Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are trying to work through their relationship troubles as they approach their two-year wedding anniversary.
Just days after the 54-year-old singer and her movie star husband, 51, were spotted together for the first time in over a month, a person familiar with the couple shares that they are taking some time apart and figuring things out in order to see where the future takes them.
A source tells ET, “Jen and Ben’s relationship is not over yet, but they have been staying in separate homes and the tension has been high. They are taking a second to figure out what each of them is going through and wants. Both of them have been very down.”
On Friday, Affleck was photographed by TMZ behind the wheel of his car, and eagle-eyed fans noticed his wedding band was missing from his ring finger. The photos were taken outside a recital for Affleck’s daughter, Seraphina, 15, whom he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. They also share Violet, 18, and Samuel, 12.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at the premiere of ‘The Last Duel’ – Arturo Holmes/Getty Images
For her own part, the “Let’s Get Loud” singer has 16-year-old twins, Emme and Max, with her ex-husband, Marc Anthony.
At the same event for Affleck and Garner’s second child, Lopez — who was also in attendance — was seen wearing her wedding ring. She and Affleck spent time chatting in a parking lot outside, with Affleck carrying flowers. Amid their reported marital troubles, another source says the Good Will Hunting star is focused on his kids.
“Ben’s priority is his family and well-being,” the source shared of the couple, who wed in July 2022.
This comes after Lopez appeared at the 2024 Met Gala — where she served as co-chair — by herself on May 6. Just hours earlier, Affleck surprised the audience at The Greatest Roast of All Time: Tom Brady, where he trolled NFL fans who have been critical of the former Patriots quarterback. Affleck, Brady and Lopez previously starred alongside each other in a Super Bowl commercial for Dunkin’, where Brady, 46, and Affleck crashed a recording session of Lopez’s.
A source recently shared with ET that the couple has their “ups and downs” since getting married, noting, “They’re not always on the same page. They both have so much going on between taking care of their families and their work commitments and it can be a lot for them.”
Speculation over the status of their relationship only grew after dating coach Lenna Marsak shared on her Instagram Story last week that Lopez had “liked” her post about unhealthy relationships months after it was posted. The March 19 post details personality traits some people bring to relationships that the account positions as unhealthy for romance.
“You can’t build a relationship with someone who is disconnected from themselves,” Marsak captioned her post. “We can’t expect someone to see us when we can’t even see themselves. Getting in a relationship is the easy part. Nurturing & fostering it is a different story. After all, love is not a feeling, it’s action ❤️.”
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at the Los Angeles premiere of Amazon MGM Studios ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story.’ – Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Amid all the speculation, one person told ET that Lopez has “not been paying much attention to any outside hate.”
“She has always had to deal with criticism and knows that she is misunderstood by some. She realizes that will always be the case because she’s an artist and there are people who don’t get her or know her,” a source said to ET about the triple-threat star.
“Ben is 100 percent supportive of Jen and keeps it real with her,” the source added. “They both know this is part of the business and remind each other that you can’t please everyone. They acknowledge what really matters, lift each other up, and encourage each other’s talents and capabilities.”
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