Lopez and Rodriguez actually met long before they started dating, back when she was still with Marc Anthony. According to E! News, she and Anthony met Rodriguez at a Yankees-Mets game in 2005.

Reports that J. Lo and A. Rod were dating didn't start until last March. But this past February, Lopez marked her one-year anniversary with Rodriguez during a concert, according to E! News. It looks like the two of them were able to keep their relationship a secret at first, at least for a little while.

Even though they'd been dating for a few months at that point, the Met Gala was the couple's official red carpet debut.

Vanity Fair revealed the photos and story about the couple on Oct. 31, but the feature was part of the December 2017 issue. During the interview, Lopez and Rodriguez talked about their first date — apparently Rodriguez was nervous, which Lopez found "really cute."

During a pre-Super Bowl concert in Minneapolis in February, Lopez told the crowd that she and Rodriguez were celebrating one year together. "We've been together for one year today. I don't want to get all mushy or anything, but baby, this song's for you. I love you," Lopez said at the concert, addressing Rodriguez, according to E! News.

Lopez was featured on the cover of Harper's Bazaar, and she talked about what makes her relationship with Rodriguez work during the interview. She told the magazine of their relationship:

"It's good, it's healthy; we communicate well. We understand each other's lives in a way that most other people couldn't. We both entered the public eye in our early 20s and overachieved right from the start. And that affects every dynamic in your life, from your family to your work to your relationships. We have a similar makeup."

There's clearly love here. With a simple post about their daughters' dance recital, Rodriguez proved that the two of them have the blended-family thing down. The former Yankee posted a photo of himself, Lopez, and Lopez's ex Marc Anthony, the father of Lopez's twins. Co-parenting doesn't have to be difficult, at least not for this family.

Lopez and Rodriguez's relationship has clearly had beautiful moments. In his birthday post for Lopez, Rodriguez shared photos of the couple and their children, writing that she deserved "all the happiness" on her special day.

Following months of speculation that they were already engaged, Lopez revealed Rodriguez popped the question while they were vacationing in the Bahamas. She’s made it clear time and time again that she doesn’t need to be decked out in diamonds, but Rodriguez proposed with a massive engagement ring that’s estimated to be worth $5 million. Casual.

In Elle’s February 2021 issue, Lopez opened up about delaying their wedding and what’s on the horizon for the couple. “We postponed the wedding twice. We had planned what we really, really wanted to do, [but] I don’t know if we’ll be able to recreate that,” she said. “We canceled it and since then, we haven’t really talked about it. There’s no rush. We want to do it right when we can do it. We just have to wait to see where the world lands.”

It’s worth noting that this interview likely took place well in advance of the publication date and could’ve happened around the same time the Southern Charm Season 7 cast discussed Rodriguez possibly DMing Madison LeCroy. The cast reunion filmed in December 2020 and would air just a couple of months later, throwing Lopez and Rodriguez’s relationship into the spotlight for a shocking reason.

Amid rumors that Rodriguez cheated on Lopez with Southern Charm star Madison LeCroy by DMing her, reports surfaced on March 12, claiming Lopez and the baseball player were officially over. “The Madison LeCroy scandal was the reason they finally broke up,” said a Page Six source. “There were already problems, but Jennifer was really embarrassed by it.”

This came as a huge shock to the public considering Rodriguez and Lopez were the perfect Instagram couple and previously made it clear that they were simply taking things at their own pace. Plus, a March 10 report stated they were “still planning on getting married.” Before Lopez and Rodriguez issued their statement, source reports started flowing in.

A People source claimed a breakup had "been a long time coming," noting that business ties made it harder to consider a split. And an Entertainment Tonight insider suggested, "Jennifer felt like moving forward to marriage wasn't right. Recently Alex’s character has been called into question, and that didn’t sit right with Jennifer. The couple will always have respect for each other."

But a day after the split rumors took hold, Lopez and Rodriguez shut them down via statement to TMZ. “All the reports are inaccurate,” they expressed. “We are working through some things.” And their first picture since the faux split proves they’re committed to working things out and raking in that #sponcon together. On March 26, they posted a photo of them cozied up to one another and revealed they’ve partnered with a gummy supplement brand. So, it looks like there’s renewed hope for J-Rod shippers because this relationship timeline is clearly still going at this point.

Following those will-they-won’t-they breakup rumors in March, Lopez and Rodriguez confirmed they called off their engagement during a segment on the Today show on April 15, 2021. “We have realized we are better as friends and look forward to remaining so,” they shared in a statement. “We will continue to work together and support each other on our shared businesses and projects. We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support.”