Amidst swirling rumours that Hollywood golden couple George and Amal Clooney’s marriage has come under strain, fans were left shocked last week when heartthrob George posed at the premiere of his new Broadway show with newly-divorced Jennifer Lopez.
Looking gorgeous in a plunging velvet gown, Jennifer, 55 – who attended with her teen Emme, 17, and sister Lynda - stood beside a dapper George, 63, as the pair enjoyed the after party at the New York Public Library.
Meanwhile George publicly made his excuses for Amal’s surprising absence, reportedly telling journalists on the red carpet that she was at ‘home with the kids’ – their twins Ella and Alexander, seven.
And while George and J-Lo have been co-stars in the past, starring in the 1998 steamy thriller Eyes Wide Shut together, an insider tells heat that the snaps of the pair together have left a bitter taste in Amal’s mouth.
The source says, ‘Amal finds it all a bit too cosy. She knows that people will be talking and hates that there is now this perception of them snuggling up and posing for selfies at the premiere - especially when you add in the fact that she wasn't even there. It’s just a bad look.
They continue, ‘J.Lo’s glamorous outing to the play opening certainly caught everyone’s attention, George’s too. Certainly, if Amal had shown up, there wouldn’t have been an opportunity for George and J.Lo to reconnect.
‘Of course Amal didn’t suspect anything went on or is going on, but she’s not pleased George and J.Lo are getting along so well and appear so close. They haven’t worked together for almost 20 years but Amal knows George has always admired J.Lo for her toughness, directness and her sense of humour.’
Long marriages in Hollywood may be few and far between, but George and Amal, 47, have defied the odds for the last decade. Quite possibly the most polished pair in tinsel town, there hasn’t been even a hint of a crack in the golden couple’s 11-year marriage until recently.
Sources revealed to a New Zealand publication earlier this month how the couple’s intense work schedule over the past few months has been ‘testing’ and that George and Amal had been ‘drifting apart’ as they juggled their careers and family life.
Oscar winner George is currently making his Broadway debut playing journalist Edward R. Murrow in Good Night, and Good Luck, while Amal recently took on a role as a Professor at Oxford University.
So far, publicly, the couple have put on a united front, enjoying an evening out in New York last month, but the source says that being pulled away from their family home in France, which they moved into permanently just last year, has exasperated the reported tensions over their mutual career commitments.
The source reveals, ‘The truth is that they have been spending a lot more time apart than anyone realises. Sure, she moved to New York with him but she’s not just staying put at home, she’s taking plenty of side trips for her own work on top of looking after the kids while George is away working for long hours.
‘There are a lot of whispers about things between them being stressed right now, so the last thing they need is any evidence that could be seen to back that up. Amal feels like George ought to have known better, but he doesn’t see it that way and is digging in his heels.’
Meanwhile, J-Lo finalised her divorce from her fourth husband and a close friend of George’s, Ben Affleck, in January after two years of marriage.
In 2022, George, who directed Ben in Amazon’s The Tender Bar, admitted that Ben had been ‘through the ringer’, seemingly referencing his personal life and struggles with addiction.
He said at the time, ‘Some of [his rough patches], as he has said many times, self-inflicted, but he’s a fighter, and he’s been out there, and he showed up on this one [The Tender Bar] in such a big way and in such a gracious way.’
And while J-Lo hasn't always been complimentary about George, referring to his kissing during their on-screen snogathon in Eyes Wide Shut as just 'OK' back in 2015 , the source says Amal is still concerned that George could turn to J-Lo for marriage advice and, likewise, that George may have been offering the newly-single singer his shoulder to cry on.
They say, ‘Of course Amal is concerned that they could get chatting and that George will confide their problems to J-Lo. George is an extremely sociable guy and J-Lo is a good listener.
‘George also knows Ben well, so of course J-Lo trusts and appreciates his insights and wisdom. The divorce is still fresh and she’s been leaning on all of her friends for support.’
To make matters worse, Ben last week hinted that he may be ready to dip his toes back into the dating pool when, during a junket for his movie The Accountant 2, he compared himself to his character, who struggles to flirt after coming out of a relationship.
He admitted, ‘…Like so many of us. It’s not easy for anyone figuring out relationships, particularly at the very early part, where you’re trying to gauge, ‘What does this signal mean? Is this person looking at me? Do they like me? Am I going to humiliate myself if I go over there?’’
Now the source reveals how George is keen to try and match-make J-Lo with someone new – a venture that human rights lawyer Amal isn’t keen on him pursuing with so much already on their plate.
‘She's also never really gelled with J.Lo, they are just very different people, so that doesn’t help things,’ the source says. ‘It might be an easier pill to swallow if things with George were as picture perfect as everyone seems to believe, but his friendship with J-Lo just feels like something else piled on top of them at the moment.’
They continue, 'It’s no wonder their friends are concerned. George has been so caught up with work, a lot of his friends are saying Amal’s complaint is valid and he really ought to throw himself into sorting this out and making her feel better.’