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According to sources, Jennifer Lopez’s closest friends “never liked” Ben Affleck.
Jennifer Lopez posted a series of new photos showing her in an evening gown on her husband Ben Affleck’s 52nd birthday. Affleck is not seen in the photos, which Lopez posted to her Instagram page on August 15.
Fans loved the photos, calling them “stunning” and “gorgeous” in her Instagram comment thread. Lopez captioned the photo collage “Dior.”
As of 2:30 p.m. Central Time, Lopez had not commented on Affleck’s birthday. Her Instagram story included photos and videos promoting her alcohol brand, Delola.
The series of photos comes as Affleck celebrates his birthday amid rumors of an estrangement between the couple. In early June, TMZ reported that a divorce was “imminent” as Lopez and Affleck were living separately, but no divorce has been filed. Affleck was not present at Lopez’s own birthday party, which she celebrated in the Hamptons on the East Coast, according to The Cut.
In contrast, Lopez celebrated Affleck’s birthday in 2023 with a video of the two riding in a car together and singing the song “Wonderful World,” according to ET.
Ben Affleck reportedly wanted to make his birthday party “intimate”
Getty ImagesAccording to sources, Jennifer Lopez’s closest friends “never liked” Ben Affleck.
A source told ET that Affleck plans to keep his birthday celebration “intimate.”
“Ben plans to spend his birthday privately with close friends and family,” the source told ET, but it was not clear if Lopez would be part of that group.
In July, a source told ET, “They want to make sure the kids are comfortable with the transition and where they’re going to live, etc. They don’t want it to feel like they’re pulling the rug out from under their kids. They’re working together to make sure this transition is as healthy and easy as possible.”
Fans praised Jennifer Lopez for the photo collage
“YOU LOOK STUNNING BEAUTIFUL QUEEN 😍😍😍😍,” one man wrote under the photos in Lopez’s Instagram comment thread. “Yeeeees queen 🔥 live your best life beautiful as always! I love you Jen 💞,” another person wrote.
“Simply AMAZING! ❤️😍 Nobody does it like you 🥹,” wrote another person.
“More beautiful every day 😍,” wrote another fan. On Instagram, where Lopez has 251 million followers, the photo series received more than 103,000 likes.
Affleck hasn’t posted anything on his Instagram page since late May.
People Magazine reported that Lopez reunited with Affleck at his rental property on August 11 after the couple spent most of the summer on different coasts.
According to People, she also spent time with Affleck’s son Samuel that day and went to the mall with him. But this reunion may have been more about the kids, according to People.
“Just because she’s not with Ben doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about his kids,” the source told People.
“They have always taken care of her. Last year, she spent months looking for the perfect house for her blended family. Now that she’s back in LA, she wants to spend a lot of time with them before school starts again and Violet goes to college,” the source added to People.
Jessica McBride is a news, sports and entertainment reporter who covers breaking news, politics, sports, entertainment and crime for Heavy. She is a former reporter for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Waukesha Freeman newspapers in Wisconsin and is an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee. More about Jessica McBride
