Marc Anthony has a new interview that will air on ABC’s Nightline tonight in which he discusses his divorce with Jennifer Lopez. He claims he’s doing it to set the record straight, probably after the cheating rumors and all the tabloids that J.Lo strategically told her side of the story to. Good Morning America had a preview of the interview this morning, and they focus on Anthony saying the split wasn’t “sensationalistic.” Even though I (sort-of) write for a living, I wasn’t sure that “sensationalistic” was an actual word, but it is, it just sounds like it’s made up.

Anthony denies having affairs, particularly with that flight attendant that was mentioned in Lopez’s US Weekly cover story, but he does it in a roundabout way that makes me scrunch up my face and go “hmmm.” He does say “no, absolutely not” about infidelity but he also spends a lot of time going on about how there were a ton of other fake rumors about him and then he complains about the gossip industry.

On the end of his marriage
I’ll tell you it wasn’t some sensationalistic happening.

Interviewer: infidelity?
No, absolutely not. Nothing sensationalistic…

It was a realization on both our parts, so. It wasn’t shocking. These things happen. These things happen.

Interviewer: There was a flight attendant?
There was a flight attendant. There was a pilot I heard. There was this guy sitting next to me in a rehab in Houston. I’ve heard it all.

Celebrity watching and speculation is almost like a sport.

On if he wants this divorce.
It’s a decision that we made jointly, and that’s how I’ll answer that.

Then the interview goes on to promote Marc Anthony’s new album of Spanish love songs, his clothing line with Kohl’s and his talent reality competition with J.Lo.

If celebrity watching and speculation is a sport*, then Anthony’s estranged wife is one of the most enthusiastic and hard working players. She puts this stuff out there for consumption, and she’s pushing her side of the story. Marc was kind of unconvincing with his side. He seemed so lackluster in that interview.

US Weekly has a big article in the print edition about the “alleged” cheating between Marc and Jada Pinkett Smith on set. They suggest that there was at least an inappropriately close friendship between them along with some suspicious behavior. What’s more is that Jada supposedly tried to help broker Jennifer and Marc’s split! It doesn’t make sense that she would have done that if she was sleeping with Marc as it would have involved some massive chutzpah. Here’s more from US:

Lopez may have picked up on what another insider considers an “inappropriately close” off-camera relationship. “They were a little too touching and like they were in their own little world,” says a set source, who recalls that Anthony once fed her a piece of cake with his fingers – and the pair often hung out alone in his trailer. The insider says they just got friendly quickly: “They talked and texted all the time…

“The more distant Marc and Jennifer became, the closer he got to Jada,” reveals the insider. The family friend says Pinkett Smith actually attempted to help mediate the acrimonious split – and her efforts backfired. “Jennifer didn’t like that,” says the pal. “Jada overstepped her bounds a bit and Will chastised her for getting too involved.” She may have been meddling, but the family insider insists Anthony and Pinkett Smith’s friendship never crossed the line to a full-blown affair. “Marc may be attracted to her, but Jada isn’t – period… she’s not jacking up her life for Marc Anthony…

[Jada and Will’s] kids and their marriage are too important to them. They will fight tooth and nail to preserve that.”

[From US Weekly, print edition, September 12, 2011]

It sounds like Jada and Marc at least had an emotional affair. That’s funny how Marc sort-of denied having an affair with a stewardess but never mentioned anything on this huge story of an affair with Jada. At least he didn’t talk about it in the preview of the interview that was aired this morning.

*On the “celebrity watching as a sport” angle – whenever a guy tries to tell me that celebrity gossip is frivolous I just ask them if they watch Sportscenter. Usually a look of realization dawns on their face.

These photos are from 5/23. You can tell that J.Lo is pissed off. Credit: WENN.com