With her flair for theatrics, Jennifer Lopez of course had a purpose in filing for divorce from Ben Affleck on Tuesday, which marked the second anniversary of their lavish Georgia wedding.
The mega-star reportedly was “tired of being humiliated” by Affleck and fed up that he showed “no interest” in trying to fix their marriage — or what she had publicized as the “greatest love story never told” in her recent album and Amazon Prime documentary. So Lopez, 55, finally did what’s been expected for months: She filed for divorce from Affleck, 52, though she didn’t do so on a Friday afternoon, as is typical in celebrity divorces. She filed on their anniversary.
“Jennifer said she was tired of being humiliated by Ben and she waited until the two-year anniversary because she wanted to sting,” a source told the Daily Mail.
“But it did not sting him,” the source said. “He’s been done for a long time and deep down she knows this.”
Another source confirmed to People that the “Air” actor and director showed “no interest” in trying to work things out, while TMZ reported earlier this month that things had gotten so bad between the two that they were no longer speaking to each other, either in person or by phone.
“She’s very disappointed and sad, but Ben hasn’t given her any signs that he wants to continue their marriage,” the insider shared to People. “He hasn’t shown any commitment and interest in making their marriage work. It’s gotten to the point that she just needs to look out for herself.”
In filing for divorce, Lopez revealed that their official date of separation was April 26, and TMZ reported that they did not have a prenuptial agreement. It remains to be seen whether this lack of a prenup will complicate their divorce, though Lopez doesn’t list any lawyers as being involved. TMZ reported earlier this month that the two were hoping for “a quickie divorce.” The one known asset they had in common is the 6-acre Beverly Hills estate they purchased together last year — and which is now on the market for $68 million.
It should be noted that Tuesday, officially, was not the couple’s second anniversary. They actually tied the knot a month earlier, on July 17, 2022, when they eloped to Las Vegas. But Tuesday was the second anniversary of Lopez getting to don a big, white designer gown and be the center of attention for a luxurious wedding ceremony and reception at her husband’s Georgia estate, with their family and friends in attendance.
As for Affleck’s reported unwillingness to try and work things out, it could be said that he realized he no longer wanted to play a role in Lopez’s epic romantic idea about herself and her ability to rekindle their great love in mid-life — 20 years after they first dated, became engaged and broke up. Lopez’s idea of their great love was on full display in her grandiose-titled autobiographical documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.”
Back in May, when breakup reports first began circulating about the couple, Page Six reported that Affleck would seek “divorce on grounds of temporary insanity” if he could because he had finally come “to his senses,” following what felt like a “fever dream” of a rekindled relationship with Lopez.
It’s also been reported that Lopez’s friends have become a bit weary of her performative and chaotic approach to her romantic life, with her divorce from Affleck marking the end of her fourth marriage.
“After four failed marriages, her friends feel that she should take a look inside and focus on herself instead of what others want her to be and finally figure out who she is and what she wants from her future,” a source told the Daily Mail in another report.
Meanwhile, some of the revelations in Lopez’s documentary, which was released in late February, could have been a “breaking point” for their marriage, the Daily Mail reported. In the documentary, Lopez made it clear that she wanted to go public with private aspects of their marriage.
Viewers saw Affleck learning that his wife had shared his private love letters to her, going back 20 years, with songwriters and musicians working with her on her new album, “This is Me … Now.” The “Good Will Hunting” star had compiled all their written communication to each other into a book that he had given to her on their first Christmas back together in 2021. He had held onto the letters through his marriage to Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018.
Affleck was clearly taken aback to learn that she had showed the letters to strangers, explaining to the camera, “I was like, ‘You’ve been showing all the musicians all these letters?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, we call you Pen Affleck.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my God.’”
Affleck tried to put on a brave face by saying that he understood that sharing the letters was part of his wife’s artistic process. “Jen was really inspired by this experience, which is how artists do their work,” Affleck said. “They get inspired by their personal life, it moves you. I know as a writer and director I certainly do the same things.”
But elsewhere in the documentary, Affleck talked about being unhappy that others were getting a view into what he had apparently coined as their “greatest love story never told.” He said, “I did really find the beauty and the poetry and the irony in the fact that it’s the greatest love story never told. If you’re making a record about it, that seems kind of like telling it.”
Affleck also said, “‘Things that are private I always felt are sacred and special because, in part, they’re private.”
Meanwhile, despite Lopez listing their official separation date as April 26, there have been reports that the couple broke up earlier and had actually been apart since at least March. Sources told Page Six that Lopez and Affleck hid the fact that they were living apart because he is “very protective of Jennifer.” They also apparently were trying their best “to put on a united front” during the release of her new album and “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.”