Their reunion after almost two decades apart was the stuff of movie magic – proving all the cynics wrong and heralding a happy ever after that few could have ever thought possible. But less than two years since Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck finally said “I do”, that happy ending is potentially looking as make-believe as a Hollywood blockbuster, as rumours spread that the reality is very different indeed.
According to insiders, the infamously fiery pair have been at loggerheads for months, with tension brewing. But, as much as Jen, 54, is a formidable diva in every other aspect of her life, we’re told it’s up to her to swallow her pride and make any compromise that Ben needs moving forwards. As far as she’s concerned, their marriage depends on it.
“Ben and Jen have been locked in this standoff,” says an insider close to the superstar pair, who are reportedly in the midst of a trial separation, having last been pictured together seven weeks ago at the end of March.
“They’re going to have to sit down, work things out and decide where to go from here. As much as Jen would love for it to be the other way around, it’s looking increasingly like she’s the one who’s going to have to throw herself at his feet and grovel, because the truth is, he’s adjusted to their time apart a lot better than she has. Divorce is not an option for her. She’s mortified that it’s even gotten to the point where people are openly talking about them being on the verge of a split. They haven’t even made it to their second wedding anniversary. Not only would breaking up shatter her heart and destroy her self-esteem, but the sheer humiliation of it is also unimaginable to her. That’s why she’s ready and willing to do whatever it takes to fix things.”
After last being spotted out together in LA in March, the couple have ostensibly been living separate lives. While Ben, 51, has always preferred to stay under the radar, Jen’s plastered a brave face on in the spotlight – even attending the Met Ball, which she had the honour of co-hosting this year, alone. Still, it didn’t escape anyone’s attention that she seemed particularly unhappy to be walking the red carpet, curtly responding to questions from reporters before quickly making her way inside. Since then, she’s been pictured sightseeing around Paris alongside her 16-year-old daughter, Emme (she also shares son Max, 16, with ex-husband Marc Anthony). But our insider tells us that, for all her bravado, Jen’s been panicking behind the scenes over where things stand with Ben.
“She had a horrible time at the Met Gala without him, and could hardly hold it together,” we’re told. “She then raced off to Paris to try to distract herself, but the entire time her focus was on Ben and why he wasn’t calling. She was talking about him non-stop and, when she wasn’t busy with Emme, she was on the phone to friends trying to get advice on what her next move should be. It’s sinking in that Ben’s got one foot out the door, and this threat of divorce is very, very real – which she didn’t believe until recently. She’s just hoping that, after they’ve had this space away from each other, they can turn things around – even if it means swallowing her pride.”
Any pop culture fan will know that the Bennifer saga is the stuff of Hollywood lore. They first got engaged in 2002, but split in 2004 amid reports that Ben in particular couldn’t handle all the global scrutiny. They both then moved on with other people – Jen, who’s now been married four times, had her twins with Marc, while Ben had three children, Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12, with his now ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
Still, as the story goes, they never stopped loving one another, and proved that showbiz fairytales really could come true in 2021 when they confirmed they had gotten back together after a whopping 17 years. They married in Las Vegas the following year, with Jen saying at the time, “What I can teach my children is that real love exists. Some things can be forever, but it doesn’t mean they just have a straight line.”
However, since getting married, the couple have made a habit of creating scenes in public and not-so-discreetly snapping at each other. There have been certain run-ins in cars and on red carpets that haven’t escaped our attention – and who can forget the Grammy’s in 2023, when Jen was filmed telling Ben, “Look more friendly, look motivated” as he grimaced next to her?
As Closer has reported, friends have worried that Jen’s love for the limelight has proved a stumbling block for Ben, who prefers to keep his private life private. This became more pronounced earlier this year, when Jen released her visual album, This Is Me…Now, and its accompanying, making-of documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told. In the latter, we watched as Ben struggled with his wife’s inclination to use their private life for her art – even handing over a very intimate book he’d given her, full of love letters he'd written over the years, to her creative team to use as inspiration. Still, despite his discomfort, he ultimately supported her – and has continued to follow her lead during the course of their renewed relationship.
But this time, we’re told, Jen realises she can no longer get her way – and, if she wants to make things work with Ben, she’s going to have to make some serious compromises. So, she’s doing what J-Lo does best: pouring every bit of effort and determination into getting what she wants. After all, anyone who’s seen the age-defying superstar perform live knows there’s nothing she can’t do if she sets her mind to it.
“Jen doesn’t want to lose Ben, and plans on telling him she’ll do whatever it takes to keep him,” says our source. “It’s really not her style, but she’s realised her only option now is to throw herself at his feet. She’s taken a more traditional role, which she knows he likes – she’s cooking for him and arranging her schedule around his. And she’s bending over backwards to impress his family, whom she hasn’t always gotten on with. The game plan now is to be as easy-going as possible, and just focus on making things happy and drama-free. She’s hoping that, if she plays things right, they can be back on track by their second wedding anniversary in July.”