Jennifer Lopez, 56, sizzles in plunging dress after revealing she feels 'free' after Ben Affleck divorce

Jennifer Lopez stole the show at the An Unforgettable Evening gala on Wednesday, and didn't let the opportunity to take a few behind-the-scenes selfies slide either.

The 56-year-old superstar wowed in a busty low-cut black slip gown over which she wore a stylish black blazer.

Lopez, who recently admitted she was ready 'to give up on it all' following her divorce from Ben Affleck, was dripping in jewels from the sparkling drop earrings to the massive ring on her right hand, and her makeup and manicure were impeccable.

Another photo, taken from a distance, allowed a long look at her outfit from the top of her perfectly coiffed head to the fishtail end of her gown.

She also included a selfie that allowed a glimpse of a flower bouquet and art on the wall.

Lopez threw in two snaps from the gala itself while posing with actress Kerry Washington, 49, to whom she presented the 2026 Courage Award.

'Congrats,' Lopez wrote in the caption of her photo slideshow.

'You're absolutely gorgeous Jennifer,' one fan wrote in the comments while another echoed, 'Beyond perfection !!!' A third chimed in, 'Stunning Queen.'

Lopez and Washington were also pictured mingling with gala chairman Jamie Alexander Tisch, and at another point during the evening soiree the Dance Again singer was seen cozying up to Norvina and Anastasia Soare.

Other attendees included the likes of Baywatch beauty Carmen Electra, 53, Sofia Vergara, 53, Kris Jenner, 70, Lori Loughlin, 61, and her daughter Olivia Jade, 26, plus Kyle Richards, 57, and Rachel Zoe, 54.

Demi Lovato, 33, delivered a stunning performance with her scantily clad backup dancers.

If Lopez was exceptionally glowing that evening, perhaps the reason is she's in her 'happy era' following her divorce from Ben Affleck.

She originally dated her Gigli co-star from 2002 to 2004 before they reunited in 2021, tying the knot the following year but splitting just two years later, and the Hustlers star has admitted she is feeling better about her life than ever before.

In a conversation with Nightline’s Juju Chang that aired on Wednesday, Lopez said, 'I’m in my happy era. I think, for the first time in my life, I feel like I’m free; I’m on my own. And it feels really good.

'I didn’t really know what that felt like since I was in my early 20s — and even before that. I've always had boyfriends. There was always someone in my life, and so many things that I felt like were out of my control.

'I’ve gotten to the point where I really trust myself and appreciate myself a little bit more, instead of being so hard on myself and always trying to prove myself.'

Lopez - who has 18-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony - admitted she 'took a year off' when her marriage to Affleck ended and forced herself to process her feelings instead of looking for a distraction.

'I had to stop everything and I took a year off,' she explained. 'I canceled tours and just decided to be home and sit in what had happened without running away from it through work, through another person, through anything — just sit.'

Lopez was asked about previously saying the time felt like her life 'exploded,' and she added, 'It did. It did feel that way. I needed to be home with my kids and that was the priority at that time.

'I just got to the point where I was like, "What is going on with you?" Because I couldn't blame anybody else, because I don't think that's where the lesson is. And so I really wanted to figure myself out.'

And the On the Floor hitmaker doesn't want to 'ruin' her current happiness by dating again.

Asked if she is seeing anyone, she said: 'No! No. I’m not! God forbid, I don’t want to ruin anything!'