Gwyneth Paltrow praises ex Ben Affleck as she reflects on relationship

Gwyneth Paltrow is taking a walk down romantic memory lane.

The Iron Man actress subtly referenced her former boyfriend Ben Affleck during her appearance on Amy Poehler's Good Hand podcast on Tuesday, January 6. Paltrow, 53, brought up her brief romance with the Oscar-winner while reflecting on her connection to the late Robin Williams, explaining that their paths crossed around the release of Good Will Hunting in 1997 — a film Affleck famously co-wrote and starred in.

“I only got to know [Williams] a bit when Good Will Hunting came out [in 1997] because I was dating one of the people who wrote that movie and was in that movie,” the Goop founder said.

“We’re well aware,” Poehler joked, before praising Affleck’s performance. Paltrow agreed, adding, “I love that movie. It’s a perfect movie. I love it so much.”

It was a rare acknowledgment of her romance with Affleck, whom she dated beginning in 1997 following her split from Brad Pitt. During their relationship, the pair also worked together, co-starring in Shakespeare in Love in 1998 and Bounce in 2000, before ending things that same year.

Paltrow later found love with Coldplay frontman Chris Martin. The former couple shares two children, daughter Apple, 21, and son Moses, 19, and separated in 2016. She went on to marry TV writer and director Brad Falchuk in 2018.

Affleck, meanwhile, was married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018, and more recently to Jennifer Lopez from 2022 to 2025.