While Bennifer once appeared to be the ultimate love story, things are now reportedly over for good between the fairytale couple. After spending their wedding anniversary apart, Ben Affleck celebrated wife Jennifer Lopez’s birthday by purchasing himself a bachelor pad – with insiders saying a divorce announcement is imminent.
Last week, reports surfaced that Jennifer, 55, and Ben, 51, are preparing to call it quits after two years of marriage. An insider shared, “They finalised their divorce papers a month ago, but are waiting for the right time to drop them. Then, they’ll release a joint statement saying they have much love for each other and fought to make it work, but couldn’t.” Another insider added that the couple have accepted they “could not come to a compromise – what they had before is gone and they have both accepted it.”
The news came days after Ben celebrated his wife’s 55th birthday on 24 July by purchasing himself a £16million bachelor pad mansion in the Pacific Palisades. The present wasn’t top of the Jenny From The Block singer’s wish list, with friends close to the star saying the purchase came as a “stab to the heart.”
After buying his new home, Ben appeared to skip the star’s Bridgerton-themed birthday bash, which featured a choreographed dance, a horse-drawn carriage, and a birthday throne. In an Instagram post, Jenthanked her fans, writing, “Besides my family and friends, you have always been there for me in the good times and in the tough times. I can always count on you. And I want you to know that you can always count on me.”
Reports of an impending divorce have come as no surprise to fans, with the couple last pictured together at the end of March. In what seemed to be a final admission of things gone wrong, they spent their second anniversary apart last month – a far cry from the gushing admissions of love previously shown. But while many question what is taking the unlucky-in-love couple so long to call it quits, insiders have hinted that the pair have been wrapped up in some tricky financial details.
Together, the couple have built an empire worth over half a billion dollars – however, the vast majority of their worth lies with superstar J-Lo. While Ben is thought to be worth a not-shabby £125m, it pales in comparison to his wife’s whopping £313m. With much of their shared income wrapped up in various properties, sources have said it’s taken the couple some time to divide up their assets. They quietly put their Beverly Hills mansion up for sale earlier this year, while Jen recently finalised the sale of her four-bedroom New York penthouse. Sources also revealed that the couple had begun auctioning off much of their shared possessions, including plenty of high-end artwork.
Many fans have been left wondering where it all went wrong for the A-list couple’s romance. The couple called off their first engagement back in January 2004, and J-Lo quickly moved on with musician Marc Anthony, 55, tying the knot just months after splitting from Ben. The couple welcomed twins Max and Emma, now 16, in 2008. Meanwhile, Ben went on to marry actress Jennifer Garner, 52, welcoming children Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12, before their split in 2018. After reuniting in 2021, Jen would later allude to their romance as “the greatest love story never told”.
Fast-forward two years, and their sweet PDAs are no more. But despite their dwindling spark, the couple are staying on good terms for the sake of their blended brood. Jen was recently spotted enjoying a day out with eldest Affleck daughter Violet, while the once loved-up pair have also enjoyed multiple family days out together.
Insisting they’ll keep putting their family first, no matter what, an insider previously shared, “Ben and Jen will never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him and he can’t change her. There’s no way it could have lasted.”
