Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck on what would have been their second wedding anniversary in August. After filing, J.Lo then spent a good two weeks getting her narrative, her side, out there. A major piece of that was a very J.Lo-centered People Magazine cover story, which I found really informative. Basically, in April, Jennifer was working in New York and Ben just woke up one day and decided he was done with the marriage. He began moving his things out of their shared home and “effectively ghosted” his wife. Jennifer spent the rest of the spring and summer trying to make Ben chase her or come to his senses. Instead, he was probably banging Kick Kennedy and acting like a self-absorbed child. Ben sounded like a real a–hole in J.Lo’s narrative. Well, weird timing, but six weeks later, now Ben is apparently reminding everyone that he’s never been happier and that he totally moved on from Jennifer back in April. Some highlights from two very sus People stories:
Ben Affleck has “never looked back” since moving out from living with ex Jennifer Lopez earlier this year, a source tells PEOPLE.
The actor-director, 52, is now “very focused on work and his kids,” the source adds. “He’s staying busy and happy.”
Lopez, 55, filed for divorce on Aug. 20, ending the couple’s two years of marriage. She listed April 26 as their date of separation.
Multiple sources told PEOPLE back in May that Affleck and Lopez were not living together in their Los Angeles home and that he was staying in another property while filming The Accountant 2.
One project occupying Affleck’s time is another collaboration with friend and frequent costar Matt Damon. The duo were photographed on a film set, as Affleck is reportedly directing Damon in a commercial. He and Damon are also in business together after co-founding the production company Artists Equity, which is behind Lopez’s next film Unstoppable, plus the crime-thriller RIP, which will star Affleck and Damon, 54, with writer-director Joe Carnahan.
“He’s very close with Matt. Matt is Ben’s confidant. Matt always knows exactly what’s going on with Ben,” the source says. “They also enjoy working together.”
Ben “never looked back,” huh? Why is that a good thing? I mean, backsliding is sometimes a bad idea, but the whole Bennifer marriage was one big backslide, and I still don’t understand how Ben seemingly woke up one day and decided he didn’t want to be married to J.Lo anymore. Sometimes you need to look back to figure out what the hell happened. Sometimes you need to look back for closure. It’s like Ben Affleck is trying to be the villain.
Photos courtesy of Backgrid.