While Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s first run at romance was almost 20 years ago now, their fresh start is giving all of us millennials major flashbacks. This week, the pair attended the Boston Celtics vs. LA Lakers game at the Staples Center in LA, calling to mind their PDA filled shots snapped by the paparazzi from when the couple sat court-side back in 2003.

No, it’s not a hallucination. History is merely repeating itself. Managing to find their way back to one another after all these years, the “Bennifer” reemergence is constantly having us recall the days of the Hollywood couple’s past and the word iconic doesn’t quite cover it. In a time before social media and scrolling timelines, paparazzi shots of our beloved “Bennifer” saturated our televisions and were plastered across grocery store tabloid magazine covers. 

With photos filled to the brim with unabashed PDA and some super chaotic Y2K ensembles (think Juicy Couture tracksuits and Timberland boots), Ben Affleck and J.Lo imbued the celebrity media landscape from 2002 to 2004. With having filmed the infamous film “Gigli” together, the two announced their engagement in 2002 only to call off their autumn 2003 wedding days prior due to “excessive media attention.” The pair ultimately split in early 2004, shattering all of our 6.1-carat pink diamond dreams. 

After Affleck and J.Lo suffered very public breakups with ex-wife Jennifer Garner and Alex Rodriguez respectively, the impassioned nostalgia surrounding the pervasive pair’s return as a couple is enduring to say the least. Internet sleuths have been identifying jewelry being pulled out of the woodwork today that was gifted during their previous relationship, a bracelet for Jenny From The Block and a watch for Ben. While their wardrobes have certainly received much needed updates, not much else has changed since their first merry-go-round. Gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes on red carpets, sitting court-side, and cheeky PDA, Bennifer 2.0 is as loved by the public as they always have been.