck truly played the long game with their relationship, first breaking off their engagement the day before their wedding in 2003 and then not getting back together until 2021, when Lopez called off her engagement to Alex Rodriguez. They got engaged once again and had the most fairytale-like wedding ever.
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Ashanti & Nelly
Image Credit: Theo Wargo/WireImage for Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation Between 2003 and 2013, singers Ashanti and Nelly has a rocky on-and-off relationship. Recently, however, news broke that the two were officially back together. “Nelly and Ashanti are back together and both of them are very happy,” a source told Entertainment Tonight. “Nelly and Ashanti are really enjoying their time together.”
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Kate Middleton & Prince William
Image Credit: Getty Images Kate Middleton and Prince William have been through so much together since they first met in 2002, including one famous brief breakup in 2007, reportedly precipitated by a moment of cold feet about the commitment ahead from William. Kate played it cool and William won her back within the year, but it definitely wasn’t smooth sailing throughout.
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Justin & Hailey Bieber
Image Credit: Brian Friedman for Variety. Justin and Hailey Bieber met back in 2009 during a fan event but didn’t grow closer until 2014 when they started going to church together. They were known as best friends over the years, getting together in Feb. 2016. However, they broke it off sometime in 2016, not talking again until 2018. Within a couple of months, the pair got engaged and wed in a courthouse ceremony later that year. They had another ceremony in Sept. 2019 and have been happily together since.
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Sylvester Stallone & Jennifer Flavin
Image Credit: Amy Sussman/Getty Images In August, married couple Sylvester Stallone and Jennifer Flavin left everyone in shock after announcing they were getting a divorce. “I love my family,” Flavin, who filed the divorce, told People at the time. “We are amicably and privately addressing these personal issues.”
Fast-forward one month later, however, the two got back together. “They decided to meet back up at home, where they talked and were able to work out their differences. They are both extremely happy,” the actor’s rep told Page Six.
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Khloe Kardashian & Tristan Thompson
Image Credit: zz/GOTPAP/STAR MAX/IPx 2019. Khloe Kardashian and Tristan Thompson’s relationship may be one of the messiest public breakups we’ve ever seen. They’ve dated on and off again from 2016 to 2021, welcoming their daughter True in April 2018. They first broke up in 2019 after he allegedly kissed the Kardashian’s friend Jordyn Woods. They got back together in early 2020, but they separated for good in 2021, with word breaking out soon after that Thompson had cheated on Kardashian with a woman named Maralee Nichols. And yes, Kardashian and him were also expecting a baby via surrogate at the time. What a whirlwind!
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Megan Fox & Brian Austin Green
Image Credit: WWD. Brian Austin Green and Megan Fox met on the set of Hope & Faith, dating in 2004 despite a hefty age difference of around 12 years. They got engaged two years later and married in 2010. They share three sons together named Noah Shannon, 9, Bodhi Ransom, 8, and Journey River, 5. Fox filed for divorce in 2015, but they got back together after the news of their third child. However, they called it quits for good in 2020.
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Elon Musk & Talulah Riley
Image Credit: Michael Germana/Everett Collection. Not only did Elon Musk and Talulah Riley break up multiple times, they got married to each other multiple times. Not much is known about the lowkey couple, but we do know that they started dating in 2008, marrying soon after in 2010 at Dornoch Cathedral in Scotland. They divorced in March 2012 and remarried each other less than 18 months later. On New Year’s Eye 2014, Elon filed for divorce again but withdrew it soon after. However, the pair divorced again in 2016.
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Patrick & Jillian Dempsey
Image Credit: WWD. Patrick and Jillian Dempsey met back in 1994 when Patrick came into a hair salon for Jillian to work on him, per the Sun. However, he was married to his first wife Rochelle “Rocky” Parker. They started dating in 1999 and within a year, the pair got hitched. They have three children together named: Tallula, 20, and twins Darby and Sullivan, 15. The pair famously separated in early 2015, with Jillian filing for divorce. However, they called it off nearly two years later in late 2016 and have been together since.
