Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, marking the end of their two-year marriage. The news comes after months of speculation and rumors that the couple, once heralded as a beacon of rekindled romance, had been living increasingly separate lives.
According to sources close to the situation, Lopez had desperately tried to salvage the relationship, despite the growing distance between the two. "She loves him, she will always love him - that's the problem," one friend revealed. Lopez, who celebrated her 55th birthday last month without Affleck, had hoped he would join her in the Hamptons for a "Bridgerton"-themed celebration. However, Affleck was notably absent, fueling further speculation about the state of their marriage.
Affleck, who has been spotted frequently in Hollywood, was seen spending time at the Polo Lounge in the Beverly Hills Hotel with friends, including Kick Kennedy, the daughter of Robert F. Kennedy Jr. While Affleck has remained silent on the matter, Lopez's decision to file for divorce on the second anniversary of their lavish wedding at Affleck's Georgia estate speaks volumes.
A Hollywood insider familiar with the couple told Page Six that Lopez truly believed she had found her "greatest love story" and was finally living out her fairy tale. "She gave this everything she had; her whole heart. She would have done anything to make this work," the source said. However, they added that Lopez may have been blinded by her idealized vision of love, failing to consider "who the actual man was in the fairy tale."
The source pointed out that Affleck's inherent "darkness" was something no one, not even his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, could fix. Despite Lopez's efforts and the sacrifices she made to maintain the relationship, Affleck's introspective nature and need for solitude proved to be insurmountable obstacles. "The kind of big love Jennifer believes in, that sort of all-consuming devotion? Ben played along for a while and wanted to be part of it, but it's just not who he is," the insider added.
The couple's reunion in 2021, following Lopez's breakup with Alex Rodriguez, was met with public enthusiasm. The rekindling of "Bennifer," a term coined during their first relationship in the early 2000s, captured the imagination of fans worldwide. Their relationship, which originally began on the set of the film Gigli in 2002, had been a media sensation, with Affleck even starring in the music video for Lopez's hit song "Jenny from the Block."
However, as their relationship progressed, the pressures of public life and their differing personalities began to take their toll. Sources say Affleck, who has always struggled with his public image and the intense media scrutiny that comes with being in a high-profile relationship, grew increasingly uncomfortable. This discomfort was reportedly exacerbated by Lopez's desire to keep their love story in the spotlight, particularly through her two films, The Greatest Love Story Never Told and This is Me... Now, both of which centered around their relationship.
Affleck's reluctance to fully embrace the limelight led to tension between him and Lopez, as well as with her longtime manager, Benny Medina. "Benny has a stronghold on Jennifer's life. She needs to take back her life and stop letting others run it for her," the insider said. This friction, combined with Affleck's struggles to reconcile his introverted nature with Lopez's need for public validation, ultimately led to the collapse of their marriage.
As Lopez prepares to promote her new film, Unstoppable, at the Toronto International Film Festival, Affleck will notably be absent, despite his role as a producer. The decision to part ways, though painful, appears to be mutual, with both parties acknowledging the difficulties they faced in trying to make their relationship work.
In the aftermath of the divorce filing, Lopez returned to social media, sharing a sultry selfie with a Christmas tree in the background - a photo that seemed to symbolize both the end of one chapter and the beginning of another. While Lopez may have hoped for a fairy tale ending, the reality of their relationship proved far more complex, underscoring the challenges of maintaining a high-profile marriage in the relentless glare of the public eye.
