News broke on Wednesday morning that JLo and Ben, also known as ‘Bennifer‘, have officially called it quits after just two years of marriage. The news, although speculated, still managed to send shockwaves through their fanbase, with many taking to social media to share their surprise and hurt over the end of the highly publicised romance.
After meeting, falling in love and getting engaged in the early 2000s – and starring together in 2003’s infamous ‘Gigli’ and 2004’s ‘Jersey Girl’ – the couple parted ways, blaming in part the pressure of the public eye.
But to the delight of many and perhaps the scepticism of others, they reunited two decades later and married – twice – in 2022. With news of the divorce making waves, all fingers are now pointed at Lopez’s recent musical project, ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’, as the reason for the split.
‘This Is Me…. Now’, offered a fictionalized look at her long love life. “When I was a girl they’d ask me what I’d be. A woman in love is what I grew up wantin’ to be,” Lopez sang on the title track.
The album, she said, was inspired by her rekindled relationship with Affleck. But the film was more “about your journey as a person, it’s about one person’s journey and what it takes to get from heartbreak back to love. Or a hopeless romantic’s journey in their search for love.”
In the movie, she played a character called The Artist who, similarly, had decided as a child what she wanted to be when she grew up: “in love.” But the road was rocky. In an early scene, The Artist is on the back of a motorcycle, riding across a beach, with a hunky man, face shielded. Then the motorcycle crashes.
“Not all love stories have a happy ending,” she says.
While the project was meant to celebrate their love story, fans noted a particular scene in the visual film where Affleck’s discomfort was palpable. “You can tell when it clicked for him that it was gonna be a problem,” one viewer commented on social media, highlighting a moment that seemed to foreshadow their separation.
Critics also pointed out that Lopez’s decision to include a book of love letters from Affleck as part of the film was a major misstep. “Leaving that book of love letters for anyone to see without asking him was one of the clearest signs that this marriage wasn’t going to last,” another fan remarked online. The gesture, while intended to showcase their bond, may have inadvertently strained their relationship.
The separation has also drawn attention due to the reported $20 million Lopez invested in the album, movie, and documentary. Despite her significant financial and emotional investment, the projects did not perform as expected, with some even labelling them as flops. “If you’re having a bad day, just remember Jennifer Lopez spent $20 million of her own money for an album, movie, and documentary about her marriage, the three projects flopped, and they separated two months later,” one fan tweeted.
As news of the divorce spreads, both Lopez and Affleck have yet to make public statements. However, sources close to the couple suggest that they are committed to co-parenting their families and moving forward amicably.
The couple, who married in a private ceremony in 2022, had long been a symbol of enduring love in the entertainment industry. However, rumours of tension between the two had been swirling for months. Court records showed Lopez filed the petition Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, TMZ reported. The portal further added that Lopez listed the date of separation as April 26, 2024. It added that she did not mention any prenuptial agreement.
Jennifer Lopez Files for Divorce from Ben Affleck Amidst Separation Rumors: Reports