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Christine Taylor & Ben Stiller
Image Credit: Andrew H Walker/Variety. Actors Christine Taylor and Ben Stiller met back in 1999 on the set of an unaired FOX Network piot, marrying a year later. Throughout their relationship, they appeared in many films and shows together like Zoolander, Dodgeball, and Arrested Development, to name a few. They have two children together named Ella, 19, and Quinlin, 16. In 2017, they announced their separation after 17 years together but reconciled after living together in quarantine.
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Gigi Hadid & Zayn Malik
Image Credit: Michael Buckner/WWD. Gigi Hadid and the former One Direction bandmate Zayn Malik have been one of the most notable on-again-off-again relationships within the past decade. The pair originally got together in 2015, with her starring in his hit song PILLOWTALK’s music video a few months in. However, they broke up for the first time in June 2016, reconciling a month later.
They broke up again in early 2018, getting back together later that year. But sadly, this didn’t last long and the pair split up again in Jan. 2019. Later that year, they were on good terms but weren’t officially an item again until early 2020. They welcomed their baby daughter Khai in Sept. 2020.
They broke up for good in Oct. 2021 and continue to co-parent their daughter.
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Miley Cyrus & Liam Hemsworth
Image Credit: Stewart Cook/WWD. Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth’s rocky relationship started back in 2009 after meeting on the set of The Last Song. They started dating in early 2010 but broke it off by the summer of 2010 (and again a couple of months after that!) They got back together in early 2011, announcing their engagement in June 2012. However, they broke up in mid-2013, not reconciling again until early 2016.
The two ended up tying the knot in a private ceremony in Dec. 2018 but separated around eight months later. Their divorce was finalized in Jan. 2020.
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Rachel Bilson & Hayden Christensen
Image Credit: WWD. Rachel Bilson and Hayden Christensen originally met back in 2007 on the set of Jumper, hitting it off almost immediately. They quickly got engaged but called it off in 2010. However, they got back together later that same year. In Nov. 2014, they welcomed a daughter named Briar Rose and despite splitting up with each other for good in 2017, they continue to co-parent her.
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Hilary Duff & Matthew Koma
Image Credit: Getty Images Hilary Duff and Matthew Koma met back in 2015 while collaborating on one of her albums, dating soon after in 2017. The pair briefly split up in 2017 and reconciled in late 2017. They welcomed a daughter named Banks Violet Bair in Oct 2018, getting engaged soon after in May 2019. They married in Dec. 2019. In March 2021, they welcomed another daughter named Mae James during a home birth.
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Gabrielle Union & Dwyane Wade
Image Credit: Getty Images Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade first took their relationship public in 2010 and took a break in 2013, citing busy work schedules as the reason they were taking a step back. During that time, Wade fathered a child with Aja Metoyer, but still reunited with Union by the end of 2013, proposing to her in 2015. They’ve been together ever since.
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Jill Martin & Erik Brooks
Image Credit: Getty Images After ending their engagement in 2020, Today’s Jill Martin and her former fiancé Erik Brooks got back in touch and got engaged for a second time! It’d been 18 months since Martin and Brooks had spoken. Then, she decided to pick up the phone and call him. “Everyone’s journey is different. It took me 45 years to find my fairy tale. When I realized I was confident on my own, that’s when I knew Erik and I were ready to get back together. The realistic version of my fairy tale was ready to be written,” she penned in a moving essay for Today.
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Kourtney Kardashian & Scott Disick
Image Credit: Getty Images Kourtney Kardashian and Scott Disick first got together in 2006 and first broke up in 2009 amid cheating rumors, getting together very quickly thereafter when she realized she was pregnant with Mason. They next broke up in 2010 when Kourtney felt Disick’s drinking was out of control, but were back together in 2012 when they welcomed daughter Penelope. In December 2014 they welcomed their third child Reign but Disick’s partying was out of control by 2015, when he checked briefly into rehab and split with Kourtney once again after stepping out with stylist Chloe Bartoli. Kourtney and Disick have never since reconciled though they’ve stayed friendly as co-parents.
