News Everything to Know About Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez's Relationship Their love story was anything but traditional. By Alicia Brunker Alicia Brunker Instagram Alicia Brunker is a freelance writer who covers celebrity, royal, and fashion news for InStyle.com. She joined InStyle's digital team in 2017, and previously contributed to ELLE, T: The New York Times Style Magazine, and WWD. InStyle's editorial guidelines Updated on April 15, 2021 @ 09:30AM Pin Share Tweet Email Unlike the trajectory of traditional Hollywood romances, Jennifer Lopez and Alex Rodriguez's relationship was written in the stars from the very start. Their love story began more than two decades ago when J.Lo signed an autograph for the young baseball pro, and, in 2005, they crossed paths again at a Yankees Game, but both were married at the time. Cut to twelve years later, and J-Rod officially became a thing. Despite their non-traditional beginnings, J.Lo and A-Rod's love endured. Here, we take a look back at the couple's relationship highlights, from their red carpet debut at the Met Gala to that fairytale engagement. October 1999 In October 2018, Rodriguez reveals he first met Lopez when he asked for her autograph way back in 1999. "#TBT to almost 20 years ago when a big time global pop superstar signed a pic for a young ball player," he captioned a shot of the keepsake on Instagram, adding the hashtags #lifecanbeafunnythingsometimes #pictureperfect. May 2005 Six years after their initial meeting, J.Lo attends a Yankees baseball game at Shea Stadium in Queens, New York with her then-husband, Marc Anthony. Before the first pitch, Lopez and Rodriguez shook hands — a moment the singer described as "this weird electricity, for, like, three seconds...Three to five seconds of looking at somebody right in their eyes and getting stuck." Anthony J. Causi/Splash News February 2017 The pair reconnect again after bumping into each other at a restaurant in Los Angeles, with J.Lo making the first move. "I was having lunch somewhere and I saw him as he passed by," Lopez said, according to Entertainment Tonight. "Afterwards I went outside and for some reason I felt like tapping him on the shoulder." Later, A-Rod asked her on a dinner date, and sparks flew. "He texted me, said, 'Let's go out to dinner,' and I said, 'OK,'" Jennifer recalled. "We had a nice dinner." April 2017 J-Rod take their romance to Instagram and post their first couple's photo. May 2017 Jennifer and Alex make their red carpet debut at the Met Gala 2017. Inside the venue, J.Lo proved she was absolutely smitten with her new beau by blowing him a kiss across the dinner table. June 2017 Coining the term "baecation," J.Lo and A-Rod take their first couple's trip together to none other than Paris, France — aka the City of Love. August 2017 J-Rod crossed off another romantic milestone when they attended their first wedding as a couple. October 2017 Jennifer and Alex reached power couple status after gracing the cover of Vanity Fair together. In their first-ever joint interview, they revealed why they're an ideal match. "We are very much twins," Rodriguez told the magazine. "We're both Leos, we're both from New York, we're both Latino…and about 20 other things." December 2017 The couple spends their first holiday season together as a blended family. February 2018 The two celebrate their first anniversary, and J.Lo publicly declares her love for A-Rod during one of her concerts. "We've been together for one year today," she said before performing "Us." "I don't want to get all mushy or anything, but baby, this song's for you. I love you." August 2018 A-Rod proves he's the ultimate Instagram boyfriend at the 2018 MTV VMA Awards, as he snaps pics of J.Lo posing on the red carpet. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images February 2019 On their two-year anniversary, J.Lo and A-Rod post the sweetest social media tributes to each other. March 2019 They're engaged! Rodriguez finally pops the question to Lopez with an enormous diamond ring while the couple was vacationing in the Bahamas — and he went to extreme measures to make sure the moment was picture-perfect. During an appearance on the Tonight Show, A-Rod revealed that he prepared the proposal months in advance. "I planned it for about six months," Rodriguez told host Jimmy Fallon. "[And] the three days prior to me going down on one knee and getting engaged, I rehearsed for three days in a row. Because I wanted the sunset to be perfect." He even calculated the timing of when the sun went down over the ocean. "One day, the sunset was at 6:27, the next day it was at 6:29, and then the third day it was raining!" he recalled. "So I kind of [decided on] 6:29, and I said, 'This is the time that I'm gonna do it.' And it worked out well." September 2019 Six months after getting engaged, Jennifer and Alex celebrated their upcoming wedding with a lavish party at singer Carole Bayer Sager's home in Bel Air. After the bash, the couple shared photos of themselves looking head over heels in love on social media. February 2020 Lopez shut down the Super Bowl LIV with her halftime show performance — and a dancing Rodriguez was right there to cheer her on. March 2020 Nearly a year post-engagement, J.Lo candidly revealed that she's not in a rush to get married. "It's so funny because when we first got engaged I was like, 'Oooo, we're gonna get married in a couple months?!'" she told Oprah during the TV host's 2020 Vision: Your Life in Focus tour. "Your old thinking comes right back, all that hopeless romantic [stuff] that made me get married three times." And A-Rod is on-board with taking things slow, according to Lopez. "He's like, 'Whatever you want to do, we can talk about it.' I said, 'But if we're going to be together for the rest of our lives, what is the rush,'" the mom of two explained. "If that's what we're really going to do, if we're really going to be partners." March 2021 People reported that Lopez and Rodriguez had broken up, but the couple quickly disputed said reports, stating that they were "working through some things." April 2021 It's official: J-Rod is no longer. The former couple released a joint statement on April 15 in which they said, "We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so." "We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects," the statement continued. "We wish the best for each other and one another's children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have is to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support."