Jennifer Lopez Denies Theory She & Ben Affleck Were 'Recreating' Jenny From The Block Video In New Boat Pics!

Jennifer Lopez is setting the record straight after fans assumed she and Ben Affleck were deliberately re-enacting that infamous scene from the Jenny From the Block music video last year!

As you may recall, theories started circulating online that the lovebirds were recreating the iconic moment the 2002 vid when the paparazzi snagged some photos of the couple celebrating her 52nd birthday on a yacht in St. Tropez last July. In the pics, Jen was laying tummy down on the boat while Ben’s hand rested on her derriere — basically the same shot from the music video.

Dive back into the classic visuals (below):

Of course, Bennifer fans immediately freaked out over the moment at the time, even theorizing that an updated version of the Jenny From the Block video was coming for the 20th anniversary. But according to Lopez, the chatter surrounding the pap pics was far from the truth…

In a new interview with People, the Love Don’t Cost A Thing artist shut down the speculation, insisting it was not planned and the couple were just commemorating her birthday that day. She said:

“We were just on the boat! There was no recreation! I was lying down… It was a trip I like to take for my birthday, but no, we were not intentionally recreating it. I didn’t know there were paparazzi out in the middle of the ocean either!”

Suuurrre Jen!

However, Lopez admitted that she found all of the theories of their trip and the music video “funny” and has enjoyed all of the love from the public about Bennifer 2.0. She and Affleck, who were first engaged in 2002 before calling off their engagement two years later as he fell for his Daredevil co-star, that other Jennifer, rekindled their relationship last year. Speaking with People, the Hustlers actress explained that the duo’s reunion gave them “a little bit of fear” at first due to all of the media attention surrounding their romance back in the day. She explained:

“Before we kind of put [our relationship] out there and we were naïve and it got a little trampled.”

But this time around, Lopez recognizes how things are different for them, saying:

“We both were like, ‘Wow, we’re so happy and we don’t want any of that to come into play again.’ We’re older now, we’re smarter, we have more experience, we’re at different places in our lives, we have kids now, and we have to be very conscious of those things. We’re so protective because it is such a beautiful time for all of us. It’s beautiful the way it feels very different than it was years ago. … There’s more of an appreciation and a celebration for it, which is nice.”

If they’re trying to be that private, we guess it makes sense they didn’t contact paparazzi to stage Jenny From The Block commemorative photos.

She continued:

“It was, ‘Oh wow, we’re not used to this and it’s really beautiful.’ But also we’re at a different point in our lives and who we were then and what we’ve done in our lives since then. … I think people know [now] that we’re artists who are going to be around for a long time and that’s nice and they appreciate that and respect that. I feel that and I appreciate that too. I think we were both very happy that people were happy for us.”

Jennifer just sounds so happy with Ben right now! Love it!

Are you buying that they weren’t trying to recreate the scene from Jenny From the Block, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF with your reactions to her response in the comments (below)!

[Image via Jennifer Lopez/YouTube, MEGA/WENN]