Is Bennifer 2.0 a bust? Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, who are coming up on their second wedding anniversary in July, have been plagued by breakup rumors.
After calling off their engagement 20 years ago, Affleck and Lopez got back together in 2021. They had not one but two weddings the following year, bought a $60 million mansion for their combined broods in 2023 and Lopez shared their Greatest Love Story Never Told with the world (despite Affleck’s apprehension over their private life being exposed).
Now — months after Lopez’s documentary and song about their rekindled forever love — is an onslaught of rumors that they are on the rocks. It’s all been swirling, but it’s been boosted by two recent high-profile solo appearances. Affleck attended Tom Brady’s Netflix roast on May 5 alone, and Lopez arrived at the Met Gala on May 6 by herself.
Who’s saying what about Affleck and Lopez’s relationship status
🚨The tabloid In Touch just went for it, reporting on Wednesday that Lopez, who’s on her fourth marriage, and Affleck, on No. 2, are “headed for a divorce.” It is to be taken with a grain of salt; however, the story says “ it’s over” and they “just couldn’t make it work.” He moved out and is focused on his work, making The Accountant 2, and kids. While “they’ll never stop loving each other,” there is “no way it could have lasted” because “she can’t control him” and “he can’t change her,” which is decidedly vague.
⏰ Celebrity-friendly People magazine, which had an exclusive interview with Lopez when she first reconciled with Affleck, published a tally of the time that has elapsed since the Afflecks were publicly photographed together. It was 47, as of May 16. The story otherwise referred to “reports of tension” and talked about “speculation that there may be trouble” versus any definitive developments, noting reps for the pair hadn’t responded to requests for comment.
⚠️ Us Weekly reported on Thursday that “Jen and Ben are having issues in their marriage,” but they aren’t splitting just yet. Trouble began a few months ago “as Jen had started ramping up work commitments and prepping for her tour,” noting they are “on two completely different pages most of the time.” The outlet confirmed, through a source, that Affleck was staying at a home separate from the one he shares with Lopez.
💍 E! News published paparazzi photos the same day of Lopez and Affleck still wearing wedding bands.
What we know about Bennifer 2.0
Until Lopez or Affleck speaks out, nobody knows for sure what their relationship status is. Here’s what we do know…
They face a lot of criticism as far as celebrities go. They’ve been dogged with rumors during both eras of their relationship. Intense media speculation is why they called off their first wedding in 2003 — and that speculation has continued. Further, two narratives they haven’t been able to shake: His reputation as “Sad Affleck” and the idea that he’s seemingly unhappy all the time (he’s not, he says) as well as her own rep for relationship hopping, which she explored in her dual film projects and album earlier this year.
They are admittedly different people. Affleck said that when they got back together, he told her “one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media.” Intensely private, he said he’s had to compromise on that because she likes to share. Lopez admitted she pushed her partner from his comfort zone by examining their rekindled love in her doc, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, calling him a “reluctant participant” in the story.
They have baggage. There are layers to their rekindled relationship. For one, their past failed romance. Affleck asked Lopez in her doc if she had forgiven him for their 2004 split and she rawly admitted, “I think I was angry at you for a long time,” before adding, “I think I’ve forgiven you all the way.” There are also two families that were admittedly tricky to blend. Lopez said bringing together their five children (hers twins with Marc Anthony and his trio with Jennifer Garner) was “a really emotional transition,”
This year hasn’t been easy on them. Lopez spent a lot of her own money — $20 million — funding the dual film projects this year. She had a lot of people — like her Monster-in-Law co-star Jane Fonda, who appears in the doc — questioning why she was “trying to prove something” by making the vanity project about her relationship with Affleck instead of the two of them just living their lives.
2024 was to be Lopez’s year, but her tour, This Is Me… Live, which kicks off in June ended up being scaled back due to “weak” ticket sales. The album itself was the lowest-charting release of her career.
Affleck juggles his own criticism, like his appearance at the Tom Brady roast. While the jokes were supposed to be about Brady, he launched into a tear about social media, slamming trolls for “talking shit … behind your f***ing keyboard… I can’t think of a more f***ed up, dysfunctional, horrible working system designed to perpetually make people feel awful.” Not only was he criticized for that, but there were also negative stories about his physical appearance.
Those factors, for him and her, are now subplots to the split narrative, which keeps twisting and turning and will continue until they speak out.
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