Who was Jennifer Lopez’s first husband Ojani Noa? All about singer’s relationships as she says she’s done with marriage

Jennifer Lopez married Ojani Noa in 1997, but the union was short-lived. By January 1998, just 11 months after their wedding, the pair had gone their separate ways, according to Harper's Bazaar. Reports widely circulated that Lopez met Noa while he was working as a waiter at a Cuban restaurant in Miami. Though their relationship developed quickly, it did not last long.

According to Style, Noa went on to take on multiple roles in the entertainment and fitness industries. He has since worked as an actor, model, presenter, entrepreneur, writer, producer, and personal trainer.

Speaking candidly about their former relationship, Jennifer Lopez once said,

“If you asked him right now, he’d rather have me home washing dishes, with us living in a small apartment, with him making the money rather than me making millions of dollars a year, living in a house that I mostly pay for!”

Jennifer Lopez’s first husband talks emotional past and thoughts on 'Bennifer':

Ojani Noa may have left the Hollywood limelight behind, but his connection to Jennifer Lopez remains a point of quiet reflection. According to The Daily Mail, Noa recalled how Lopez once told him he was the man she wanted to spend “forever” with. However, he noted that it was “three husbands and five engagements” ago.

Over the years, Noa rarely spoke publicly about their passionate early relationship. The two were married in 1997 and divorced a year later, yet stayed friends for nearly a decade afterward.

“We were together romantically for two years but friends for nearly a decade, there were many times I felt like Mr Cinderella, she was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen. In the beginning, I had no idea who she was.”

Noa explained that Lopez was already well-known when they met, but during their short marriage, her fame exploded. He shared,

“We fell in love when she was already famous. But during our marriage she became a megastar, for years it was too painful to talk about. I wanted to lie low and live my life. But when I saw she got married to Ben, who is a good guy, the feelings came flooding back.”

As for Lopez’s marriage to Ben Affleck, Noa had shared his thoughts openly. He explained,

“I wish her and Ben the best, but I’m not convinced it will last, Jen loves being in love but she’s been engaged six times. Ben is husband number four. I was husband number one and she told me I was the love of her life. When we lay in bed on our wedding night, she said we would be together for ever.”

Now, he says, he’s speaking out because he’s grown tired of being labeled the “penniless waiter” Lopez left behind.

Jennifer Lopez shuts down marriage talk mid-concert:

Jennifer Lopez appeared to shut the door on future weddings during a recent stop on her Up All Night tour in Europe. While performing, a fan held up a sign asking, “J Lo, marry me?”

As per People, her response drew a reaction from the crowd:

“I think I’m done with that."

Lopez has walked down the aisle multiple times in the past. Her first marriage, to actor Ojani Noa, lasted from 1997 to 1998. She married Cris Judd in 2001, but the two split just two years later.

In 2004, Lopez wed singer Marc Anthony. They split in 2011, and they welcomed twins Emme and Max, now 17, before finalizing their divorce in 2014.

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She began dating former MLB star Alex Rodriguez in 2017. The couple got engaged in 2019 but ended the relationship in 2021 before making it to the altar.

Later that same year, Jennifer Lopez reignited her romance with Ben Affleck. The two had previously been engaged in the early 2000s, but it wasn’t until July 2022 that they married in a quiet ceremony in Las Vegas, followed by a more elaborate celebration in Georgia. The union ultimately ended in divorce, finalized in January, just two years later.

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