Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck on their second wedding anniversary, Tuesday.
Did This Moment Signal the End for Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck? Actor Was 'Stunned' When Singer Shared His Private Love Letters Kept Secret for 20 Years, as Couple Heads for Divorce
The singer, 55, cited April 26 as the date of separation, following months of speculation about her split from the actor, 52.
During their brief two-year marriage, Lopez released a documentary titled The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which reportedly created tension between the former couple.
In the film, Affleck was reportedly 'stunned' to discover that Lopez had shared his private love letters with her musicians, using them as inspiration for her upcoming album. Affleck had preserved this correspondence during his 13-year marriage to Jennifer Garner and later compiled it into a book to present to Lopez upon their reunion in 2021.
He recounted: “My book that I had given her was down there. She said, ‘I’ve been reading it to people. This is kind of the inspiration, and I’ve been showing them the book.’”
Affleck continued: “I was like, you’ve been showing all the musicians all those letters… and they were like, ‘Yeah, we call you Pen Affleck.’ And I was like, ‘Oh my god.’”
Reflecting on his preference for keeping the letters private, he added: “I found the beauty and the poetry in the fact that it’s the greatest love story never told. If you’re making a record about it, that seems kind of like telling it.”
In the documentary, Lopez described the book: “This book is a gift Ben gave me on our first Christmas back together. It contains every letter and every email we wrote to each other from 20 years ago to today.”
She highlighted a note that read: “The Greatest Love Story Never Told by Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck 2001-2010… and counting…”
The couple got engaged at the end of 2002 but called off their engagement a year later, officially ending their relationship in 2004.
Lopez subsequently married and divorced Marc Anthony, with whom she has 16-year-old twins Max and Emme. Affleck and Jennifer Garner began dating in August 2004 and married the following year. They separated in 2015, finalising their divorce in 2018. They co-parent their three children: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
After the documentary’s release, sources dismissed any suggestion that Jennifer Garner was upset by Affleck keeping his love letters from Lopez, stating she was supportive of his past relationship and content in her relationship with John Miller.
A source told DailyMail.com: “Ben would prefer that his love letters remain private, but he is a romantic. Despite his love for Jennifer, he never fully got over JLo. He keeps mementoes from movies and personal moments, often referred to as 'receipts' by his children.”
The source continued: “No one is surprised by this. Jennifer is fine with it, JLo clearly appreciates it, and it all seems meant to be. Jennifer and Ben have their wonderful children and are enjoying their current relationships.”
The couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement before their marriage in July 2022, according to insiders.
This marks Jennifer’s fourth failed marriage and Ben’s second.
Speculation about their separation began when they went 47 days without being seen together. Rumours intensified as they spent less time together over the summer, and Lopez attended the Met Gala alone in May, shortly after cancelling her world tour 'to be with her family.'
Since then, they have been spending their summers on opposite coasts and did not mark their anniversary together.