Ben Affleck’s close friend has broken his silence on ongoing speculation that the actor has split from Jennifer Lopez.
Affleck, 51, and Lopez, 55, who tied the knot in July 2022, have not been photographed together in months, with the singer celebrating her birthday without him and the actor purchasing a new $20.5 million mansion in Pacific Palisades after moving out of the marital home.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith, 53, said the actor “will let you know when he’s in a good place” while speaking to People at San Diego Comic Con on Sunday – and revealed that he has yet to reach out to him, despite advice from his wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith.
Smith, who worked with Affleck on Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, said: “Obviously, he’s been going through something, or at least that’s what the press is saying and stuff.
‘Me, being his most loose-lipped, unreliable friend… my wife said, “Oh, you should approach him.”
Ben Affleck’s close friend Kevin Smith has broken his silence on ongoing speculation about the actor’s split from Jennifer Lopez – photo from 1999
Affleck, 51, and Lopez, 55, who tied the knot in July 2022, have not been photographed together in months, with the singer celebrating her birthday without him and the actor purchasing a new $20.5 million mansion in Pacific Palisades after moving out of the marital home.
Jennifer and Ben appear in happier times in November.
“I thought, ‘The last person he needs to hear from right now is the guy who talks a lot.’ So when he’s in a good place, he’ll let me know.”
Smith said he plans to speak with Affleck when he begins filming the next installment of Jay and Silent Bob in the fall.
He said: “I’ll be in touch with him. He might even come to play, but I haven’t been anywhere near the situation.”
The Academy Award winner closed escrow on a new $20.5 million property in the coastal enclave, according to TMZ.
The home has five bedrooms and six bathrooms with breakfast and dining areas, as well as a separate family room, study, walk-in closets, media room, powder room, guest house and more amenities typical of a multi-million dollar home.
The development is the strongest sign yet that Affleck’s marriage to Jennifer Lopez, 55, may be headed toward divorce.
The This Is Me…Now artist and Affleck listed their Beverly Hills home for $68 million earlier this month, after purchasing the property for $60 million last May, but found no immediate buyers.
They recently spent their second wedding anniversary apart amid reports that they are living in separate homes.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith, 53, said the actor will “let him know when he’s in a good place” while speaking to People at San Diego Comic Con on Sunday, revealing he has yet to reach out to him, despite advice from his wife – pictured in 2019 with Jason Mewes
Smith said: ‘Me being his least reliable friend and very uncaring… my wife was like, ‘Oh, you should reach out to him.’ – Pictured with his wife Jennifer in 2019
While Lopez has remained in their marital home, Affleck has been living in a $100,000-a-month rental that’s a short drive from his ex-wife Jennifer Garner’s home in Brentwood.
He and Garner, 52, were married from 2005 to 2018 and share children Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12.
Reports about Affleck and Lopez’s marital problems began circulating in May, after the couple had not been seen together since late March.
A source told In Touch at the time: ‘Ben has already moved on and they will likely have to sell their dream home they’ve been looking at for two years.
“They will never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him and he can’t change her. There’s no way this could last.”
One of Lopez’s friends who lives in Los Angeles told the Daily Mail: “If it’s just a matter of putting in the effort, then you better believe she’ll figure it out.”
A source told In Touch at the time: ‘Ben has already moved on and they will likely have to sell their dream home that they’ve been looking at for two years.’
“She has put her heart and soul into her love story with Ben and won’t give up without a fight,” the source added. “From what I’ve heard, there’s still a lot of love there, so there must be hope.”
Meanwhile, Lopez is currently in New York City, after recently celebrating her 55th birthday in the Hamptons.
After hosting a Bridgerton-themed party, which Affleck was not in attendance at, Lopez thanked her fans for their birthday messages in a post.
