Opposites may attract, but they don’t always last. Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are two “very different people” who ultimately couldn’t make their marriage work. But that doesn’t mean their love story wasn’t real.
They “really loved each other — and it happened quickly,” an insider told People on Thursday. Lopez and Affleck rekindled their romance in April 2021 — nearly 18 years after they almost tied the knot — and got married not once but twice in 2022. “They were really going to give it a try, and they did,” added the source.
“These are two people who are in love with love, and who wouldn’t jump into that? And the world wanted it.” The insider also shared that Lopez and Affleck are “very different people.” “She’s super public and wants to go out, and he’s more of an introvert and is happy to hang out at home,” they said.
The “Hustlers” actress “tried really hard to make things work, and is heartbroken,” the source told People following their split. Lopez pulled the plug on their short-lived marriage by filing for divorce on Tuesday, August 20 — the anniversary of their second wedding ceremony, allegedly because she wanted it to “sting.” Affleck was hesitant to speak about their relationship in detail, sharing with the Wall Street Journal in December 2021, “One of the harder lessons that I have learned is that it’s not wise to share everything with the world.
” He said he planned “to exercise a little restraint” when discussing his second shot at love with Lopez, adding he hoped to avoid “going into gossipy detail” about their relationship. The “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer did the opposite. She even created a three-part project about her romance journey from childhood until she met the love of her life (Affleck), which included “This Is Me .
.. Now,” her first album in 10 years, a musical movie of the same name, and a documentary of making the film titled, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
” In the documentary, Lopez acknowledged that Affleck wasn’t comfortable being her muse for the self-funded $20 million project. “I don’t think he’s very comfortable with me doing all of this,” she admitted to the camera. “But he loves me, he knows I’m an artist and he’s going to support me in every way he can because he knows he can’t stop me from making the music I made and writing the words that I wrote.
That’s going to happen and he doesn’t want to stop me.” “He wants to do that [for me], but that doesn’t mean he’s comfortable being the muse.” Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck less than six months after the 90-minute documentary aired.
She listed the date of separation as April 26, 2024 , confirming the breakup rumors that started circulating in May when it was revealed that Affleck had moved out of their $60 million marital mansion. They have since put the home on the market, and he’s bought a $20.5 million bachelor pad.
They further fueled the separation speculation in July when Lopez hosted her 55th birthday in the Hamptons without him and when they failed to spend their second anniversary on the same coast. They reportedly did not sign a prenuptial agreement before they walked down the aisle — meaning all the earnings, profits, and assets they made during their union could be considered community property. Lopez also chose not to request spousal support and asked the judge not to award Affleck support either.
Lopez’s divorce from Affleck marks number 4 for the singer. She was previously married to Ojani Noa from 1997 to 1998, Cris Judd from 2002 to 2003, and Marc Anthony, with whom she shares 16-year-old twins Emme and Max, from 2004 to 2014. Affleck was famously married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 until their 2015 split.
They filed for divorce in 2017 and share three kids: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12..
