Two years after their wedding, Hollywood’s most famous couple has split. Rumors of a breakup had been fueling the tabloids for several months.
“Bennifer” is over. According to media reports from TMZ and Variety on Tuesday, Jennifer Lopez has officially filed for divorce from Ben Affleck by submitting legal forms to the Los Angeles court on Tuesday, August 20. While her spokesperson declined to comment, rumors of a separation had been brewing for months, culminating when JLO celebrated her birthday at the end of July without her husband.
The reasons for the divorce between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are not officially known. Last May, several American media outlets reported tensions within the marriage. An anonymous source close to the couple reported to the magazine People on May 20 that they have “different approaches to media attention,” which may have been “difficult to live with on a daily basis.” “Ben hates it and it makes him very uncomfortable.” Conversely, Jennifer Lopez “likes to open her heart to her fans and the world.” These differences in “lifestyle” may have caused tensions, the same source adds. Subsequently, the outlet reports that the couple is living separately, and Jennifer Lopez cancels her tour.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were one of the most glamorous couples in Hollywood. Because the 52-year-old actor-director and the 55-year-old singer-actress have been making headlines in the celebrity press for over 20 years: they met in 2002 on the set of Gigli. While the film is considered a dud, it had given birth to this romance, which was closely followed by the paparazzi. The couple had gotten engaged, before announcing their separation in 2004 while remaining friends.
Then, Ben Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner with whom he had three children, and Jennifer Lopez was married three times. She notably had two children with singer Marc Anthony. These relationships ended in publicized divorces.
It was in 2021 that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, both divorced from their respective partners, finally rekindled the flame. They finally said “I do” the following year in Las Vegas and then in the state of Georgia, about twenty years after their first engagement. Their marriage ultimately lasted two years.