If Jennifer Lopez is trying to show Ben Affleck what he’s missing, it’s working – but for all the wrong reasons. Because all she’s achieving is reminding him exactly why he wanted out of their humiliatingly short lived ‘fairytale’ marriage.
Jennifer Lopez has kicked off her 2025 Up All Night: Live tour in typical flamboyant style with super skimpy outfits, raunchy dance moves, empowering songs – and simulating sex with her hot, young backing dancers. But the extravaganza is not landing well with critics or fans, and our source tells us Ben is 'cringing from the sidelines.'
An insider tells heat, 'J.Lo only knows one speed and that’s full throttle sexy, and to her credit she looks phenomenal. Her body is incredible, and no doubt people come to see her strut her stuff just as much as they come for the music. She’s been getting headlines, but not necessarily for the right reasons because a lot of critics have been slamming her. Of course, Ben is watching it all from the sidelines and cringing. He’s also thanking his lucky stars he doesn’t have to be the one to coach her through it. He knows her well enough to know she won’t be taking the criticism well. She’s very proud, she’s never going to let on that she’s upset but of course it hurts to have people making mean comments about her looking desperate and that sort of thing.'
And the comments after the first shows around Europe this month have been nothing short of brutal, with critics branding her act dated and her vocals subpar. Some are even saying she’s too old for the sexual content which sees her dropping to all fours in front of one dancer and straddling another’s neck, crotch in his face. One particularly unkind commenter called her a “Temu Beyonce” and others include “please someone give this woman a romcom script and make her stop” and “That outfit didn’t cost a thing, and it shows.” A number of fans took issue with the provocative display, considering there were plenty of underage fans in attendance. One posted on X, 'I'm sorry but there are little kids in the audience, and this is taking it way too far and another chimed in, “This is just… I don't care if this a woman being confident with her sexuality or her just having fun… this is just gross and not necessary.”
Ben was angry and embarrassed when J.Lo launched her revenge song Wreckage of You at an exclusive listening party for 30 fans earlier this month – a defiant number she’s belting out on her tour to let the world know her heart was broken but she’s bounced back, better than ever.
He was worried she’d keep dredging up details of their failed relationship because he’s a notoriously private person who shuns the limelight. Now, we hear, he’s just sad for her. After all, she cancelled her 2024 tour saying she needed time with friends and family following their split (though poor ticket sales were also suspected to have played a part), and this was supposed to be a triumphant return.
“Ben isn’t going to throw any public shade at her, but his friends all know that he’s seeing her behaviour as more proof that she’s just wildly immature and ill-suited to him. She’s in her fifties and still so focused on being the sexy girl in the room and getting all the attention for that. He would be more impressed if she could age gracefully and naturally instead of clinging so hard to the past. Writhing around on stage like it’s still 2001 is beneath her as far as he’s concerned, he wishes for her sake she’d let that go. He’s said more than once that she’s too talented and too smart to be leaning so hard on sex appeal to stay relevant. He gets that it’s part of the act, it always has been, but there’s a way to evolve with dignity and he doesn’t think she’s doing that. From his perspective, it’s exhausting watching her constantly fight against time instead of leaning into where she’s at in life. And the sad part is, she’s doing all this, and the tour still isn’t the smash she was aiming for.”
Ben still cares about Jen and genuinely wants the best for her in her personal and professional life. However, he knows how hard it is to change her point of view and how much fame and adulation has motivated her over the years: 'Ben’s so relieved he doesn’t have to deal with any of it, he knows how on edge she gets when things aren’t going her way. As much as he still cares about her and wants her to be happy, he can’t help but feel like this is what always made them incompatible. She lives for the spotlight and the validation, whereas he wants peace and privacy and he couldn’t be happier not to be caught up in the whirlwind with her anymore.'
Despite a few dating rumours here, both Jen and Ben are thought to be single. The pair first dated each other in 2001, becoming engaged but splitting up just before their wedding two years later. When they reunited in 2021, the world was as carried away as they were with the romance and nostalgia of Bennifer 2.0. They married in Vegas in July 2022 and the fairytale seemed complete. When the same old problems resurfaced – their incompatible lifestyles and personalities - divorce lawyers were brought in. But it seems Ben will be dodging that spotlight that Jennifer keeps shining on him for many years to come.