Here are more photos of Jennifer Lopez in Mexico City this week, as she’s promoting her Netflix film Atlas. Last night, I watched The Greatest Love Story Never Told again, the documentary she made concurrently with the musical-film This Is Me… Now. Tonight I might re-watch Halftime, the documentary she made in 2019-2020. I’m a big fan of Halftime – it showed an artist and entertainer who had matured, who was politically active, who was still dealing with constant disrespect from multiple industries but still grinding. TGLSNT felt like a regression, like getting back with Ben Affleck undid all of the work she had done on herself for 18-plus years. That being said, rewatching TGLSNT made me feel like Ben and Jen were going to be okay, that they would figure out their sh-t. But yeah, the sh-t about showing Ben’s love letters to dozens of people is still not okay.
Anyway, I still don’t know what to make of Bennifer’s current drama. They’re living separately, but they’re still talking and seeing each other. Jennifer’s people aren’t stopping the rumor mill, but they’re also not making any big announcements. Post-TGLSNT, I know Jen is going to be ride-or-die until the wheels come off. Ben’s another story altogether. While Jen was in Mexico City, at the press conference or media event, a Mexican journalist tried to ask her about Ben and the rumors:
Jennifer Lopez shuts down reporter who asked about Ben Affleck divorce rumors:
“You know better than that” pic.twitter.com/3Yb9LJWlsN
— Pop Base (@PopBase) May 23, 2024
“Is your divorce with Ben Affleck real? These rumors? What is the truth? Para le press le Mexicana [for the Mexican press], what is the truth of the situation?” Then Simu Liu tries to shut it down, but J.Lo leans in and says “You know better than that.” Meaning what? Probably that journalists were told ahead of time “no personal questions.”
Meanwhile, People Mag notes that Ben had a “relaxed” dinner at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica on Tuesday night, while Jen was in Mexico. Sources say that Ben was “in a great mood. He seemed very relaxed and happy. Everyone chatted and seemed to enjoy.” Okay.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
-
- Mexico City ‘Atlas’ Fan Event at Plaza Toreo Parque Central Featuring: Jennifer Lopez Where: Mexico City, Mexico When: 21 May 2024 Credit: EyePix/INSTARimages
-
- Mexico City ‘Atlas’ Fan Event at Plaza Toreo Parque Central Featuring: Jennifer Lopez Where: Mexico City, Mexico When: 21 May 2024 Credit: EyePix/INSTARimages
-
- Mexico City ‘Atlas’ Fan Event at Plaza Toreo Parque Central Featuring: Jennifer Lopez Where: Mexico City, Mexico When: 21 May 2024 Credit: EyePix/INSTARimages
-
- Press Conference Of ‘Atlas’ at Mexico City St. Regis Hotel Featuring: Brad Peyton, Simu Liu, Jennifer Lopez Where: Mexico City, Mexico When: 22 May 2024 Credit: EyePix/INSTARimages
-
- Press Conference Of ‘Atlas’ at Mexico City St. Regis Hotel Featuring: Brad Peyton, Simu Liu, Jennifer Lopez Where: Mexico City, Mexico When: 22 May 2024 Credit: EyePix/INSTARimages
-
- Press Conference Of ‘Atlas’ at Mexico City St. Regis Hotel Featuring: Jennifer Lopez Where: Mexico City, Mexico When: 22 May 2024 Credit: EyePix/INSTARimages
Goodness, she looks so lovely when she just smiles rather than the mouth open thing.
She really does. She’s glowing. I hope she’s having fun with her co-stars.
Yes! More of that, please!
Yes! I agree completely. When she tries to pose and look sexy or whatever, it just looks…..well, not sexy. But when she just smiles and looks relaxed and happy, she looks gorgeous.
Her styling in Mexico is so much better. The hair, the makeup, it’s all so flattering.
I was thinking the same, she looks great here, I love the sparkly suit!
