Why Ben Affleck changed his mind and finally broke his silence on Jennifer Lopez divorce as she plots huge comeback
Despite undergoing two extremely public divorces, Ben Affleck has long been outspoken about his desire to keep his personal life out of the spotlight.
That’s why the world was left stunned when the notoriously private actor shed some light on the breakdown of his marriage to Jennifer Lopez during a recent candid chat with British GQ.
He described their split as ’embarrassing’ as he reflected on their very-different attitudes to fame – and the brazen confession after years of staying tight-lipped left many wondering: why the sudden change of heart?
Now, a source has revealed to DailyMail.com that Affleck, 52, decided to speak out about the breakup publicly for the first time because he was ‘so over’ the narrative that he was the bad guy and that Lopez was a ‘victim.’
They added that the Batman alum hoped it would give him the ‘closure’ that he desperately ‘needed’ and will ‘stop the constant questions’ about their split so he can move on and ‘focus’ on his ‘career and family.’
‘He is so over this divorce and the narrative that he was grumpy and that Jen was a victim,’ they said.
Ben Affleck decided to speak out about his Jennifer Lopez breakup publicly for the first time because he was ‘over’ the narrative that she was a ‘victim,’ a source has claimed
The world was left stunned when the notoriously private actor shed some light on the breakdown of his marriage to Jennifer Lopez during a recent candid chat with British GQ
‘It has been a year since he left, and he is hoping that speaking up will stop the constant questions.
‘He is ready to focus on what actually matters to him. His career and his family. This gave Ben closure, which is what he needed.’
The insider added that Affleck – who was seen out this week in LA looking relaxed and happy – ‘never planned to address their divorce’ publicly but ultimately felt he needed to clear the air following Lopez’s shock comments to Interview magazine last October.
At the time, the singer described the breakup as the ‘hardest time in her life’ and said her ‘whole f**king world exploded,’ but added that it ‘lead her to where she wanted to go.’
‘Ben had never planned to address their divorce because it is a private matter, and he respects Jen,’ the source continued.
‘But after she spoke about him to Interview magazine he decided it was time to say what he had to say in the nicest way possible.’
The insider added that Affleck hopes that his and Lopez’s split will not ‘overshadow’ the release of the upcoming film that they worked on together, Kiss Of The Spider Woman.
It was revealed just this week that the movie musical – which Lopez is starring in and Affleck co-produced – had been picked up for a theatrical release in the fall.
The source added that the Batman alum hoped speaking out would give him the ‘closure’ that he desperately ‘needed’ and will ‘stop the constant questions’ about their split
He described their split as ’embarrassing’ as he reflected on their very-different attitudes to fame during the interview
‘Also, regarding their movie, Ben is trying to get the deal locked,’ the source revealed.
‘He really does want this to succeed and not be overshadowed by their drama which happened to Unstoppable.’
DailyMail.com has reached out to Affleck’s representative for comment.
During his interview with British GQ – which took place in late January and early February but hit stands earlier this week – Affleck admitted that he and Lopez had different views on fame.
‘There are a lot of people who I think have handled celebrity more adeptly and more adroitly than I have, Jennifer among them,’ he said.
‘My temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private than hers. As happens in relationships, you don’t always have the same attitude towards these things.’
As for what went wrong, he insisted that ‘there’s no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue’ when it came to the demise of their marriage.
‘I guess there’s a tendency to look at breakups and want to identify root causes or something,’ he continued.
The insider added that Affleck – who was seen out this week in LA looking as relaxed and happy as ever – ‘never planned to address their divorce’ publicly
But they said he ultimately felt he needed to clear the air following Lopez’s shock comments to Interview magazine last October
‘But honestly, like I said, the truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting.
‘It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do.’
He insisted that there was no ‘big event’ that lead to their breakup, and confessed that talking about the split felt ’embarrassing’ and ‘vulnerable.’
‘As you get older, this is true for me, I assume it’s true for most people, there is no “So-and-so did this” or “This was the big event,”‘ he said.
‘It’s really, it sounds more like a couple’s therapy session, which – you would tune out of someone else’s couple’s therapy after a while.
‘For one thing, you start going, “OK, clearly this person has got these issues. Clearly they have these issues.” And the reason I don’t want to share that is just sort of embarrassing. It feels vulnerable.’
He concluded by stating that he has ‘nothing but respect’ for his ex-wife.
Back in 2021, Affleck spoke about his dedication to keeping his relationships private after a reporter for The Wall Street Journal asked him about his and JLo’s romance.
At the time, the singer described the breakup as the ‘hardest time in her life’ and said her ‘whole f**king world exploded,’ but added that it ‘lead her to where she wanted to go’
The insider added that Affleck hopes that his and Lopez’s split will not ‘overshadow’ the release of the upcoming film that they worked on together, Kiss Of The Spider Woman
He said ‘some things were intimate’ and should not be ‘shared with the rest of the world.’
‘You can write conjecture about it, but one of the harder lessons that I have learned is that it’s not wise to share everything with the world,’ the star said.
‘There are some things which are private and intimate and have meaning in terms of their intimacy by dint of the fact that they’re not shared with the rest of the world.’
He added that he was ‘just learning to find a boundary between things he wanted to share and things he didn’t.’
‘I don’t know if it’s good or bad. I don’t,’ Affleck continued. ‘I know that I feel more comfortable having those healthy boundaries in my life around which, in a friendly and straightforward way, I tell you, I just don’t want to be talking about my personal relationship in the newspaper. I’m going to exercise a little restraint.’
Despite Affleck’s comments about longing to keep their romance private, the intimate details of their love story were showcased to the world on her album This Is Me… Now and its accompanying documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
During one part of the movie, which premiere in February 2024, Affleck admitted that he was ‘taken aback’ by her singing about their romance in great detail on her album.
When rumors began to swirl that were going their separate ways just three months after it premiered, many wondered if her openness had driven a wedge between them.
By August of that year, the pair’s breakup was confirmed.
Last week, it was reported the Lopez, was finally ‘in a great place’ following the split, and planning a major career comeback – but taking a different approach this time around.
A source told DailyMail.com that she was not looking to sing about her love life this time around, but instead, wanted to release music about ‘strength, courage and perseverance.’
