How Ben Affleck Hinted at Being Incompatible With Jennifer Lopez Months Before Split
Ben Affleck might not have gotten loud about his and Jennifer Lopez’s differences.
But that doesn’t mean he didn’t acknowledge them. In fact, the Argo star spoke to the difference in lifestyles he and Jennifer shared in her documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which was released just six months before she’d file for divorce after two years of marriage.
"I had a very firm sense of boundaries initially around the press while Jen I don't think objected to it in the way I did," Ben explained in the documentary. "I very much did object to it."
Which is why when they got back together after two decades apart, he had some stipulations.
“I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media,’” Ben remembered. “And then I sort of realized it's not a fair thing to ask. It's sort of like you're gonna marry a boat captain and you go, 'Well, I don't like the water.'”
As he put it, “We're just two people with kind of different approaches trying to learn to compromise."
But as the muse behind the documentary—which chronicled Jennifer’s journey in making her feature film, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story—he was worried he’d be torn between honoring the creative and maintaining his privacy.
"I know as a writer and director, I certainly do the same things," he later shared in the doc. "But things that are private, I had always felt, are sacred and special because in part they're private. So, this was something of an adjustment for me."
But ultimately, he realized his fears had been for naught.
"I don't really love being in the making-of documentary about my personal life, which is why I'm relieved that, it seems like I might be in this but I'm not really," he explained. "I was worrying for no reason. The movie wasn't about me. It was about the ability to love yourself and that love story is a lot f--king harder to find than Prince Charming."
However, their love story turned out to be just as elusive.
Despite what seemed like an ending pulled straight from the storybooks—a romance rekindled almost twenty years after their first engagement ended—on Aug. 20 Jennifer filed for divorce in Los Angeles’ Superior Court, per records obtained by E! News.
Though the date of the filing fell exactly two years after the pair held a wedding ceremony in Georgia, the “On The Floor” singer listed their date of separation as April 26, 2024.
For more on Jennifer and Ben’s journey together—and all the signs their hope was turning to heartbreak—keep reading.
While the dress code for the 2024 Met Gala was "The Garden of Time," fans started wondering if there was a thorny situation between Jennifer and Ben after he didn't accompany her to the star-studded soirée (where she served as co-chair) on May 6.
As for the reason the Oscar winner—who took part in Netflix's Tom Brady roast in California the day before—didn't join the singer at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art? Ben's rep told E! he was filming the Accountant 2 in L.A.
Even though Bennifer stayed tight-lipped on the split rumors, social media speculation continued to get loud after fans noticed J.Lo had liked an Instagram post about relationship red flags a few months before.
"You can’t build a relationship with someone who is disconnected from themselves," the caption of the March 19 post read. "We can’t expect someone to see us when we can’t even see themselves. Getting in a relationship is the easy part. Nurturing & fostering it is a different story. After all, love is not a feeling, it’s action."
Just a few months before the rumblings of a split emerged, Ben shared insight into his and Jennifer’s very different approaches to privacy.
"I had a very firm sense of boundaries initially around the press while Jen I don't think objected to it in the way I did," the Argo star explained in the Grammy nominee's documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told that was released in February. "I very much did object to it."
Expressing how the "massive amount of scrutiny" they faced was a "catalyst" for the end of their engagement in the early aughts, Ben said he wanted to keep details of their private life more, well, private after they rekindled their romance in 2021.
"Getting back together, I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media,'" he added. "And then I sort of realized it's not a fair thing to ask. It's sort of like you're gonna marry a boat captain and you go, 'Well, I don't like the water.' We're just two people with kind of different approaches trying to learn to compromise."
Later in May, reports spread that Jennifer and Ben were living apart.
And as the month progressed, she continued her string of solo red carpet appearances—attending both the L.A. premiere and Mexico City fan event for her movie Atlas without him. However, Jennifer did accessorize her looks with her wedding ring.
In fact, a member of the audience at a press conference in Mexico asked about the breakup rumors. But as seen in a video shared by El Gordo y la Flaca, the actress simply responded, "You know better than that."
At the end of May, representatives for Live Nation announced the cancelation of Jennifer's U.S. Summer 2024 Tour This Is Me...Live, noting in her On the J.Lo newsletter, “Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends.”
Not long after, the singer celebrated the success of her movie Atlas while also sending a cryptic message about negativity.
"ATLAS is #1 worldwide again this week!!!" she stated in a June edition of her On the JLo newsletter. "Thank you all so much!!! It may seem like there’s a lot of negativity out in the world right now…but don’t let the voices of a few drown out that there is soooo much love out there."
That same month, TMZ reported the actors were privately selling the Beverly Hills mansion they had purchased just the year before. By July, they had publicly listed the home for $68 million.
While fans may have hoped Bennifer was gonna be alright after they attended family events together and she sent him a sweet Father's Day tribute, the split speculation picked back up after J.Lo headed off to Italy in June while Ben stayed in L.A., where he was spotted without his wedding ring.
And when it was time to celebrate the Fourth of July, the Maid in Manhattan star headed to the Hamptons in New York. While she posted a photo with one of her twins, Emme, Ben was not pictured.
July also marked the second anniversary of the Gigli costars' Las Vegas wedding. And while Jennifer shared a celebratory post last year, she didn't upload one this time around.
The "Waiting For Tonight" artist celebrated her 55th birthday on July 24 with a Bridgerton-themed party in the Hamptons. But again, Ben was pictured in L.A.
Less than two weeks later, she was spotted in L.A. without her wedding ring.
And when Ben turned 52 on Aug. 15th, Jennifer didn't give him a birthday shout-out on social media. Although, the "Jenny From the Block" artist did stop by his home on that day, according to photos obtained by Page Six.
After months of speculation, Jennifer filed for divorce from Ben on Aug. 20 at Los Angeles County Superior Court. In the documents, she cited the couple's date of separation as April 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.
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