The great romance 2.0 between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck is over. This time probably for good. 55-year-old JLo filed for divorce from the 52-year-old actor in a Los Angeles district court on Tuesday, August 20, their second wedding anniversary.
The official date of their separation was April 26 of this year, proving that all the speculation in the media and on the internet that there might be trouble in paradise was unfortunately correct. Some events in this regard stood out in particular, so the news of the divorce filing was not too surprising.
Ben does not appear at the Met Gala
The 2024 Met Gala was, like every year, a grand affair. Especially for JLo, who was one of the evening’s celebrity co-chairs. The singer walked the red carpet alone in a magnificent custom-made Schiaparelli haute couture gown in icy silver. Ben’s absence caused considerable uproar. Although his spokesperson at the time cited “scheduling conflicts” as the reason and the date of their split was April 26, the actor’s absence from the red carpet gala, which took place on May 6, is self-explanatory.
Information from social media
While the internet is still speculating about Ben’s absence from the Met, JLo added fuel to the fire – whether intentional or not – by liking an Instagram post about not getting involved in “unhealthy relationships.” The post listed several points, such as communication skills, emotional security and integrity, and feeling separate from yourself. It’s also worth noting that while JLo has since removed all Ben memorabilia from her Instagram account, it had also been a while since she posted a loved-up picture with her husband at the time, which was completely normal for her.
JLo hires crisis PR
What really fueled rumors of an impending split was JLo’s allegedly spontaneous hiring of a crisis PR manager. Incidentally, the reason Bennifer called off their 2003 wedding was reportedly because Ben was extremely uncomfortable with the intense media scrutiny of their very public relationship.
Back to the present, a Mirror UK report from the time also suggested that JLo would hire divorce lawyer Laura Wasser in the event of a divorce. Laura had represented Ben during his split from his first wife, actress Jennifer Garner, as well as JLo during her split from her third husband, singer Marc Anthony.
Ben moves out
In June, it was revealed that Ben had reportedly moved out of their shared apartment and was temporarily living in a Brentwood mansion, which happens to be the same neighborhood where his ex-wife Jennifer Garner lives with the former couple’s three children. In late July, the same day as JLo’s 55th birthday, Ben had rented a $20.5 million mansion in Pacific Palisades as a bachelor pad, according to multiple reports.
JLo turns 55 without Ben
JLo’s 55th birthday celebrations were a royal affair. Literally. The singer fully embraced the Bridgerton theme and did all of her festivities in regency style, complete with a custom Manish Malhotra ball gown, horse-drawn carriages and choreographed dancing. Ben decidedly skipped that.
A few days later, Ben turned 52 in a small, intimate setting surrounded by his children and first wife Jennifer. JLo reportedly stopped by for 5 hours, suggesting the now-former couple may have just wanted to keep things friendly.
A brief summary
Jennifer and Ben knew each other professionally before officially beginning a romance on the set of their film Gigli (2003) in 2002. Their whirlwind romance ended with an engagement that same year, and they were set to marry in 2003. They called off their wedding just 4 days before their “I do” moment, but they weren’t giving up yet. News of their first official breakup came 4 months after their planned wedding day, in 2004.
17 years later, the two reunited in 2021 with Bennifer 2.0, following the pattern of their previous relationship. They were engaged in 2022 and eventually married on July 16 of that year in an impromptu ceremony in Las Vegas. A month later, they repeated their ceremony in a much more lavish guise for their family and friends at Ben’s estate in Georgia. They had been married for just two years when JLo filed for divorce.
It is the second divorce for Ben and the fourth for JLo.
