Jennifer Lopez’s first husband, Ojani Noa, has made some shocking claims about the demise of their marriage, pointing the finger directly at music mogul Sean Combs. In an interview with Spanish-language news program ‘Despierta America,’ Noa accused Combs of being a contributing factor in the couple’s split, which occurred in 1998 after just 11 months of marriage.
Noa alleged that Combs’s involvement in Lopez’s career, specifically as a producer on her debut album ‘On The 6,’ marked the beginning of their marital troubles. “When Jennifer signed her huge contract with Sony, Puffy [Combs’s nickname] appeared as the producer of some tracks on her first album, ‘On The 6,'” Noa said. “From that moment, deception and lies, and our separation, started.”
He further elaborated, “I was in Los Angeles preparing to open a restaurant, while she was going back and forth between Miami and New York to record her album. I went to see her whenever I could, but the distance, the separation, bred the deception.”
Noa’s accusations are not solely focused on the divorce. He also addressed the legal battles he faced with Lopez after their separation. In 2004, Noa attempted to publish a tell-all book about his marriage to Lopez, which prompted her to file a lawsuit against him to prevent its release. Noa claimed that Lopez sued him to silence him and to paint him in a negative light.
“I want to ask Jennifer, what did I do to you to be dragged through the courts, accused, lied to, fabricated about, and then you call companies and television stations to tell them not to hire me?” he asked. “I want her to tell the truth, I want her to tell everything that happened.”
According to AFP, Lopez claimed in court that Noa had threatened to publish the book unless she paid him $5 million. In 2007, a Los Angeles arbitration panel ordered Noa to pay Lopez $545,000 in damages. He was also ordered to hand over all copies of the book and refrain from making any defamatory statements about Lopez.
This public revelation from Ojani Noa adds another layer to the complex and often-publicized history of Jennifer Lopez’s romantic relationships. It remains to be seen how this latest statement will affect Lopez and Combs, who, despite a tumultuous past, have maintained some level of professional and personal connection over the years.