Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s divorce was reported in late August, after much speculation. Rumors have swirled around the pair since then, but a lot has also been said about the people in their shared orbit. One such person is Affleck’s longtime friend and collaborator, Matt Damon. The actor recently had a run-in with Lopez at the Toronto International Film Festival. An insider now claims that Damon has been trying to make peace between Lopez and Affleck, and the latter allegedly has strong feelings about that.
The Air star and JLo were at TIFF to promote the sports biopic Unstoppable. The “Jenny from the Block” singer stars in the film, while Matt Damon is a producer under his and Ben Affleck’s Artists Equity banner. It was said that the two engaged in “a long, deep conversation,” which reportedly included lighter and more serious topics. Now, an insider tells In Touch Weekly that Damon is not only friendly with his good buddy’s estranged wife. He apparently also has a lot of empathy for her during this time:
Matt feels pretty bad for J. Lo. He’s been liaising with her on the roll out of the movie so he’s on calls with her all the time and she has opened up to him about how much she’s hurting. He’s been trying to reason with Ben to be a little bit more compassionate to the fact that she’s humiliated right now.
If this source is to be believed, the Martian star finds himself between a rock and a hard place, as he continues to communicate with Bennifer. While doubling down on the notion that the the Oscar winner has been serving in a peacemaker-like role, the unnamed individual claims Ben Affleck isn’t pleased about it:
He can’t help but feel a lot of sympathy for J. Lo. He’s trying to play Switzerland and smooth things over on both sides, but Ben is not taking it well at all. To even suggest that he was somehow at fault really rubs him the wrong way. He says if Matt, or anyone, were in his shoes they would have run from that marriage ten times faster.
While Ben Affleck and Matt Damon don’t always agree, they’ve shown that they’re firm friends and have been noted for having one of Hollywood’s biggest bromances. In Touch’s insider asserts that Damon’s “loyalty is always going to be to Ben,” despite any “demons” the Justice League alum may have. Still, Affleck purportedly “bristles at being reprimanded by his friend, who he thinks should have his back no matter what.” The Argo director also allegedly “feels like no one understands the hell he went through.” The source continued:
It’s a really tough spot for Matt because of course he wants to support his buddy, but he’s also got to maintain this relationship with J. Lo and when he hears her side of things he just feels awful for her.
Matt Damon expressed his support for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s relationship when they reunited in 2021. He’s also been open about the constant attention that the two receive via the press as well as the continued coverage of their relationship. He also discussed the scrutiny his friend has faced over the years. It’s also been alleged that Damon has advised Affleck amidst the divorce chatter, telling him to focus on his work.
The notion of Ben Affleck taking issue with Matt Damon trying to broker any kind of truce between him and Jennifer Lopez should be taken with a massive grain of salt at this time. At the very least, though, Damon and Lopez’s (photographed) encounter at TIFF does seem to suggest that they are still on good terms. That aside, eyes will likely continue to be on JLo and Affleck, as their legal proceedings continue to unfold.