Jennifer Lopez looked stunning in a pale gold gown with cape and thigh-high slit at the Hispanic Federation Annual Gala in New York City on April 18, when Lin-Manuel Miranda presented her with the Pride Award as she chatted with guests such as Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana Barroso.
Strangely missing from her big night? Her husband and Matt's best friend, Ben Affleck.
“He was in LA shooting a movie. So she had to attend alone. She’s been doing a lot of that lately. Ben and J. Lo are normally together 24/7, but lately, they’ve been spending time apart,” the source says of Jennifer and Ben, who went at least 30 days without being publicly photographed together after they were spotted in NYC on Easter weekend in March.
“Jen’s need to make their relationship so public and perfect often leaves Ben feeling overwhelmed and henpecked. He just needs to be by himself sometimes, out of her shadow,” the insider told In Touch Magazine.
He has been out of his comfort zone for the majority of his nearly two-year marriage. In recent months, Ben, who once declared, "I hate being famous," has funded three of Jen's initiatives inspired by their second shot at love. In her documentary, "The Greatest Love Story Never Told," Ben, 51, discussed how he and his wife, 54, felt conflicted about celebrity.
“Getting back together, I said, ‘One of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media.
Then I realized it’s not a fair thing to ask,” he said, as per PEOPLE, but ultimately, “we’re just two people with different approaches trying to learn to compromise.”
To that goal, Jennifer remained in her hometown in the weeks leading up to the Met Gala, which she will co-chair on May 6, while Ben filmed the sequel to "The Accountant" in Los Angeles.
“She’s giving him some breathing room. Of course she was a little hurt, but she knows he loves her. He just needed a break from the red carpets and publicity that she craves,” the informant said.
Jennifer and Ben have reportedly considered making their bicoastal situation permanent. Over Easter weekend, the couple looked at some available NYC townhouses. Matt has a base in Brooklyn, and Ben, according to the tipster, enjoys the concept of having a home to escape Hollywood.
The mole stated that it is simpler to fit in solitary in Manhattan than with Jennifer in Beverly Hills. “He enjoys doing normal everyday stuff. Ben thinks having independent lives and separate interests is healthy for the relationship. J. Lo doesn’t totally agree, but she gets it,” it furthered.
Business Times has reached out to Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck for comments.
