Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck call it quits; Justin Timberlake's DWI: Inside the biggest scandals of the summer
Summer 2024 has been full of celebrity scandals.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's second attempt at love came to a halt Aug. 20 after the singer filed for divorce after two years of marriage.
In June, Justin Timberlake was arrested for a DWI after the musician had "bloodshot and glossy" eyes when he was pulled over, according to court documents. Blake Lively's latest film, "It Ends With Us," faced rumors of drama behind the scenes.
JENNIFER LOPEZ, BEN AFFLECK DIVORCE FILING LISTS REASON FOR SPLIT AFTER 2 YEARS OF MARRIAGE
All of that is just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this summer's celebrity headlines. Below is a look at the biggest scandals stars have faced over the past several months.
Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck in August. Prior to the singer pulling the trigger on ending her marriage, divorce rumors swirled on the internet for months.
Sources told People magazine in June that Lopez was living in the couple's $68 million Beverly Hills home while Affleck stayed in a rental nearby as they attempted to sell the pricey mansion.
"He started moving out a while ago," a source told Fox News Digital at the time. "The marriage is completely over, and Jennifer is heartbroken. She loves love and wanted this to work so badly."
Despite the difficult time in his personal life, Affleck remained committed to his professional goals.
"Ben has been working nonstop and spending a lot of time at his office," the insider said. "He has a lot of projects he’s working on that he’s excited about. He’s quite hands-on with his company (Artists Equity). He really wants to continue focusing on directing, acting and producing."
Prior to the divorce filing, Lopez and Affleck fueled breakup rumors. The singer attended the Met Gala in May alone. At the time, Affleck's representative confirmed to Fox News Digital that the actor's filming schedule forced him to skip the star-studded charity event celebrating the opening of the 2024 Costume Institute exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
In July, Lopez had a "Bridgerton" themed birthday party in the Hamptons without Affleck. Sources told People at the time that while his wife was on the East Coast, Affleck was working in Los Angeles.
On July 16, 2022, the couple flew to Las Vegas and obtained a marriage license. They traveled to A Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas and arrived just before midnight.
One month later, the newlyweds hosted a backyard ceremony for friends and family at the $8 million Georgia mansion Affleck purchased when the couple first began dating 20 years ago.
Christina and Josh Hall filed their own divorce petitions in July, each citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the dissolution of their marriage.
Josh requested spousal support and asked the court to terminate Christina's ability to receive spousal support from him. Meanwhile, Christina asked the court to reject spousal support for both of them.
"I prefer privacy, especially during something as life-changing as a divorce I did not ask for," Josh wrote on Instagram after the divorce news broke. "I will not publicly badmouth anyone as people have families, friends and others who respect and love them. Unfortunately, the internet is forever."
"We are real humans, this is our life and I am not here to entertain people I don’t know with my private matters. Those details will be handled fairly behind closed doors with our respective counsels in due time. Those who know each of us, know who we are."
Christina has since accused Josh of transferring $35,000 from her bank account into his personal account just one day after the filing.
"I would not have asked him to send himself my money the day after I told him we are getting divorced," Christina stated in court documents.
"I understand that at some point this court may require that I pay some spousal support to Josh and reasonable attorney's fees to his counsel," she stated. "However, it is my belief that this is a simple case with straightforward accounting over a short period of time, any fees and costs should be minimal.
"Like all hard-working mothers, my life revolves around my children and my work. It is my understanding that Josh has his own income, and therefore he should not need any spousal support from me."
Christina and Josh secretly married in 2021 and later had a formal ceremony in Hawaii. The couple had been planning to star alongside each other in the upcoming show, "The Flip Off," which will feature Christina's ex-husband Tarek El Moussa and his wife Heather Rae El Moussa.
Billy Ray Cyrus and Firerose had a very difficult summer when it came to their relationship.
In June, Billy Ray alleged Firerose, whose real name is Johanna Rosie Hodges, was "physically … verbally and emotionally" abusive to him during their seven-month marriage in a court filing obtained by Fox News Digital at the time.
The country star also denied Firerose’s previous accusations made in a countersuit alleging he abused her.
"While the Plaintiff would acknowledge that he was certainly vocal, frustrated and angry with the Defendant in May 2024, it is the plaintiff who, in fact, has been abused," the documents, filed in a Tennessee court, stated. "Not only verbally and emotionally by the Defendant, but PHYSICALLY abused by Defendant."
The filing also claimed Firerose had accused him of abuse in a previous filing "only to sensationalize her false complaints by using the word ‘abuse.’"
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A month later, bombshell audio surfaced of Billy Ray belittling his soon-to-be ex-wife and making disparaging comments about some of his children.
Fox News Digital obtained the shocking audio between Cyrus and his estranged wife, and the country crooner is heard berating his Australian ex and using profane language.
Shortly after the audio was released, the "Achy Breaky Heart" singer addressed the recording, confirming it was him.
