If there's anyone who understands the ups and downs of a great love story, it's them Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck.
After falling in love on the film set Liliesuniversally criticized in 2001, the Bennifers officially abandoned their first attempt at “happily ever after” in 2004. Nearly two decades later, however, the couple rekindled the flame of their epic romance in Hollywood and the finally made it to the altar in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022. Lopez changed her name and everything.
Clearly, this was a second chance at an extraordinary love story, an inspiration for the album's follow-up This Is Me… Then J.Lo's aptly titled 2002 release This Is Me… Now. Affleck even stepped out of his comfort zone to participate in the film project accompanying the album, This Is Me: A Love Story, and to the documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
«It was a real journey. The thing I think I've wondered my whole life is: is love real? Does true love exist?”, Lopez told Today speaking about the album in January 2023. “It's two people coming together and saying, 'I'll be there, no matter what. And we'll get through this together.'”
Unfortunately, a few months after the film's release in February 2024, rumors began circulating that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were “headed for a divorce.” But is it really the end or just a premise for the celebration of the third act? Or, another hypothesis, is this a far-fetched story that Lopez and Affleck will eventually deny? Here's a complete timeline of all the Bennifer divorce rumors, starting with the most recent updates.
May 20, 2024: multiple sources refer to People that the reason for the turmoil in the Bennifer household is the very different approach to fame.
“Ben hates all the attention. They make him uncomfortable,” explains a source. «Jennifer, on the other hand, has always had a different approach».
A source “in the film industry” adds that although Affleck has “always been impressed” by Lopez, in particular by her work ethic and how she has advanced her career, “sharing life with her is not always easy for him” .
“Even though he admires her for this, it doesn't make him happy and causes stress in his life and, consequently, in hers. There's no doubt that their different styles clash,” the same source says.
Another source, coming from the “music world”, confirms: Lopez “needs to express himself in those ways, but Affleck simply doesn't feel comfortable”.
“In the long run this causes tension in the relationship,” explains the third source. «He is more introspective and reserved. She likes to open her heart to fans and the world. This makes them very different, and complicates things in everyday life.”
“There have always been contrasts in their lifestyles, in the way they face problems and act, but nothing has stopped their love over the years,” says the source. “This is a great love story.”
Fame has always been a sore point for the couple, and was even cited as the reason why they postponed their wedding date, originally set for 2003: «Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we decided to postpone the date,” Lopez and Affleck explained in a joint statement at the time. «When we found ourselves seriously considering the idea of hiring three “fake brides” for three different places, we realized that something was wrong».
May 19, 2024: It's a family affair! Lopez, Affleck and Ben's ex, Jennifer Garner, are photographed attending a family event in Brentwood, California with Affleck and Garner's three children, Violet, Fin and Samuel.
Although they were not photographed together at the event, Lopez and Affleck were later seen together in a car. The two smile and wave to the paparazzi, demonstrating a formally united and happy couple. Both, in particular, wear wedding rings.
And they really gave their all for the photographers. At one point, the cameras focus on Affleck's phone appearing to call Lopez, who is in the car with him. The name saved in his contacts? Jennifer Affleck. (See all the photos here.)
May 18, 2024: a source tells Us Weekly that Affleck “several weeks ago” moved out of their Beverly Hills home.
May 17, 2024: Lopez and Affleck are photographed together for the first time in 47 days. While a source reports to People that the two arrived at the school play separately, the two left the event together, and reportedly both still have their wedding rings on their fingers.
May 16, 2024: Affleck is photographed leaving the Brentwood home where he is said to have been staying “for the last week”. In the photo, published by TMZ, he appears to be wearing his wedding ring.
The same day, the relationship coach Lenna Marsak says on Instagram Stories that Lopez “liked” a particularly interesting post about relationships. “You can't build a relationship with someone who is disconnected from themselves,” Marsak wrote in the caption of the March 19 post, which explains why it's difficult to build a “healthy relationship” with “someone who lacks integrity and emotional security.”
Second AND! News, Marsak shared a screenshot of Lopez's apparent appreciation, writing, “Just logged onto IG and noticed @jlo just liked my post. Whether it's Jlo or his PR team, I'll take it.”
Meanwhile, a source tells Us Weekly that the two are not separating, but that they have “problems in their marriage”. According to the source: «They started having problems a few months ago, when Jen's schedule increased and she began preparing her tour [This Is Me… Live]».
The source continued: «Jen is very focused on work. The two are on different planets most of the time.”
May 15, 2024: In Touch reports that Affleck has moved out of the home he shared with her and that the couple is “heading for divorce.”
«Ben has already moved and they will probably have to sell the dream house they have been looking for for two years. They will never stop loving each other, but she can't control him and he can't change her. It was impossible for it to last,” the source said. “They waited almost twenty years to get back together, but in the end they couldn't make it work… Both said they had matured and learned from their mistakes, but some of the problems that divided them the first time remained.”
May 14, 2024: Lopez seems to be going to look for a house in Los Angeles without Affleck.
May 12, 2024: Lopez comes seen in Beverly Hills on the occasion of Mother's Day. People she later reports that she and Affleck did not spend the party together.
May 6, 2024: Lopez participates in the Met Gala 2024 in New York without her husband
May 5, 2024: Affleck participates in The Roast of Tom Brady in Inglewood, California
March 30, 2024: Lopez and Affleck are photographed together for the last time before divorce rumors begin to swirl. Afterwards, People reports that Lopez remained in New York to film Kiss of the Spider Woman and promote his film on Netflix, Atlas, while Affleck returned to Los Angeles to work on The Accountant 2.
February 27, 2024: in the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told Affleck says that he and Lopez are “people with different approaches who are trying to learn to compromise” and that an initial critical point was to decide how much of their relationship to share with the public.
“When we got back together, I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media,'” he says in the documentary, according to People. «Then I realized that it's not the right thing to ask. It's a bit like if you wanted to marry the captain of a boat and said: “Look, but I don't like the water”.
For her part, Lopez acknowledges that Affleck may not be entirely “comfortable” with the way she handles her job: “I don't think [Ben] feel very comfortable with me doing all these things,” he says. «But she loves me, she knows that I'm an artist and she will support me in every way possible because she knows that you can't stop me from making the music I've made… she doesn't want to stop me. But this does not mean that she is comfortable with her role as the muse.”
Source: Vanity Fair
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