Alex Rodriguez reportedly ‘shocked’ by Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck reunion
Alex Rodriguez is apparently as shocked as the rest of the world that Jennifer Lopez, his fiancée until last month, has seemingly reignited her romance with ex Ben Affleck.
While "Bennifer" hasn't confirmed that they're on again, they did take a solo trip to Montana last week, with photos to prove it, and a source told People magazine, "She had a great time with Ben. She is happy with him and enjoys spending time with him." Just prior to their Big Sky rendezvous, Affleck had been photographed coming and going from Lopez's L.A. home, being chauffeured in Lopez's SUV.
Even Affleck's BFF Matt Damon is keen on this reunion — 17 years after the Gigli and Jersey Girl co-stars called off their wedding and broke up — saying it "would be awesome." However, Rodriguez is apparently less thrilled.
A source close to Lopez told E! News, "A-Rod is shocked that J.Lo has moved on," having announced on April 15 that they ended their engagement. "He truly thought they would be able to make it work and reconnect. He has been reaching out to J.Lo trying to meet with her and she has been very short with him."
The source claimed the former New York Yankee is "saddened" that Lopez reunited with Affleck, and claims her contacted her to let her know, noting, "He's upset."
However, the source added, "She's not interested in rekindling anything with A-Rod and is done."
A rep for Rodriguez did not immediately respond to Yahoo Entertainment's request for comment about the report.
On Tuesday, Rodriguez was spotted for the first time since the Affleck-Lopez reunion news broke. He was leaving a Miami restaurant when a paparazzo asked what he thought about Bennifer and their trip to Montana. "Go Yankees," he replied.
While Lopez not being interested in rekindling anything with Rodriguez sounds very final, let's not forget that things seemed final when Affleck and Lopez split in January 2004. The very high-profile couple started dating in 2002 while making Gigli — and the media was obsessed with their every move. In 2003, that "excessive media attention" led them to call off their wedding, and they officially broke up a few months later. She returned the $2.5 million, 6.1-carat pink diamond Harry Winston engagement ring he gave her, ABC News reported at the time, as well as the $400,000 Phantom Rolls Royce he gifted her for her 33rd birthday.
She rebounded with Marc Anthony, going on to have their 13-year-old twins, Emme and Max together. He found love with Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares Violet, 15; Seraphina, 12; and Samuel, 9.
There was big buzz when Lopez and Rodriguez first hooked up in 2018 — and they became engaged the next year, with a ring that rivaled the Bennifer diamond. But their wedding, set to take place last year, was postponed twice — and Lopez spoke publicly about being unsure whether they needed to make it legal in December.
That seemed like a sign, but an even bigger one was Southern Charm reality star Madison LeCroy claiming Rodriguez has slipped into her DMs. He denied it, but the pair seemed to hit the skids, despite Rodriguez making a last-minute trip to the Dominican Republic, where she was filming Shotgun Wedding, to work things out.
Rodriguez has been focused on his health and his best since his split from Lopez, shedding what he called his "dad-bod." And he seemed on good terms with his Lopez, dining with her after the split, so we can see where he'd remain hopeful of a reunion.
His romance with Lopez certainly helped boost his image. Near the end of his MLB career, Rodriguez had admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs. Prior to that, he had an especially nasty divorce from his wife, Cynthia Scurtis, who accused him of cheating. At the time, Madonna publicly denied being the "other woman," as they had been photographed out together.
Rodriguez, who also dated Kate Hudson and Cameron Diaz, saw his reputation rebound after that, but getting together with Lopez bolstered it further. They seemed happy together, sharing beautiful photos of their blended family (he's a dad of two from his marriage with Cynthia) and he was the perfect Instagram boyfriend to Lopez. And their relationship was lucrative. While buying the New York Mets didn't work out, they made a lot of money as a package deal in partnerships with various companies, pitching wellness products to coffee as a side hustle. (In fact, in late March — two weeks before confirming their split — they announced they'd be promoting a vitamin line together.)
If Lopez and Affleck really are going to reboot Bennifer and embark on a romance 17 years later, it will be interesting to see if they'd do so in such a public way, considering how much they disliked the attention the first time around. And how much flak they've gotten, for nearly twenty years, over Gigli.
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