Jennifer Lopez’s inner circle is reportedly speaking out about her long-standing dislike for husband Ben Affleck as the couple is mired in rumors of an impending divorce.
Though the 55-year-old Hustlers star (who was recently spotted again sporting her wedding ring) and the 51-year-old Argo filmmaker initially radiated affection after reuniting for a second try at love, some of Jennifer’s closest friends and advisers have reportedly had a problem with Affleck since their first attempt at romance in the early 2000s.
Among those who are not fans of Affleck is reportedly Jennifer’s longtime manager, Benny Medina, a source said. Page six.
“The two of them can’t stand each other, they don’t get along and there is still resentment,” they said.
Benny had worked with Jennifer on many of her early hits, but their working relationship came to an end in 2003.
Jennifer Lopez’s inner circle is reportedly speaking out about her long-standing dislike for husband Ben Affleck as the couple wallows in rumors of an impending divorce; JLo pictured in February in Los Angeles
Sources speaking to Page Six claimed that some members of her inner circle have had issues with Affleck since their first relationship in the early 2000s — seen in November 2023 in Los Angeles.
Multiple sources reportedly said Affleck played a role in Lopez’s decision to leave Medina.
However, she brought Benny back on board as her manager just a few years after she and the Armageddon star called off their engagement in 2004.
Since then, he has remained one of her closest advisors and she has been seen spending time with him while in the Hamptons, away from Ben, who remained in Los Angeles.
A different source told Page Six that Benny tried to keep his “mouth shut” in order to take a more diplomatic approach to Jennifer’s second romance with Ben.
“His attitude was, ‘I’m not going to say anything.’ There was no ‘I’m happy for you,’ but it wasn’t negative either,” they said.
The source said there was no point in protesting as he was allegedly convinced Jennifer would marry Ben regardless of his opinion.
Another person whose ties with Jennifer were temporarily severed amid her relationship with Ben was her good friend Leah Remini, though the Gone Girl star doesn’t appear to have played a direct role in the end of that friendship.
It was previously reported that Jennifer had sidelined Leah and even refused to invite her to her wedding after the King Of Queens star urged her to consider whether the aspects of Ben that supposedly caused them to split up the first time around were still a factor.
But the former friends managed to move past their disagreement earlier this year, with Leah reportedly spending time with Jennifer and comforting her amid her alleged marital problems with Ben.
According to the second source, “No one except Lopez’s mother likes Ben Affleck. He’s a world-class jerk.”
As evidence, they pointed to recent reports that Affleck has allegedly been delaying filing for divorce in hopes of not losing Jennifer.
Jennifer’s longtime manager Benny Medina allegedly “can’t stand” Ben, and vice versa. Multiple sources claimed Affleck played a role in Jennifer firing him in 2003; pictured in February in Los Angeles
But she rehired him after her first split from Ben, and Medina allegedly neither congratulated her nor gave her any negative feedback when she announced she was back with Ben.
Leah Remini, one of JLo’s best friends, was reportedly ousted from her inner circle after she expressed concerns that Ben hadn’t changed enough since their last breakup; pictured filming Second Act in 2017
Lopez was reportedly so upset that she cut ties and didn’t invite Remini to her wedding. But during her time away from Affleck, her longtime friend has reportedly been spending time with her and providing comfort.
A second source claimed that a supposedly impending divorce was “definitely not on (Jennifer’s) bingo card” and that she had no idea they could split “in less than two years”; pictured in a happier moment in 2021 in New York
But a source previously told the publication that it was too late for that and that Jennifer was already “humiliated” after Ben “kicked the plug” on the relationship in a relationship that lasted such a short time.
“This was definitely not on her bingo card,” the second source said. “She would have gouged someone’s eyes out if she had been told they were splitting up in less than two years.”
Ben was spotted working in Los Angeles on Thursday. A recent report from In Touch indicated that he has allegedly been delaying his divorce filing to avoid humiliating Jennifer, as he is producing the upcoming film Unstoppable, in which she stars.
Ben and his longtime friend Matt Damon, who is joining him as a producer, are reportedly “invested” in the film’s success, so he has supposedly delayed the divorce so as not to damage the film’s box office or Jennifer’s public image.