In the midst of what was supposed to be a joyous event, a humiliating coincidence occurred. On July 24, Jennifer Lopez celebrated her 55th birthday in New York City with members of her close circle of friends. For the same reason that he did not show up to celebrate their two-year wedding anniversary a week earlier, Ben Affleck, the actor's husband, did not show up.
Instead, the actor-director went ahead and purchased a brand new home in Los Angeles for the price of $20.5 million. According to reports, Ben closed escrow on the five-bedroom property on the day that his wife celebrated her birthday.
It is yet another indication that their relationship is in a state of disintegration. The first signs of trouble appeared in the spring of this year. Following his transfer into a rental property, Ben, who is 52 years old, and Jennifer put their Beverly Hills marital home up for sale at a price of $68 million. It wasn't long before a choice was made to spend even more time separating.
Currently, after spending the majority of the summer living apart on opposite coasts, an unnamed source has confirmed in an exclusive manner that Ben and Jennifer's breakup has taken a very unpleasant new turn.
“A few weeks ago, something shifted. Ben got colder and he’s since ghosted her. They only talk through lawyers at this point, and J. Lo’s finding it humiliating,” the anonymous insider told Life & Style Magazine.
Jennifer was already feeling a great deal of embarrassment when the world first learned that her fourth marriage, which was to the man she has referred to as "the love of my life" and "the best friend I have ever had," was crumbling twenty years after they had previously ended their relationship.
“Jennifer thinks Ben’s being an insensitive brat and wants him to man up, quit the brutal mind games and treat her with more respect. She’s not going to take being treated so poorly anymore. J. Lo’s ready to fight — this means war,” the informant told the entertainment news outlet.
By the time fans became aware that something was wrong, the relationship between Jennifer and Ben had already been put under a lot of stress. During the time that the couple was debating how to proceed, the second source claimed that they were going through a period that was "excruciatingly difficult." They confirmed that there were "screaming matches" and "panicked, middle-of-the-night phone calls to crisis managers."
Given that Ben is in the process of recovering from alcoholism, there were concerns regarding Jennifer's choice to establish a brand of alcoholic beverages called Delola in the previous year, as per The Cut. Ben recently referred to Jennifer's degree of fame as "f–kin' bananas," while also stating how much he dislikes "a lot of attention." This disparity in their respective attitudes regarding public prominence contributed to the troubles that they encountered.
Also, she made the decision to release three projects in February, which were all about gaining a second chance at happiness with Ben. These projects included an album, a movie, and a documentary. "We're just two people with different kinds of approaches [to privacy] trying to learn to compromise," the Oscar winner confessed in the documentary, admitting that they had been trying to find common ground.
For several months, the singer-actress maintained her composure. “J. Lo feels she’s kept her side of the street clean with the way she’s handled this situation. She found it very difficult to accept in the beginning, but when Ben requested space, she gave it to him with zero trash talking or game playing,” the mole shared.
“[Ben] seemed to share J. Lo’s view that they needed to put on a united front while being respectful toward each other, even from afar,” it went on.
However, as more time has passed, things have turned out differently. On August 1, Jennifer stepped out in New York City after she had moved Ben's green diamond engagement ring to her right hand. In previous weeks, their rings have been on and off; but, on August 1, they were seen together.
“The way Ben ignored their anniversary, then her birthday, while having the audacity to claim he’s protecting her somehow and taking time out of sensitivity to her feelings? It makes J. Lo sick to her stomach,” the tattler said, adding that “a lot of people in her world believe he’s gaslighting her.”
That’s not how Ben sees it. “He insists he’s done his best to be reasonable. He gives the impression she’s been dragging her heels and thought he’d eventually give things another shot. It’s been very difficult trying to formalize a divorce with someone who can’t come to grips with cold reality,” the spy stated.
It didn’t have to be this way. “People in their circle are wondering how it’s gotten to this point and become so toxic,” it furthered. There are still many things to be resolved, and a fortune is at stake. Jennifer is considered to be worth $400 million, while Ben is estimated to be worth approximately $150 million. However, their mansion, which is valued at $68 million, has not been sold.
“Even the lawyers involved are finding it daunting to be stuck in the middle of their fighting,” the source added, noting rumors have circulated that the legal teams are too scared “to convey messages back and forth” as the latest drama plays out.
Despite the emotional conflict, friends are hoping that Ben and Jennifer will be able to find some peace. “They are two very different people with polar- opposite ideologies. And they both deserve to get on with their lives,” the insider went on.
Business Times has reached out to Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez for comments.