1. I love the sparkly jumpsuit
2. It’s really difficult to tell someone that they know better than to ask personal questions about your relationship after you’ve just made an ENTIRE MOVIE about your relationship.
Because she had complete creative control in that situation and she could show people what she wants them to see. She really doesn’t want anyone to see the cracks in the veneer of The Greatest Love Story.
I love Simu Liu. He seems like such a humble, nice, funny, hardworking guy.
I don’t know I kinda think that like Paltrow when she was first married she and her husband didn’t live in the same house for quite awhile. Maybe Jen and Ben are trying that.
Goop and her new husband were living apart because he kids did not like Goop, which I can see why because Goop was the other woman.
Ben and JLo have a 5,000 sq guesthouse on the property that Ben could have easily moved into and do their own thing and keep the media out of their business.
That was different. He lived with goop during the week then kept his home to see his kids on weekends to slowly get them used to living in a new home which they did after a year rather than pushing kids who don’t know each other into a living situation before they know each which Bennifer did. It seemed smart to me right away although some freaked out about it
I think people need to lay off jlo, the amount of hate she gets for being with Ben is getting ridiculous. My understanding is that he was a producer of the documentary and therefore would have had to sign off on everything and is very much involved. Either way when he chooses to work with her, it’s still his choice he’s not a victim being led astray.
February Pisces, That’s how I see it. Either treat them equally or back off.
I knew they were in trouble when she published her private love letters and did the whole movie and then tour thing.
I was shocked to see that JLo has many many more followers on Instagram than Jennifer Garner. But I wouldn’t be surprised if JLo BUYS her followers.
Too bad she can’t just be. Wish I felt sorry for her. #sorrynotsorry
A lot of them buys followers. Look at the Kardshians. But JLo has a lot of fans in South America too and she is a global superstar. Her perfumes are pretty popular too. Glow is a classic today.
Not sure why it would be shocking when J.Lo is a much bigger star than Garner, who has largely remained relevant because of her relationship with Affleck. J.Lo has been famous since before either Ben or Garner have been. She’s been in multiple hit films and had hit albums; plus she has had side ventures. Why would it be shocking that Garner, who was most popular during Alias, would have fewer fans than J.Lo. Let’s not act like the two are on the same level as entertainers.
Cos benny boy is such an upstanding citizen… this world hates women. Benny never calls the paps, he never does promos, never cheated on mother of his kids, never grabbed at least 2 women, never treated women whom he dated as crap… but let’s see why Garner has fewer followers than J.lo. That’s the bottom line.
Jennifer López has social media followers throughout Latin America. The United State and Europe aren’t the only places where music and movie fans live. Sheesh!!
It’s crazy to me Jennifer gets all the heat for this. Maybe Ben is struggling and it has zero to do with her. But yeah let’s blame the woman…
Jennifer is the one out there in public promoting her upcoming projects so naturally she’s drawing more attention. I don’t see evidence of either her or Ben being blamed for something that hasn’t happened. She did catch heat for the cinematic depictions of her relationship but that was mostly warranted because the films were not good.
Well, based on the many newspaper stories, the blame is mostly on her. The comments of the readers are even worse. A good relationship can’t be disrupted by some letters. He was a producer and could have cut that’ scene out? I don’t know but it does seem there is a lot of misogyny going on.
The musical album wasn’t great or all that unique or striking. The documentary was pretty good, actually.
I wonder if some of this is just Jennifer creating from her own source of inspiration and Ben’s issues around failure being triggered. Jennifer has had more experience with failing in public and coming back swinging. Ben seems to do a lot more falling and wallowing pathetically and then becoming increasingly self sabotaging. So I’m betting that he’s struggling to handle this period of not looking successful in public perception based on something he doesn’t like to do anyway (put their relationship out there as much as Jennifer does). It’s bringing up his Gigli trauma.
She is absolutely being blamed. Again. “She shouldn’t have shared the letters…”, “She works too much…”, “Poor Ben doesn’t like all this attention..” It goes on and on. Nothing about how Ben has a history of self sabatoge and addiction. The criticism is unbalanced.
