How Jennifer Lopez Endured The Tough Times In Her Life

America's entertainment industry has churned out several significant names over the years. These include movies stars, singers, and a versatile few living the best of both worlds.

Jennifer Lopez is a classic example of a hybrid entertainer as she sings, dances, and is also a great actor.

Her career has garnered critical acclaim from her contemporaries and fans. More so, her list of professional accomplishments puts other pop culture multi-hyphenates to shame. In the eyes of many, Lopez is revered and can almost do no wrong.

While it might seem like she is living the perfect fairy tale life, her journey to the top had lots of bumps that impacted her both negatively and positively. Here are a few of those moments that tested her resilience and made her dig deep to surpass.

Keep scrolling below for more information.

One old experience that still hurts the singer is her parent's separation. After 33 years of marriage, the couple separated based on irreconcilable differences. Lopez was traumatized by their divorce and carried the burden even after leaving her neighborhood to kickstart her career.

The marring experience resurfaced in her heart years later, when she returned to the neighborhood for her piece with W-Magazine back in 2013. It is safe to assume that the interview brought Lopez too close to a pain she had hidden for years.

In the interview, the actress commented about the last time she was in the neighborhood. She said, "The last time I was in there [home] was when my mom and dad called us to tell us that they were separating after 33 years of marriage."

As per reports, the painful thoughts made Lopez shy away from looking at her former place of residence as she did not want to relive the bad memories of the divorce.

Lopez battled with her mother, Guadalupe Rodriguez, in her early adult years about choosing a dance career instead of heading to college.

The disagreement got so intense that the singer had to move out of the house to focus solely on honing her skills. Per her W-interview, she started sleeping over at the dance studio, where she practiced her art.

"My mom and I butted heads. I didn't want to go to college — I wanted to try dance full-time," she recalled. "So she and I had a break. I started sleeping on the sofa in the dance studio. I was homeless, but I told her, 'This is what I have to do."

In a short while, fate shined on her as she got her big break via a dancing gig in Europe. Later, she got a full-time job as a Fly Girl on the TV show "In Living Color," which prompted her to relocate to Los Angeles.

Currently, Lopez owns several houses, including a multi-million dollar penthouse in New York City. Indeed, dreams do come true.

For Lopez, relationships have not really served as a salve for the turbulent childhood experience. The actress has confessed to facing tough times in her affairs despite not being the case of physical abuse.

"I've never gotten a black eye or busted lip, but I have been in relationships where I felt abused one way or another – mentally, emotionally, verbally," the actress wrote in her 2013 memoir, True Love (via Cosmopolitan Philippines).

"I know what it feels like for your soul to be diminished by the way your loved one is treating you. Every day that you don't walk out that door, every day you accept things in your partner and yourself is a day that you're saying, 'It's OK.'"

The star also disclosed she has been on a therapy journey since her early 30s to help her understand her self-worth better. Currently, therapy has become a part of her life, as she revealed to Allure, calling it "really helpful."

Sadly, Lopez relived her parents' divorce memories in her life. The multi-hyphenate has walked down the aisle three times, and every one of them hit the rocks. Her first marriage to a man named Ojani Noa was short-lived and lasted for just a year.

Next up was her marriage to her former backup dancer, Cris Judd, that barely lasted half a decade. After that, she married singer Marc Anthony in 2004 but went through the same pattern once again.

An upside to her sad line-up of broken marriages was her affair with A-lister Ben Affleck. The pair dated for a while and almost tied the knot. However, they broke up mainly due to the media's constant scrutiny of their relationship.

Despite this, Lopez and Affleck remained close and did not stay apart forever. As of 2021, the pair rekindled the embers of their lost love and are doing well so far.