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Offset & Cardi B
Cardi B and Offset have been off and on since 2016, marrying in secret in 2017 and welcoming daughter Kulture in 2018 before briefly breaking up amid cheating rumors for the first time that same year. Cardi went on to file for divorce in September 2020 but the couple reconciled.
As of Jan 2024, they have split up again.
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Pink & Carey Hart
Pink and Carey Hart first began dating in 2001 and first split in 2003, when Pink had explained that his lifestyle was tough to keep up with. Nevertheless, they reconciled, marrying in 2005 — then separating two years later once again. The couple has now happily been together and growing their family since 2008.
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Jessica Biel & Justin Timberlake
Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake took their early romance slow, meeting in 2007 but not making their red carpet debut until 2009. By 2011, the pressure seemed to have caught up to them and they split briefly in March — but by that summer, they were back together, and by December, Timberlake had proposed. The couple wed in 2012.
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Selena Gomez & Justin Bieber
Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber’s romance was on-and-off for quite a few years, so even though they aren’t together anymore, we felt they were a strong addition to this round-up. The two started dating in late 2010, before their first split in late 2012. For the next few years, the couple broke up and got back together a number of times before splitting for good in 2018. Bieber married model Hailey Baldwin in 2018.
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Richard Burton & Elizabeth Taylor
Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’s long and complicated romance began in 1962 on the set of Cleopatra, after which they divorced their respective spouses and married one another in 1964. A decade of dramatic fighting saw them divorced in 1974, remarrying in 1975 and separating again within the year. Though they grew close again in their lives, they were never again together as a couple.
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Jared Kushner & Ivanka Trump
Image Credit: Photo by John Parra/Getty Images for Carbone Beach. Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump started dating in 2005 but broke up briefly in 2008 because his parents reportedly didn’t approve of their romance. But they got back together, married a year later, and later welcomed three children.
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John Mellencamp & Meg Ryan
Image Credit: Photo by Venturelli/Getty Images. John Mellencamp and Meg Ryan started their romance back in 2010 and eventually got engaged in 2018, but throughout their relationship, they broke up quite a few times. They first split up in Aug 2014 after four years together, in Oct 2015 after another year together, and then once again for good in 2019
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Katy Perry & John Mayer
Image Credit: Photo by Christopher Polk/Getty Images for NARAS. Katy Perry and John Mayer were first linked in 2012 and their relationship lasted until 2015. However, they broke up numerous times throughout their romance.
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Dax Shepherd & Kristen Bell
Image Credit: – (Photo by: Robert Trachtenberg/NBC). Just three months into Dax Shepherd and Kristen Bell’s romance, they split up. They got back together quickly though, and tied the knot in 2013 (and welcomed two kiddos)!
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Kylie Jenner & Travis Scott
Image Credit: Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images. Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott started dating in 2017, but split for the first time in late 2019. They got back togeteehr the following year and split up a few more times before calling it quits forever in Feb 2023.
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Ryan Gosling & Rachel McAdams
Image Credit: Photo by Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic. Former co-stars Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams went from enemies-to-lovers. While they originally hated each other, they did end up dating from 2005 to 2007. They got back together briefly in 2008.
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Nicholas Hoult & Jennifer Lawrence
Image Credit: Photo by Dave M. Benett/Getty Images. Nicholas Hoult and Jennifer Lawrence had a low-key romance from 2010 to 2013, and then again briefly in 2014 when they reconciled for a couple months.
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Emma Stone & Andrew Garfield
Image Credit: Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images. So this one’s a bit hazy. We do know that Emma Stone and Andrew Garfield were together from 2011 to 2015. It’s up for debate though if they reconciled in 2017 for a brief time.
