Amid the speculation surrounding Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s marriage and possible split, Lopez has shocked the world by filing for divorce. TMZ broke the news that came months after the multi-hyphenate ignited renewed interest (and backlash) in their romance by using it as inspiration for her self-financed, widely criticized Prime Video documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.” Buzz surrounding Bennifer’s supposed impending split sat Affleck eagerly at the doors of the courthouse when it’s actually Lopez who pulled the plug on their marriage. But what’s more interesting is the fact that it seems she wanted to make a huge, emotional, and possibly painful impact.
As the outlet reported, Lopez — who’s already been divorced three times — filed for divorce from Affleck on August 20, two years after she and the Academy Award-winning actor threw their lavish Georgia wedding, which took place a month after they originally exchanged vows in Las Vegas. Other details of the filing include the fact that Lopez filed of her own volition without the presence of her legal team. Lopez also reportedly dismissed the possibility for spousal support on her end, though there’s no guarantee that Affleck will do the same. Furthermore, the popular A-listers apparently failed to sign a prenup, so their vast fortunes could very well complicate what will likely be a very emotional and public divorce process.
With no public statements from the duo, social media is rushing to respond to the news.
Fans have little sympathy for Bennifer
Despite retaining their status as A-listers, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck never quite managed to recapture the hype of their early ’00s romance, and fans have never granted them the courtesy of pretending otherwise. Between Affleck’s apathy towards Lopez, like the time he slammed her car door despite holding it open for her, or their awkward interaction at the 2023 Grammy Awards, Lopez and Affleck have shared plenty of tense moments in recent years. They’ve even stepped off their pedestals to respond a few of their less-than-stellar moments, though their damage control didn’t help. Given the rocky path they’ve walked together, fans don’t seem surprised their love story has ended in a breakup.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, one fan wrote, “Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are getting divorced,” alongside a GIF of actor Camila Mendes screaming, “I’m shocked! This is shocking news!” to sarcastically represent the overall reaction of “the public.” As of reporting time, the post has been viewed more than 70,000 times. A second fan cited the video of Bennifer’s infamous car-slamming incident as the catalyst for their breakup. “Jennifer Lopez and Ben affleck were getting a divorce the day this video dropped lmao,” they tweeted. Meanwhile, another fan kicked off what will probably be an endless slew of Pete Davidson jokes. “Jennifer Lopez is getting another divorce & Pete Davidson’s bat signal has been activated,” they wrote. No engagement so far, but give it a little time.
Jokes and memes aside, we wish Lopez and Affleck the very best.
