Is reuniting with your ex-partner a smart idea? It’s debatable. Some people can convince themselves there are reasons for getting back together even if the smartest course of action is to keep far away from an ex after calling it quits. A 2013 Kansas State University study found that nearly half of all couples reunite, it also revealed that couples who got back together assumed their partner had changed for the better or that they would be better at communicating. For some celebrity comeback couples, a break (or two) was just what they needed to save their love. Several famous couples have split up and reconnected throughout the years; while not all of them succeeded, many others manage to make their love last. Think of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton (the original Golden Hollywood couple met on set in 1962, divorced their partners and married in 1964, spent a decade arguing, divorced in 1974, remarried in 1975 and separated AGAIN that same year.)
The recent wedding of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck had us thinking back on iconic celebrity comeback couples, so we put together a list of our five faves.
1. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck
We CANNOT have a discussion about the breakups and reconciliations of celebrity comeback couples without talking about Bennifer 2.0. They have been on and off for 20 years; during that time they have broken off their engagement, spent time apart, married to other celebrities, had children with them, divorced, reconciled in 2021, and become engaged again. Say it back to me: “meant to be”?
With their portmanteau name Bennifer, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were the most prominent power couple of the early 2000s. They met while working on the big-screen comedy “Gigli” in 2001, and they soon began dating. They first got engaged back in 2002 when J.Lo was riding high at the top of the music charts with her smash hit “Jenny From The Block,” which featured a music video starring her A-list fiancé. The two generated headlines with their every move as Bennifer, including being parodied in South Park. However, they called off their wedding in 2003 just a few days before it was scheduled to happen and they broke off their engagement in early 2004 sending the media into a frenzy. As we all know, the two got back together seventeen years later and their recent Las Vegas wedding is proof that love is worth fighting for — even in Hollywood.
2. Prince William and Kate Middleton
Prince William and Kate Middleton’s romance was an epic drama that lasted nearly ten years before they were married, despite the fact that they now appear very polished and domesticated. But their happily ever after wasn’t without its bumps — in fact, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge’s relationship saw so many highs and lows that Kate Middleton was given the nickname “Waity Katie” by the British media.
The Royal couple started dating in 2003, during the second term of their first year at St. Andrew’s University when he saw Kate modelling in a student fashion show. However, some questionable behaviour on the prince’s part and public pressure all had an impact on their ostensibly idyllic relationship and William allegedly dumped Kate over the phone after the couple argued in 2007, according to Robert Lacey’s book “Battle of the Brothers.” Fortunately, the separation was brief, and as William said to ITV News soon after their engagement in 2010, “everything worked out for the better.” Three children were shortly born to them after their 2011 wedding at Westminster Abbey in London: Prince George in 2013, Princess Charlotte in 2015 and Prince Louis in 2018.
3. Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo
In 2012, Adam Levine began dating Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo (after his split from her close friend and fellow VS model Anne Vyalitsyna). The Maroon 5 frontman called it quits after nearly a year of dating and it didn’t take long for the singer to start dating another VS Angel, Nina Agdal. The guy really likes models. But the singer and Namibian model couldn’t deny their connection, rekindling their romance less than two months later.
According to reports, Adam had to date someone else before he realised “the one” had been in his life for a while. He recalled his famous final words, “I’ll never get married,” on “The Tonight Show” in 2013. “Unless you meet someone who makes you want to marry them, I still don’t think you have to get married. Then you get married to them, which is lovely.” Fortunately, Behati shared that sentiment, and the two were married in 2014 and have two children Dusty Rose, born in 2016 followed by Gio Grace in 2018.
4. Kylie Jenner and Travis Scott
Makeup Mogel Kylie Jenner and rapper Travis Scott were first spotted getting cozy at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in mid-April 2017, just weeks after she and Tyga split. After Scott finished his set, an onlooker said: “He immediately gave Kylie a kiss.” Kylie gave birth to their daughter, Stormi Webster, in February 2018 and the two were then reported to be taking a break from their relationship in October 2019, with a source saying, “Kylie still loves Travis and this isn’t considered a full breakup to either of them.”
But after a two-year breakup, the two rekindled their relationship in September 2021 when Kylie confirmed her pregnancy news via an Instagram video, showing Scott a positive pregnancy test. They became parents of two on February 2, 2022.
5. Bella Hadid and The Weeknd
The one that got away… Rumours of Bella Hadid and the Weeknd (real name Abel Tesfaye) began circulating in April 2015 after they were spotted together at Coachella (where else?) Later that year, Bella would appear in his bop “In the Night” after Abel asked her to be on the artwork for his album Beauty Behind the Madness. During Christmas that year it was reported that the two were on a break. However, they reconciled and in February 2016, Bella sat beside him cheering on as he won his first two Grammys. They would swap places in March as the Weeknd watched Bella from the front row during the Daily Front Row’s Fashion Los Angeles Awards. Sadly, it wasn’t to last and the pair reportedly split again in November that year. The Weeknd performed during a Victoria’s Secret show and Bella won the unofficial post-break-up award for most composed as she sashayed past him on the runway.
A potential reconciliation was (temporarily) squashed when the Weeknd started dating Selena Gomez in January 2017. After they split 10 months later, he was seen leaving Bella’s NYC apartment in November. And then it was back on with Bella and the two moved in together! In December 2018, she mentioned him twice in her Vogue “73 Questions” interview. When asked who makes her laugh the hardest and who is the most beautiful person she knows, her boyfriend was the answer for both. The two called it quits in August 2019 but we secretly hope that their on-again-off-again relationship will be on again. Even if we have to wait seventeen years for a Bennifer-style reunion, we’ll wait.
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