There are few in show business more hardworking than Jennifer Lopez, and People reports that the singer-actress-dancer-entrepreneur is staying “focused on work” amid hiccups in her personal life, specifically surrounding her marriage to husband Ben Affleck.
And there is more than enough work to focus on: Lopez’s movie Atlas just dropped on Netflix on May 24; she kicks off her “This Is Me…Live” tour in Orlando on June 26; and she has two upcoming films, Unstoppable and Kiss of the Spider Woman, set to be released in the near future. As for Lopez and Affleck, “They’re still living separately,” a source close to Lopez told People. “She’s back in L.A. for tour rehearsals. She seems okay. She’s very focused on work.”
Last week, Lopez attended two premieres for Atlas, one in L.A., and one in Mexico City. A source speaking to Us Weekly said that Lopez wasn’t her usual “bubbly” self while promoting the film: “There weren’t a lot of big smiles, even for photographers,” they said, noting that Lopez did wear her wedding band, but not her 8.5-carat diamond engagement ring. “It seemed like she was just going through the motions.”
Affleck is reportedly at least temporarily no longer living in their $60 million Beverly Hills mansion and is instead staying “at a nearby rental while they figure out their next steps,” Us Weekly reports. The decision to spend some time apart was mutual, a source speaking to the publication said. “They are taking some space to work out whether or not the relationship is right for both of them,” they said.
Problems apparently began brewing a few months ago after “Jennifer had started ramping up her work commitments and prepping for her tour,” they said. “She’s very focused on work and overextends herself.” They added that Affleck “doesn’t agree with Jennifer’s lifestyle” and has felt “worn down” by their marriage.
“He’s been checked out,” they said, noting that the couple are on “two completely different pages most of the time. The honeymoon phase has worn off.”
Lopez has been in New York City most of this spring filming Kiss of the Spider Woman; Affleck, who is currently shooting The Accountant 2, has remained in L.A. “Both have demanding careers that often require them to be in different cities,” they said, which has added to friction. Being geographically far apart “highlighted the emotional and physical distance between them,” they said, adding that the two have struggled to communicate as of late. “Over time, Jennifer and Ben found it increasingly difficult to communicate effectively, and small misunderstandings grew into significant arguments,” they continued. “They have fundamentally different approaches to conflict.”
Lopez and Affleck have been married for less than two years, and “for Lopez, a fourth divorce could be a source of embarrassment,” Us Weekly writes. According to a source speaking to the outlet, “She’s upset, and really did think she and Ben would be endgame this time around” after their first go-round as a couple back in the early aughts. A different person speaking to the publication said that Lopez has been “committed to working on the marriage” and is pushing for them to get help; Affleck, for his part, was apparently initially hesitant but is starting to “invest more,” they said. Affleck has “struggled with loneliness” and “realized how much he misses Jen” since moving out of their shared home.
So, where does it all stand? Taking everything, of course, with a grain of salt—only Lopez and Affleck truly know the state of their union—the source told Us Weekly that they are “both reassessing their priorities and [figuring out] what they truly want from the marriage.”
