Matt Damon has been unimpressed by the way Ben Affleck has managed his divorce. A new report suggested he is retaliating against his former friend and advocating for Jennifer Lopez in a significant way.
“Jennifer has been confiding a lot in Matt, not just in Toronto but during recent weeks as well,” an unnamed source told In Touch Weekly. “She’s found him to be a calming influence and is hopeful their friendship will last beyond the marriage, plus she’d like to work with him down the line, too.”
“It’s been very difficult for Matt to sit by and condone or even forgive Ben’s behavior, which he finds cruel and totally unwarranted. He’s not trying to butt in for the sake of it and can see very well that life with J. Lo was likely a challenge, but not to a point where she deserved to be humiliated and degraded. Matt’s big on manners. His wife, Luciana [Barroso], also agrees that Ben’s handled this situation with a serious lack of empathy or class. And they’ve not been shy letting him know that," the insider said.
In August, Jennifer, 55, filed for divorce from Ben, 52, after two years of marriage. She and Matt attended the premiere of their new film, "Unstoppable," at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 6, just weeks after the filing. Ben, who co-produced the film with Matt, 53, was conspicuously absent from the event. However, the "Martian" actor and Jennifer were observed engaging in a private conversation.
An informant told PEOPLE Magazine at the time that “Jen and Matt began talking and had a long, deep conversation," adding, "the two friends laughed and spoke more seriously, and for several minutes, they clasped hands as they spoke.”
An additional source previously informed In Touch Weekly that Matt felt "pretty bad" for Jennifer in light of the split.
“He’s been liaising with her on the roll out of the movie so he’s on calls with her all the time and she has opened up to him about how much she’s hurting,” the tipster shared. “He’s been trying to reason with Ben to be a little bit more compassionate to the fact that she’s humiliated right now.”
However, the mole stated that Matt's “loyalty” will always be to Ben. It was acknowledged by the insider that “he’s known the guy for long enough to know he has his demons and is by no means perfect.”
“He can’t help but feel a lot of sympathy for J. Lo,” the tattler stated regarding the "Jason Bourne" actor. “He’s trying to play Switzerland and smooth things over on both sides, but Ben is not taking it well at all. To even suggest that he was somehow at fault really rubs him the wrong way. He says if Matt, or anyone, were in his shoes they would have run from that marriage ten times faster.”
Matt was in a "tough spot" because he wanted to support Ben after recognizing this. “He’s also got to maintain this relationship with J. Lo and when he hears her side of things he just feels awful for her," the spy suggested.
Business Times has reached out to Matt Damon, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck for comments.
