Hollywood power couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez made their first public appearance together in nearly two weeks on Thursday, attending a high school graduation party for Affleck's daughter Violet amid swirling rumors of marital troubles. The surprise reunion comes after weeks of speculation about the fate of the A-list pair's allegedly deteriorating marriage.
According to photos obtained by RadarOnline.com, the Gone Girl actor and the Love Don't Cost a Thing singer appeared melancholy and stone-faced as they arrived at the home of Affleck's ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, for the celebration. The couple was joined by Affleck's mother and Lopez's mother-in-law, Christopher Anne Boldt.
Despite the united front, the pair's appearance at the party was brief, with Affleck and Lopez leaving just one hour after their arrival. Sources say that Lopez reportedly left shortly after they returned to the Brentwood home that Affleck was said to be renting by himself amid the couple's rumored marital woes.
The reunion on Thursday marked the first time the couple had been seen together since May 19, when they attended a movie event in Santa Monica. Rumors of trouble in their marriage began to circulate earlier this month when Lopez attended the 2024 Met Gala without her husband on May 6. Prior to that, the pair had not been seen together since March.
Insiders familiar with the couple's marriage have claimed that Affleck recently moved out of the more than $60 million Beverly Hills mansion he shares with Lopez and into a home in Brentwood by himself. One source noted that Affleck has been "checked out" and that the couple is on "two completely different pages most of the time," with "the honeymoon phase" having "worn off."
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopzez are re-united for the first time in weeks... amidst divorce rumors. The couple were seen out celebrating his daughter Violet's graduation in L.A.
But the REAL question is...
Is Jenny back on the block? pic.twitter.com/1Ds9ZY4Mb0 — SNN (@STONENNEWS) May 31, 2024
Another insider alleged that Lopez was in "crisis mode" amid the marital problems, with the singer reportedly having "screaming fits" and making "panicked, middle-of-the-night phone calls to crisis managers to figure out how she's going to publicly handle this situation." The source added, "Her heart is broken and she's barely eating."
For his part, Affleck reportedly "feels like a fool" as the couple allegedly barrels towards a divorce just two years after tying the knot in July 2022. "They reunited 20 years after they first broke up, only to see everything fall apart again," a source close to the couple claimed. "All this time, Ben's friends and family have been asking him what he was thinking - and he doesn't have a good answer. It's like he was under a spell. He made a huge mistake and feels like such a fool."
Despite the breakup speculation, the couple put on a united front at the family event, with Lopez dazzling in a floral midi-sundress and stilettos while Affleck opted for a classic gray suit and black dress shoes. The Air director was even seen carrying a big box of bright pink party decorations as the Marry Me actress kept close by, holding onto his arm.
The couple's appearance at Violet's graduation party has fueled rumors of a possible reconciliation, though neither Affleck nor Lopez has directly addressed the status of their relationship. When asked about the possibility of a breakup during a recent press conference for her Netflix movie Atlas, Lopez shut down the question, jokingly telling the interviewer, "You know better than that."
