Jennifer Lopez’s first husband, Ojani Noa, is opening up about their whirlwind marriage and why he believes Sean “Diddy” Combs had a hand in their breakup. In a recent interview on Despierta America, Noa reflected on the short-lived union, which lasted from 1997 to 1998, and dropped a bombshell about the influence Diddy had on their relationship’s demise.
When asked about what led to their divorce, Noa didn’t hold back. “Part of that divorce was Diddy’s fault.”
Noa went on to explain that problems began when Lopez started working on her debut album On the 6, which would later catapult her into music superstardom. At the time, Diddy, known as “Puffy” back then, was set to produce several tracks for the project, and according to Noa, that’s when things started to go downhill in their marriage.
“When Sony came and paid her the millions she got, there was Puffy [Combs], who was going to be one of the producers of several tracks on the first album,” Noa shared in Spanish. “That’s where the deception, the lies, and the separation started.”
Distance and Deception
Noa, a Cuban actor and former waiter, also spoke about how their growing careers created physical and emotional distance between them. He explained that while Lopez was often in Miami and New York working on her music, he was busy in Los Angeles trying to launch his own restaurant. The time apart, he claims, created a gap in their relationship that allowed mistrust and deception to seep in.
“When I could, I would go to be with her,” Noa recalled. “There, in that distance, in that separation, is where the deception started.”
Though Noa didn’t go into specific details about what the “deception” entailed, it’s clear he believes that Diddy’s involvement in Lopez’s career was a turning point in their relationship. The two officially divorced in 1998, and Lopez soon began dating Diddy in 1999. The pair, known for their glamorous red carpet appearances, dated for nearly two years before splitting in 2001.
Beyond the emotional fallout from the breakup, Noa also alleged that his marriage to Lopez—and the messy divorce that followed—negatively impacted his career. According to Noa, J.Lo took steps to prevent him from securing work in Hollywood and on television.
“I would ask Jennifer, ‘What did I do to you so that you have taken me to court, you have accused me, you have lied, you have created false things about me, and you have called several companies to throw me out and different television networks not to give me work?’” Noa said, frustrated.
He continued, “Why, if I have not done anything to you? Let her tell the truth, let her tell everything that happened.”
Noa’s allegations seem to reference the legal battles the former couple has been involved in over the years. In 2006, Lopez sued Noa to stop him from publishing a tell-all book about their marriage. She later won the case and was awarded a permanent injunction, barring him from making money off the project or from releasing private home videos of their time together.
Jennifer Lopez’s career continued to skyrocket after their split, becoming a global superstar in both music and film. Her relationship with Diddy during the late ’90s and early 2000s became one of Hollywood’s most talked-about romances, but it, too, ended after a couple of years.
As for Noa, while he’s been more private about his life post-divorce, he continues to occasionally share his side of the story, often pointing to his brief marriage to Lopez as a pivotal moment that affected both his personal life and professional opportunities.
While Lopez has remained tight-lipped about Noa’s recent claims, it’s clear their brief marriage continues to cast a long shadow over both of their lives.
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