Ben Affleck ‘had control’ over Jennifer Lopez’s doc about their marriage, ‘insisted’ on doing it: report

Turns out Ben Affleck was on board with his and Jennifer Lopez’s second act being told to the world.

New reports have surfaced amid Affleck and Lopez’s divorce about the singer’s Prime Video documentary, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” which hit the streaming platform in February.

Multiple sources told People that the “Air” director, 52, was heavily involved in the process and “was the one who had control, pretty much.”

Although it seemed that Affleck was against Lopez’s documentary, her film “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story”, and her matching album, he was actually supportive of the 55-year-old’s endeavors.

The insider added, “[Affleck] was very much in favor [of the project], and he was a driving force for [Lopez] to do the movie and the album and then he insisted on the documentary, where it looked like he was hesitant and almost surprised by it but that was a false narrative.”

“He was very supportive of [Lopez] making the movie and her album,” the source continued. “He knew every step of the way what she was doing.”

The insider also took a moment to call out the “The Town” alum’s reaction to the film while on camera.

“He loved the movie and album,” added the source, “but when you look at the doc, it looks like he’s surprised by it and not signing up for it. He was playing the role of playing the regular guy and meanwhile, he was the engine in back of it.”

Throughout the documentary, Affleck seemed shocked by the work his then-wife was doing.

“He definitely took it away from the director, so he could have the narrative he wanted out there,” the source said. “It’s confusing [because] he was so involved and so proud of Jennifer because she really got in there … but in the doc, it looks like he was surprised. ‘You’re making an album about our [relationship]?’”

Additionally, sources told Page Six that the documentary was originally the idea of Affleck’s company, Artists Equity. Lopez’s team wasn’t initially interested as she was focused on her ninth studio album, “This Is Me… Now,” and the matching movie.

While audiences found the dynamic between the Grammy nominee and Oscar winner “funny” when the project was first released, the public now sees their relationship from a new perspective.

“At the time, people thought it was funny, and now the press is reporting [Affleck] wasn’t happy with that life [in the public eye],” the insider told People. “But he not only supported that life, he encouraged it. It was almost like he’s justifying it. The need for the documentary was his idea.”

During “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” Affleck recalled how he wasn’t comfortable with the attention their relationship received when they initially dated in the early aughts.

“When Jen and I broke up before, the catalyst for that was this massive amount of scrutiny around our private life,” he said while reflecting on the end of their engagement in 2003.

However, Affleck implied that he and Lopez didn’t share the same mindset about having their romance being in the public eye.

“I had a very firm sense of boundaries initially around the press, while Jen I don’t think objected to it in the way I did,” the “Argo” star admitted. “I very much did object to it.”

When the two found their way back to one another in 2021, Affleck wanted to keep their relationship private, which he found out was easier said than done.

“Getting back together, I said, ‘Listen, one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media,’ ” he shared. “And then I sort of realized it’s not a fair thing to ask. It’s sort of like you’re gonna marry a boat captain and you go, ‘Well, I don’t like the water.’ We’re just two people with kind of different approaches trying to learn to compromise.”

Affleck also noted that it wasn’t easy for him to participate in the documentary or for the artist to draw inspiration from their romance for her album.

“I know as a writer and director, I certainly do the same things,” he said. “But things that are private, I had always felt, are sacred and special because, in part, they’re private. So, this was something of an adjustment for me.”

Following the couple’s 2022 engagement, they tied the knot at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas in July before saying “I do” for a second time at Affleck’s estate in Riceboro, Georgia, the following month.

Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck last Tuesday, without an attorney, on their second wedding anniversary.

Lopez listed irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split and the date of separation as April 26, 2024.