Nine months on from their sudden split just two years after their romantic Vegas wedding, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have finalised their divorce.
And while J.Lo is adjusting to single life following months of rumours that all was not well in her marriage to Ben ahead of their April split, sources say an unlikely suitor could be ready to fill the Hollywood hearthrob’s shoes after the singer and actress was spotted sharing a drink with actor Kevin Costner.
Looking characteristically glamorous in a black roll-neck accessorised with a black cowboy hat, Jen, 55, was spotted chatting with friends while standing close to Kevin, who turns 70 on Saturday, at a bar in Colorado, where she and her twins Max and Emme, 16, and her mother and sister spent their Christmas break.
And now insiders say Hollywood hotshot Kevin – who also became single last year following the finalisation of his own divorce from wife Christine Baumgartner – has Jen in his sights.
A source says, ‘J.Lo is still laser focused on Ben so Kevin certainly has his work cut out for him, but that doesn’t mean this is an impossible situation.
‘Kevin has a lot of the qualities she’s looking for in her next man. He’s incredibly successful and he’s someone that commands a huge amount of respect in the industry and among all their peers. Having him on her arm would make a big statement – and it doesn’t hurt that Ben has always spoken very highly of Kevin.
‘Kevin is also friends with Jennifer Garner, which definitely appeals to J.Lo because she loves the idea of dating someone they can’t help but approve of.’
And J.Lo has made no secret of the fact that she’s always been a huge fan of Kevin’s former show, US western drama, Yellowstone, with Ben, 52, previously admitting to pal Matt Damon that he was ‘disturbed’ by his then-wife’s love of the show, which also stars his pal Cole Hauser.
If J.Lo’s former loves are also anything to go by, Kevin appears to fit the mum-of-two’s type of a passionate, successful and career driven man.
J.Lo’s longest relationship was with singer, actor and producer Marc Anthony, with whom she shares Max and Emme, but the star has also dated baseball star and businessman Alex Rodriguez and singer Drake.
Meanwhile, Kevin was married to handbag designer Christine, 50, for 18 years before their 2023 split and the couple share two sons.
Kevin is also no stranger to Hollywood circles, and counts Jennifer Aniston, Daniel Craig, Meghan Markle and Prince Harry and Oprah Winfrey amongst his friends.
Now the source adds, ‘Of course dating Kevin would come with a lot of attention for her. He’s something of a Hollywood icon so linking up with him would be great for her image.
‘Kevin is also very much a gentleman and loves to flash the cash, so dates with him will mean private jets and the best of everything, which certainly appeals to her as well.’
J.Lo has always been open about the ambition that has seen her rise from her career as a dancer in the early 1990s to becoming a global superstar, and has previously revealed how Ben had ‘empowered’ her in her career.
Ahead of their split last year, she said of her latest project, ‘It wouldn’t have happened without him… I am strong and brave and all of those things on my own but he gives me that extra love and that is a very beautiful thing to have.’
Now the source says J.Lo is drawn to Kevin’s own passion for his film projects and the arts, too.
They say, ‘J.Lo loves how passionate Kevin is about making movies, and he’s also a musician [with band Kevin Costner & Modern West] so they actually have a lot in common and a lot of things to talk about.
‘Music is something so close to J.Lo’s heart, there’s just a special language that she can share with other musicians so that’s a big plus. Kevin is also someone who has taken a lot of big gambles on himself, just like J.Lo has. There aren’t a lot of people in Hollywood that have funded their own projects, so that’s something they immediately bonded over.’
Like Ben – who first met J.Lo on the set of their 2002 film Gigli – the insider says Kevin has also been lavishing J.Lo with praise for her famous work ethic and acting career.
They add, ‘She was eating up the praise – that’s definitely the way to her heart. Kevin is the type of old school romantic that would write and produce a movie for them to star in together, so if things do go to the next level with them no one would be surprised if he actually funds a project for her.
‘He’s also in awe of how incredibly fit and eternally young she is. She’s among those inspiring him to hit the gym and prove age is just a number!’
And while J.Lo has a busy year ahead of her as she reportedly hopes to be nominated for an Oscar for her role in new film, Unstoppable, as a self-confessed ‘hopeless romantic’, the source says she hasn’t shut down Kevin’s advances.
The insider adds, ‘At the moment things are still at the very beginning stages, but after they hung out in Aspen he made sure to send her a huge bouquet of her favourite flowers with a little handwritten note along with a magnum of champagne.
‘Since then, they’ve been talking pretty much every day, and the plan is to get together for dinner in the next couple of weeks, when their schedules line up.
‘J.Lo isn’t ready to rush into anything right now but she does seem excited about the potential, and even if they wind up just connecting as friends, it’s still a massive ego boost to have him falling all over her like this.’