But the Lopez and Affleck story has another ingredient that we’re all hungry for: the ex factor. People are fascinated with the idea of two exes hanging out together, being friends or entering a relationship again. This is especially true when the former couple in question evokes such strong millennial nostalgia within us – we are personally invested.

During last year’s lockdowns, a lot of stories about ex lovers reaching out emerged. “Our exes may be exes for a reason, but just because the relationship didn’t work doesn’t mean that we don’t still care about them – and in times like this, it’s natural to think about the people that we once had deep and intimate personal connections with,” Charlotte Armitage, a psychologist at YAFTA Consultancy, told Stylist.co.uk. This suggests that it’s possible the “Bennifer” news is making some people think about their own exes, too.

Jennifer Lawrence’s reaction to celebrity exes reuniting is just very, very relatable