And I disagree on her Netflix films. They were amazing and did well. The record and tour aren’t doing as well.
MCALI. This. She is always too much. Like we as women don’t know that already.
@McCali02 I respect your point and agree that we women usually and unfairly shoulder the blame. But sometimes it’s true. Now Ben is no angel but we know Jennifer courts the press and seems to crave the outside attention and public approval. All of the anecdotal stories from people who have met her and had negative experiences does not help. I’m also naturally suspicious of women who can’t be single. (To be fair, the same can be said about Ben)
No one is perfect. I am rooting for them.
I totally understand JLo shutting down the reporter by telling her/ him that they know better. She’s not there to report on her own love story or her love story film. She’s there for work and the question is trashy.
I obviously don’t know her personally, but both, repeat, both Ben and this Jen have issues. JLo is the one who is mostly facing the questions, dealing with work in this environment, and getting less sympathetic write-ups than Ben. He’s not facing the same heat, whereas it is completely fair to analyze his own struggles with relationships.
They would have been smart to try to protect their relationship from the press as much as possible this time around.. making movies or documentaries about it probably wasn’t the best decision. If I recall they couldn’t handle the criticism from previous projects together either, seems to me that is the big issue, but I’m on the outside looking in.
Kaiser and so many others called it as soon as she dropped her latest project smdh.
It’s amazing that so many strangers can see plainly what these two cannot: privacy and protection is what is necessary in this relationship. And I’m not blaming just J Lo cuz again, Affleck knew what he was getting into. But I still feel like they wouldn’t be here if Jen had made different professional choices.
I was once in a really toxic relationship with a guy who had a “sounding board” (his words) at the office where he would discuss our relationship and ask for feedback. I remember feeling so violated. Like, I could not believe that he would betray my trust and use the details of our relationship as office gossip. That was the first of many red flags….
But I digress. Relationships require nurturing and protection and part of that is recognizing the sanctity and trust between you and your partner. People need to feel safe and that their privacy isn’t being sacrificed for the other partner’s personal satisfaction or in J Lo’s case, professional gain.
Agree that they need to protect and keep relationship details private. And the movie certainly didn’t help that 🙂
From what I’ve been reading, it sounds like they both have these deep needs for validation (Jen possibly more than Ben). It’s fascinating to me that both are so successful professionally and yet still have such an insatiable need for more (maybe that’s why they are successful- this drive fuels them) but that obviously isn’t possible in the personal realm. I read a quote attributed to Ben, and he sounds pretty insightful about her and himself actually – he said something about how she is never satisfied and needs more fans, more movies, more money, more more. And he analogized her needs to an alcoholic and how drink can’t fill the hole. Obviously he understands that. I think maybe this commonality is part of their deep attraction/love.
The complication of that is that some people navigate the world as a ‘we’ – culturally, emotionally, relationally, some people are ‘we’ people and that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Jennifer seems like a ‘we’ person and it can work in her favor when she makes her audience feel like a part of that.
Other people navigate the world as an ‘I’ and a lot of those people assume that everyone does and should do the same. The US is an ‘I’ dominant over culture but filled with people from ‘we’ cultures and families and philosophies. Ben seems like an ‘I’ person. A lot of Western white people are.
Neither one’s approach is correct or best all all times or under all circumstances. The world is full of people being both in ways that are terrible and great. It’s just hard to reconcile them under one roof, in one relationship.
Very insightful comments and I do agree that there’s some shared issues between the two of them in terms of feeling unfulfilled and a deep desire for validation and success both personally and professionally. @ Yup, Me-I think your comment upthread discussing Ben being triggered by her success and his own failures is an accurate analysis. I hoped when they got back together that he had reached a point of acceptance and self-actualization but it seems the same deep-rooted issues are still there.
