There seems to be hope yet for the marriage of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, even as rumors of marital tension swirl, and even as reports surface that the couple—married less than two years—are living apart. After not being seen together since March 30, since rumors reached a fever pitch late last week, the pair were seen together yesterday at a school event in Santa Monica, TMZ reports. Lopez and Affleck appeared to be doing just fine as Affleck was spotted behind the wheel of a car with Lopez in the passenger seat beside him.
And, per Us Weekly, eagle-eyed fans have spotted how Affleck has his wife saved as a contact in his phone as he appeared to receive a call from her. It read “Jennifer Affleck,” a nod to her married name, and Affleck also “has a stunning posed photo of Lopez set as her contact photo,” Us Weekly writes.
Lopez legally changed her name to Jennifer Affleck following their July 2022 Las Vegas wedding; just one day after their July wedding (they’d later marry again, in front of friends and family, the next month) Lopez shared details of the wedding in her newsletter, OnTheJLo, and signed off on the post as “Mrs. Jennifer Lynn Affleck.”
Ben Affleck has Jennifer Lopez saved as “Jennifer Affleck” in his phone. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/HTcZmBsza3May 20, 2024
Following an op-ed in The New York Times where the author shared their disappointment that Lopez had taken Affleck’s name, Lopez told Vogue in December 2022 “What? Really? People are still going to call me Jennifer Lopez. But my legal name will be Mrs. Affleck, because we’re joined together. We’re husband and wife. I’m proud of that. I don’t think that’s a problem.” She added “I’m very much in control of my own life and destiny and feel empowered as a woman and as a person. I can understand that people have their feelings about it, and that’s okay, too. But if you want to know how I feel about it, I just feel like it’s romantic. It still carries tradition and romance to me, and maybe I’m just that kind of girl.”
Speaking of, after the two reunited in 2021 two decades after falling in love for the first time (and ultimately splitting in 2004), the two got engaged and then married in 2022, and, earlier this year, Lopez released an album, a musical film, and a documentary centered around her love story with Affleck. Yet, under three months later, rumors of marital strife began, and Us Weekly confirmed that Affleck moved out of his and Lopez’s $60 million Beverly Hills home “several weeks ago.”
“Jen and Ben are having issues in their marriage,” a source told the outlet. “They started having issues a few months ago as Jen had started ramping up work commitments and prepping for her tour.” (It kicks off next month in Orlando.) They added that Lopez “is very focused on work” as she prepared for the This Is Me…Live tour, and added of the couple that “They are on two completely different pages most of the time.”
Other sources the outlet spoke to added that they aren’t planning to separate, and that they are “continuing to put in the work on their relationship,” Us Weekly reports.
A source speaking to Entertainment Tonight said that “Jen and Ben’s relationship is not over yet, but they have been staying in separate homes and the tension has been high,” they said. “They are taking a second to figure out what each of them is going through and wants. Both of them have been very down.”
They added that “Ben’s priority is his family and well-being,” and a different source said of Lopez that she has “not been paying much attention to any outside hate.” They added “She has always had to deal with criticism and knows that she is misunderstood by some. She realizes that will always be the case because she’s an artist, and there are people who don’t get her or know her. Ben is 100 percent supportive of Jen and keeps it real with her. They both know this is part of the business and remind each other that you can’t please everyone. They acknowledge what really matters, lift each other up, and encourage each other’s talents and capabilities.”
