Ben Affleck is reportedly over his soon-to-be ex-wife Jennifer Lopez discussing their breakup in a recent interview, where she admits to feeling “sad” and “desperate” in the wake of their split.
While it caught him off guard at first, Affleck reportedly isn’t shocked, as he has accepted that Lopez, known for sharing details of her personal life, isn’t likely to stop talking anytime soon — which is something Affleck has had to navigate for years.
Lopez’s most recent public outpouring was in a sit down with Interview magazine, the singer and actress opened up about her insecurities, tying them back to her experiences growing up as a middle child.
“My whole life has been proving my enoughness. Dealing with feeling like you’re enough, from when you’re very young, is something that you don’t figure out for a long time,” Lopez shared.
She continued, “It was just being ignored, being a middle child, having a very outgoing mom and a dad who worked all day and worked all night and feeling like you weren’t important, like you weren’t a priority. That embeds in you.”
Lopez explained that these early feelings of inadequacy spilled into her relationships, impacting her self-esteem when things fell apart.
She expressed a deep sense of loneliness when relationships failed, which intensified those feelings of not being enough.
“I need to go off and be on my own,” she recalled telling herself. “I want to prove to myself that I can do that.”
Lopez also reflected on her “f—king hard breakup” with Affleck, along with her other marriages, pondering why those unions didn’t work.
She eventually began telling herself, “Oh, you couldn’t love me if I have flaws. I have to be perfect to be loved… That’s not true! Somebody who truly loves you will help you heal those parts of yourself.”
The Daily Mail reported recently that it was told by a purported source close to Affleck that the actor wasn’t surprised by Lopez’s revelations, saying, “Ben knows that she will talk about the breakup forever.”
“He would love for her not to talk about it, but he feels she will always speak out,” the site‘s tipster explained. “He didn’t get a heads-up that she was going to talk about their relationship, but he assumed that it would eventually happen.”
The insider added, “It is a part of his life just as much as anything else. He’s never going to get away from it,” especially since Lopez has “always been one to talk” about her personal life in the media.
This isn’t the first time Lopez has faced criticism for oversharing. Her first husband, Ojani Noa, previously remarked that she often paints herself as the victim in her public retellings.
Weeks before the actual filing of divorce on Aug. 20, speculation that the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer started planting stories about their relationship to help drive the narrative of who was at fault in the marriage falling apart began to resurface.
Fans have mixed reactions to her openness. Some criticize Lopez for monetizing her relationships, while others argue Affleck should have expected this behavior.
“Don’t a lot of high profile couples make agreements not to talk about each other in their settlements? Ben should make that one of his requests in the divorce that neither talk about the other or she’ll be blabbing about him on and off forever,” one person commented online.
Another added, “She monetized everything about their relationship and made him feel like their private life made for part of her income. I’d get sick of her in a hurry too.”
“It’s been well documented that Affleck does not like media attention,” someone else wrote. “I think he underestimated how much media attention he would receive because of his connection with Lopez. She loves it, he hates it – and that is the main reason why it didn’t work.”
A fourth comment said, “She won’t stop publicizing their break up! The other day, legs wide open she talks about it! I think she wants people to believe it wasn’t her fault. But come on, this is her 4th Divorce!”
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are reportedly heading towards a divorce pic.twitter.com/l3QVBAUU2I
— Daily Loud (@DailyLoud) May 17, 2024
Others believe Affleck should have known what he was getting into, given Lopez’s history of living her life in the public eye.
“Ben, You knew from when you were together before that her life is played out in public, to remain ‘relevant’ on social media, and to draw in money and adulation,” one fan pointed out.
The same person added, “You can’t complain now. You should have got her to sign a non-disclosure agreement if you were that worried about it. It benefits her to keep bringing it up…until one day it won’t, when everyone’s sick of hearing her side of the story.”
Affleck and Lopez first began dating in the early 2000s but broke up and ended up marrying other people. Years later they rekindled their romance in 2021 and tied the knot in 2022.
During their time together, the couple produced a documentary about their love story, with Affleck directing much of the narrative. Now, Lopez reportedly regrets giving him too much control as a producer on how their relationship was portrayed.
Months after the film and the accompanying album “This Is Me… Now: A Love Story,” and single, “Greatest Love Story Never Told,” the couple called it quits, with Lopez filing for divorce on Aug. 20, ending their only two-year marriage. They have reportedly been separated since April.
As their divorce looms, with assets and properties being divided, both stars find themselves at a crossroads.
While Lopez may continue to air their business in public, the question remains: will Affleck finally ask her to respect his privacy, or will she continue to process her heartbreak in the spotlight?