In terms of the “I” vs “We” outlook–very interesting food for thought. I guess I have maybe more of an “I” outlook which is probably a combination of how I was raised, my sociocultural situation, and my own personality. I have poor psychic boundaries and a tendency to prioritize protecting my peace and privacy over being emotionally open and available. Definitely don’t think that’s better than the ‘We” outlook but I do recognize the incompatibility inherent in those basic differences.
I mean yeah I agree with other commenters that once you essentially commodify your relationship and serve it up for public consumption, it would naturally follow that others would feel that it’s fair game to talk about. But J Lo has an obsessive need to control her image including her relationship, so I guess she doesn’t want to talk about it failing along with her latest artistic endeavors. Gotta keep up appearances.
IDK I was really rooting for these two but her reaction and non-response does not speak to a solid relationship. She could have shut that down with the quickness by saying they’re doing great but instead she left the door wide open for more speculation.
my take on this mess is that they might have issues, but she is purposedly making things look more troublesome than they really are, just to get more coverage for her projects
Maybe. I’m reactivating my Netflix temporarily (it’s such a time-suck) this month as I have downtime before new job just to watch The Mother and Atlas (I’m a SF fan). And I can’t stand JLo, given what I know about her alleged treatment of service workers and crew (and can’t stand her rom-coms). Wouldn’t have know about these two films without the Bennifer 2.0 drama.
At the end of the day, they could put a stop to this by putting out a joint statement. Instead they are running to the tabloids having their PR team make comments about each other as ”source friends” doing very obvious ( bad ) photo ops and doing the ring, no ring pop strolls .
Awe.. Simu. He tried to help out his friend. 💙
He is adorable! And seems like a real sweetheart. He was great in Barbie and I look forward to his next project.
I know I sound like a broken record but neither of them seem capable of approaching relationship roadblocks by seeing them through each others’ eyes. You have to broaden your POV to include your partner’s feelings and preferences. Mr. Jaded is intensely private, and until I came along in 2015 didn’t even have a mobile phone. We discussed it along with his daughter who was adamant he get one as he was then divorced, living along, type 1 diabetic, we were in a long-distance relationship and his daughter and her family were living a day’s drive away. He realized then that we were sincerely worried…what if he had a blood sugar crash and passed out? (This has happened, fortunately I was living with him by that point.) Both Ben and Jen seem to be stubborn, ego-driven people who, despite the failures of their previous marriages to other people and their own first relationship, still haven’t grasped the notion of understanding differing opinions and working out mutually acceptable solutions.
So she made a film AND a documentary about her relationship, and published her husband’s love letters, but the media isn’t supposed to ask about it? I see.
Point taken but she didn’t publish his letters. She showed them to her team that was helping her on the record and movie. Also, he produced her movie and he could have taken it out if he was so upset about it. But he didn’t.
I think BOTH JL & Ben thought that each would change their lifestyle once they got married but that obviously did not happen.I don’t believe that either of them enjoy being with certain circles of friends/ business associates. JL wanted that plus one to attend all her business & social functions & Ben not only does not want to attend, but he seems very UNCOMFORTABLE. I think JL needs that plus one by her side & I think eventually she will (or maybe already has) resent Ben. I do believe that the oversharing of his love letters, which Ben considered sacred & private really hurt him. They even gave him the name “Pen Affleck.”
Ben saying that he feels JL is never satisfied probably also hit a nerve. They clearly have alot of issues to work out…
I dont like either of them. but if I was in a short term marriage with no kids with that person, I would divorce over the sharing of the letters. I just couldnt move by it.
Jen looks beautiful, is beautiful here. Love the jumpsuit, and agree with the comment that when she smiles and is herself, she is so engaging and pretty. Still hope everything works, whatever it takes for them to work it out. Still need to go watch the documentary, but apparently Ben asked her if she had forgiven him for something in the past: marriage is equal opportunity for making amends, perhaps she can ask him to forgive her for showing his love letters. (BIG mistake).