As rumors continue to swirl about the state of Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck‘s marriage, we’re hearing more about the pivotal moment that may have sparked the beginning of the end for their relationship. According to an insider who spoke with In Touch, it all started with the making of J-Lo’s recent documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
The documentary, which premiered on Prime Video back in February 2024, was apparently “a real eye-opener for them,” the source explained. There was one scene in particular that stood out, where Affleck is talking about the creation of Lopez’s recent album, This Is Me…Now. Speaking directly to the camera crew, he reveals how he reacted after he learned that Lopez shared all of the love letters he’d written to her with her songwriters: “Things that are private I had always felt are sacred and special in part because they’re private,” he said. “So, this was something of an adjustment for me.”
In the doc, Lopez acknowledged how difficult it was for Affleck to put their relationship in the spotlight. “I don’t think he’s very comfortable with me doing all of this,” she admitted. “But he loves me, he knows I’m an artist, and he’s gonna support me in every way he can because he knows he can’t stop me.” And while it’s true that Affleck didn’t stop her from doing her thing, In Touch’s source believes that their dynamic changed after that moment.
“They both sat back and looked at how different they really are,” the insider explained. “While Jennifer loves being the center of attention, Ben would rather live his life away from the spotlight. At the end of the day, they both just want different things out of life.”
Related: A Complete Timeline of Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck’s Rumored Divorce
But how did Bennifer get here? After all, they’ve already been through the wringer together. As followers of their romance know, the pair first fell for each other over two decades ago. They met on the set of the romantic comedy Gigli in 2001, and by 2002, they were engaged. Affleck proposed to Lopez with a stunning 6.1-carat pink diamond ring. The pair planned their nuptials, but constant tabloid attention and interest in their relationship led the pair to postpone their wedding before eventually calling it off altogether in 2003.
In the years following their initial split, both Affleck and Lopez moved on and started families of their own. Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner in June 2005, and the pair went on to welcome three children together: Violet, born in 2005, Seraphina, born in 2009, and Samuel, born in 2012. On the other hand, Lopez married singer Marc Anthony in June 2004. They welcomed twins, a son named Maximilian and a daughter named Emme, in February 2008. Lopez and Anthony divorced in June 2014, while Affleck and Garner announced their separation in June 2015 and finalized their divorce in October 2018.
It wasn’t long before Bennifer rekindled their romance. The pair reconnected in April 2021 and didn’t waste any time. They surprised fans with a second engagement in April 2022, followed by a spontaneous wedding at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas in July 2022. J. Lo celebrated the occasion in her newsletter, On the J-Lo, writing, “We did it. Love is beautiful. Love is kind. And it turns out love is patient. Twenty years patient.”
However, as recent reports suggest, cracks may be appearing in their fairytale ending. For now, it seems Bennifer’s storybook romance is facing its most challenging chapter yet.