In the recording, the former couple can be heard arguing about leaving for a presumed Cyrus event.
"It's 9:15 you idiot. I needed to leave two hours ago," Cyrus said.
"No, you didn't. You can still leave and get there in time," Firerose suggested.
"Get the f--- out of here. I'm not going. … I'm not in no place to go do a show. I had to go when I was ready to go," Cyrus continued. "If you could just shut the f--- up."
"Please stop screaming at me," Firerose said before Cyrus went on a tirade.
"If you would have left it alone when I told you. It's done. Now I'm really f---ing pissed. You once again showed me you will not listen. I don't know who the f--- you think you are, but you will not f---ing listen. And this ain't about your BRCA [gene]. This ain't about your surgery. This ain't about nothing. This is about you being a f---ing selfish b----. I don't think you're real smart. I've changed my damn mind on that s---. What you are is a selfish f---ing b----," Cyrus can be heard yelling.
"I'll tell you what," Cyrus continued. "That's what you are. You're a selfish a-- f---ing b----. You cannot continue to walk all over me and think that I'm gonna go out in public with your dumb---. And f---ing have you do this s--- anywhere you want. In front of whoever."
"Are you referring to you screaming at me right now?" Firerose responded.
"This would not be happening if you would have just shut your f---ing moth. Look what a f---ing mess you made. What a dumb--- thing to do. Now that's dumb--- cause you have to know I will not tolerate that s---. You just f---ed up," Cyrus said.
Firerose then told her husband she wanted him "to be happy" before the conversation ended with more name-calling.
Three months ago, Billy Ray petitioned for an annulment from Firerose. Since then, the couple have been engaged in a tumultuous online battle.
"Husband and wife acknowledge and agree that this is a marriage of extremely short duration and neither party has any marital interest in any real property owned by the other party prior to the marriage," according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital. Neither party was awarded alimony, and both parties agreed there are no jointly listed retirement assets.
"This past Friday the parties reached a settlement agreement at mediation to dissolve their 7-month marriage, and the Court declared the parties divorced this morning," Billy Ray's rep said in a statement Aug. 5. "Mr. Cyrus is relieved to put this nightmare behind him."
Cyrus and Firerose announced their engagement in November 2022 and married on his ranch Oct. 10, 2023.
Justin Timberlake had his own legal battles this summer after he was arrested for DWI in New York in June.
During Timberlake's virtual court appearance in Sag Harbor, New York, in August, the pop star pleaded not guilty to a misdemeanor charge of driving drunk in June, Fox News Digital confirmed at the time.
Justice Carl Irace also officially suspended Timberlake’s driver's license and permission to drive in New York.
Timberlake was arrested in Sag Harbor on Long Island around 12:15 a.m. June 18. He failed to stop at a stop sign and was unable to stay in the right lane before he was pulled over, then "performed poorly on all standardized field sobriety tests," according to court documents obtained by Fox News Digital.
He had "bloodshot and glossy eyes," was "unable to divide his attention" and had a "strong odor of an alcoholic beverage ... emanating from his breath." He was "unsteady afoot" and exhibited "slow speech," the arresting officer wrote.
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The "SexyBack" singer told the arresting officer he had had one martini at The American Hotel and was following some friends home. He was taken to a police station in East Hampton, where he refused a Breathalyzer test.
The week of his arrest, Timberlake thanked his fans for their unwavering support.
After briefly admitting "it's been a tough week" at his June 21 concert in Chicago, Timberlake expanded on his gratitude without directly mentioning his arrest.
"This [tour] is just something that keeps watching over me, more so on this tour than any other," the singer said, according to People. "And that's that mostly all of us here in this room tonight, in this arena tonight, have grown up together. So many of you come up to me and say, 'I grew up with you, man.'
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".I want each and every one of you to know I've grown up with you," he continued. "You have been such a big and beautiful part of my life, and sometimes I can't find the words to show my gratitude that you guys just keep riding with me and riding with me."
Since the release of "It Ends With Us" in early August, Lively has faced rumors of alleged drama between her and her co-star Justin Baldoni.
While "It Ends With Us" hit the box office with impressive numbers, the promotional tour was met with speculation of issues between Lively, Ryan Reynolds and Baldoni, who directed and starred in the film.
Fans took to TikTok and other social media platforms to share theories behind peculiar aspects of the press tour. Baldoni largely did his portion of the press tour solo despite being the lead alongside Lively. While many found this odd, the "Jane the Virgin" star spent time praising Lively.
However, Lively didn't seem to mention Baldoni in any interviews.
Additionally, Baldoni and Lively did not pose together for any photos at the premiere of the film. Typically, the entire cast will take photos together and stars portraying romantic partners will also pose for some shots.
Representatives for Lively and Baldoni did not respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment at the time.
Fox News Digital's Lauryn Overhultz, Caroline Thayer and Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
Original article source: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck call it quits; Justin Timberlake's DWI: Inside the biggest scandals of the summer
