All the Signs Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Were Headed for a Split
Originally appeared on E! Online
Jennifer Lopez is on her way to a new chapter.
After two years of marriage, the "On the Floor" singer filed for divorce from husband Ben Affleck on Aug. 20, according to court records obtained by E! News. In the documents, she revealed that the pair broke up way back on April 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.
So, while the divorce filing may be heartbreaking for longtime fans of their rekindled romance, it certainly didn't come out of nowhere.
In fact, rumors that the couple—who tied the knot in a private Las Vegas ceremony in July 2022 before saying "I do" again in Georgia one month later—were headed towards a breakup had been circulating ever since Jennifer, 55, attended the 2024 Met Gala without Ben, 52, by her side.
And the hints that there was trouble in paradise didn't end there. Speculation surrounding their relationship status continued to loom heavy after it was reported in May that the pair were living separately. Two months later, Ben and J.Lo fueled the rumor mill further by publicly listing their shared Beverly Hills mansion for a whopping $68 million.
More from E! Online
But Jennifer—who shares twins Max and Emme, 16, with ex-husband Marc Anthony—didn't stay totally silent through it all. In May, the Hustlers actress shut down a question regarding her love life during a May press conference for her movie Atlas, jokingly telling the interviewer, "You know better than that."
And for important milestones, Jennifer also made sure to get loud about her support for Ben and his kids Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15 and Samuel, 12, who he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. After all, the JLo Beauty founder attended Violet's high school graduation celebration in June, and she even gave the Good Will Hunting actor a special shoutout for Father's Day.
"Our hero," she wrote in a June 16 Instagram Story alongside a photo of Affleck as Capt. Rafe McCawley in Pearl Harbor. "Happy Father's Day!"
Read on for a full breakdown of all the signs Jennifer and Ben were calling it quits...
Solo Appearance at Met Gala
While the dress code for the 2024 Met Gala was "The Garden of Time," fans started wondering if there was a thorny situation between Jennifer and Ben after he didn't accompany her to the star-studded soirée (where she served as co-chair) on May 6.
As for the reason the Oscar winner—who took part in Netflix's Tom Brady roast in California the day before—didn't join the singer at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art? Ben's rep told E! he was filming the Accountant 2 in L.A.
Social Media Moves
Even though Bennifer stayed tight-lipped on the split rumors, social media speculation continued to get loud after fans noticed J.Lo had liked an Instagram post about relationship red flags a few months before.
"You can’t build a relationship with someone who is disconnected from themselves," the caption of the March 19 post read. "We can’t expect someone to see us when we can’t even see themselves. Getting in a relationship is the easy part. Nurturing & fostering it is a different story. After all, love is not a feeling, it’s action."
Different Perspectives on Relationships in the Public Eye
Just a few months before the rumblings of a split emerged, Ben shared insight into his and Jennifer’s very different approaches to privacy.
"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 explained in the Grammy nominee's documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told that was released in February. "I very much did object to it."
Expressing how the "massive amount of scrutiny" they faced was a "catalyst" for the end of their engagement in the early aughts, Ben said he wanted to keep details of their private life more, well, private after they rekindled their romance in 2021.
"Getting back together, I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media,'" he added. "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."
Living Apart
Later in May, reports spread that Jennifer and Ben were living apart.
No Ben on Atlas Red Carpets
And as the month progressed, she continued her string of solo red carpet appearances—attending both the L.A. premiere and Mexico City fan event for her movie Atlas without him. However, Jennifer did accessorize her looks with her wedding ring.
Questions on Where They Stood
In fact, a member of the audience at a press conference in Mexico asked about the breakup rumors. But as seen in a video shared by El Gordo y la Flaca, the actress simply responded, "You know better than that."
Canceled Tour
At the end of May, representatives for Live Nation announced the cancelation of Jennifer's U.S. Summer 2024 Tour This Is Me...Live, noting in her On the J.Lo newsletter, “Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends.”
Saying No to Negativity
Not long after, the singer celebrated the success of her movie Atlas while also sending a cryptic message about negativity.
"ATLAS is #1 worldwide again this week!!!" she stated in a June edition of her On the JLo newsletter. "Thank you all so much!!! It may seem like there’s a lot of negativity out in the world right now…but don’t let the voices of a few drown out that there is soooo much love out there."
Selling Their Home
That same month, TMZ reported the actors were privately selling the Beverly Hills mansion they had purchased just the year before. By July, they had publicly listed the home for $68 million.
Italian Getaway
While fans may have hoped Bennifer was gonna be alright after they attended family events together and she sent him a sweet Father's Day tribute, the split speculation picked back up after J.Lo headed off to Italy in June while Ben stayed in L.A., where he was spotted without his wedding ring.
July 4th
And when it was time to celebrate the Fourth of July, the Maid in Manhattan star headed to the Hamptons in New York. While she posted a photo with one of her twins, Emme, Ben was not pictured.
A Quiet Anniversary
July also marked the second anniversary of the Gigli costars' Las Vegas wedding. And while Jennifer shared a celebratory post last year, she didn't upload one this time around.
Bridgerton Birthday
The "Waiting For Tonight" artist celebrated her 55th birthday on July 24 with a Bridgerton-themed party in the Hamptons. But again, Ben was pictured in L.A.
Less than two weeks later, she was spotted in L.A. without her wedding ring.
No Birthday Shout-Out
And when Ben turned 52 on Aug. 15th, Jennifer didn't give him a birthday shout-out on social media. Although, the "Jenny From the Block" artist did stop by his home on that day, according to photos obtained by Page Six.
This Is the End... Now
After months of speculation, Jennifer filed for divorce from Ben on Aug. 20 at Los Angeles County Superior Court. In the documents, she cited the couple's date of separation as April 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.
For the latest breaking news updates, click here to download the E! News App