Jennifer Lopez Reveals the True Timing of Her Split with Ben Affleck After Months of Rumors

After months of rumors that Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck‘s marriage was failing, Lopez has disclosed the precise date of their separation.

Lopez, 55, filed for divorce, and Us Weekly was able to receive her divorce papers on Tuesday, August 20. The couple formally announced their separation on April 26.

When People revealed in April that Lopez and 52-year-old Affleck had not been publicly pictured together for more than 47 days, rumors started to circulate that there was friction between the couple.

Lopez and Affleck had not been spotted together since they were photographed holding hands in New York City on March 30. (In the meantime, Lopez’s This Is Me… Now: A Love Story premiered back in February marked their most recent red carpet appearance.)

Lopez was getting ready to co-host the 2024 Met Gala in Manhattan in May. The singer at the time admitted that she was having trouble deciding what to dress to the event via Vogue’s official Instagram account.

In the post on April 17 that detailed her preparation, she stated, “I have a few different sketches, I’m still deciding.” She joyfully discussed her cohosting responsibilities in the video, grinning for the camera and informing viewers that Anna Wintour’s selection was a “true honor.”

Ten days after the couple’s private split, Lopez went alone to the Met Gala on May 6. She also went to the premieres of her Netflix movie Atlas, which she didn’t star with Ben Affleck, in Mexico City and Los Angeles later that month.

When Lopez’s Atlas co-star Simu Liu questioned her about her marriage during the Mexico City premiere, Lopez quickly cut him down. “Well, we’re not going to do that,” the 35-year-old actor replied. “I really appreciate it, gentlemen.

We are truly grateful for it. Lopez paused before answering the question directly. She retorted, “You know better than that.”

In an exclusive interview with Us the same month, an insider said that Lopez and Affleck were “having issues in their marriage,” which reportedly started when Lopez increased her “work commitments” in order to get ready for her This Is Me… Live Tour.

Lopez eventually canceled the tour, citing her desire to “be with her children, family and close friends,” according to an email made public by Live Nation and her fan newsletter at the time.

The insider added that Lopez had started viewing a house in Los Angeles that she said was suitable for financial purposes.

Us was informed by a second person that Affleck was not lodging at the couple’s shared residence, which they bought in March 2022 and which had a view of the Hollywood Hills, but rather a location in Los Angeles.

Us was informed in June by a reliable source that Lopez and Affleck were selling their Los Angeles residence. Without Affleck, Lopez celebrated her 55th birthday in the Hamptons the following month.

Lopez’s trip to the Hamptons fell on the same day as the estranged couple’s second wedding anniversary. Lopez and Affleck did not make any public remarks regarding the milestone on July 16, with Affleck choosing to spend the day in Los Angeles.

When Lopez and Affleck went to the Grammys together in February 2023, there were initial rumors of marital problems.

During the ceremony, the couple was captured on camera, raising speculation among some onlookers that they were at odds. Even though Lopez told fans on Instagram that she had the “best night” with “my love, my husband,” Affleck’s unenthusiastic attitude at the moment inspired a lot of jokes online.

Lopez released This Is Me … Now, her ninth studio album, in February 2024, one year later. The album included a “cinematic odyssey” sequel to Lopez’s 2002 album of the same name. then made public during her initial love affair with Affleck.

“I feel like because Ben and I have rediscovered each other — and now that we’re married — I have something to offer,” Lopez exclaimed, working alongside Affleck on the project.

Even though Lopez praised Affleck’s cooperation, the Oscar winner acknowledged that, at the time, he felt a little awkward appearing in Lopez’s pictures.

In the documentary The Greatest Love tale Never Told, which examined Lopez’s most recent album, he stated, “I did really find the beauty and the poetry and the irony in the fact that it’s the greatest love story never told.” “That seems kind of like telling it if you’re recording it.”

On the Gigli set in 2002, Lopez and Affleck first connected, and by November of that same year, they were engaged. They put off their September 2003 wedding with only a few days to spare, and Lopez and Affleck announced their split in January 2004.

However, their tale did not finish there. Us revealed in May 2021 that Lopez and Affleck were still dating, and in July of the same year, the two were seen house hunting together.

On July 16, 2022, the couple arranged a surprise wedding in Las Vegas, and on August 20, the same year, they were joined in marriage in a second ceremony held in Georgia.

Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck in a Los Angeles court exactly two years later on this date.