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(NewsNation) — As they say, where there’s smoke, there’s fire — but, at least with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, that’s not the case… yet.
Lopez spent Mother’s Day in Paris, with her child Emme — while her husband was 5,600 miles away in Los Angeles celebrating with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner and their children. To make matters worse, Lopez is not particularly fond of Garner — and the two, while distantly friendly, do not speak.
“Jennifer loves Mother’s Day,” a friend of Lopez’s told me. “I was shocked Ben wasn’t with her for the big day. She loves being pampered and having special days.”
Then the photos of Lopez house hunting with her longtime producer Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas hit the papers this week, even though Lopez and Affleck dropped $60 million in cash for a Beverly Hills mansion last June.
And the rumor mill went into overdrive.
So let’s sort out what we know:
Lopez has been having a horrific 2024.
The movie she funded about her life, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” as well as her documentary, both flopped. The documentary was bought by Amazon (so numbers are hidden) and became the butt of social media jokes. TikTokers viciously mocked Jenny from the Block, and the New York Times savaged it.
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LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: (L-R) Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend the Los Angeles Special Screening of “Marry Me” on February 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images) -
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – OCTOBER 09: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend “The Last Duel” New York Premiere at Rose Theater at Jazz at Lincoln Center’s Frederick P. Rose Hall on October 09, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images) -
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – MAY 05: (L-R) Tom Brady and Ben Affleck speak onstage during G.R.O.A.T The Greatest Roast Of All Time: Tom Brady for the Netflix is a Joke Festival at The Kia Forum on May 05, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for Netflix) -
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck seen during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by John Shearer/Getty Images for The Recording Academy) -
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 26: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are seen at the Louvre Museum on July 26, 2022 in Paris, France. (Photo by Pierre Suu/GC Images) -
Ben Affleck, left, and Jennifer Lopez arrive at the premiere of “The Tender Bar” on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) -
This photo provided by Dunkin’ shows Ben Affleck in a still from the company’s 2024 Super Bowl NFL football game ad campaign. (Brigette Buckner/Dunkin’ via AP) -
Jennifer Lopez arrives at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Feb. 24, 2019, left, and Ben Affleck appears at the premiere of “Justice League” in Los Angeles on Nov. 13, 2017. The A-listers rekindled their romance 17 years after they broke up in 2004. (AP Photo)
Her first studio album in 10 years, “This is Me… Now” was also critically panned by critics and fans alike — the New York Post even going so far as to say “is giving us “Gigli” all over again” — and also flopped, debuting at 38 on Billboard charts and falling fast.
The tour “This Is Me… Now” sold so badly that seven cities were canceled, and it had to be rebranded as “This Is Me… Live,” featuring her greatest hits instead of the treacly love songs from her latest album. I’m even told it has been suggested to Lopez that she scraps the tour altogether—– something she is unwilling to do.
Then there was the disastrous Met Gala earlier this month. On a night that should have been her crowning glory — where, after decades, she returns to her hometown as the co-chair of society and fashion’s biggest event of the year… she was alone.
With Affleck nowhere in sight, Lopez snapped at reporters on the red carpet and afterward, went home alone… before leaving for Paris.
(Regarding Lopez house hunting in Los Angeles, I don’t put too much stock into that as Lopez has several homes in the Los Angeles area, including a condo in Encino, a house in Malibu, and of course her Beverly Hills home. Over the years she has amassed a real estate portfolio worth over $120 million — either as personal homes, investments, or homes for family members.)
Meanwhile, Affleck has been shooting “The Accountant 2” in Los Angeles, getting burned for his unfunny, expletive-riddled roast of Tom Brady and being questioned about his “gaunt” appearance.
Fun times, eh?
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But while no one is speaking to a divorce attorney (yet), a friend of Affleck’s tells me he doesn’t see how the two will work out in the long run.
“They don’t really have much in common,” the pal told me. “He’s way more low-key. He likes to hang with the guys and is a homebody. She likes the glamour, and the pomp and circumstance. He is an addict (Affleck has dealt with drugs, alcohol, and gambling issues over the past few decades), she is sober and doesn’t drink, do drugs, or gamble.”
And while opposites attract, it may be that Lopez’s paean to their love was a curse.
Reps for the couple didn’t return emails.