Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have had a rough go of it the past few weeks. In headline after headline, claims of relationship issues and even divorce rumors have dominated media outlets — mostly because Bennifer hadn't been spotted together in public for weeks. Recently, however, Jen and Ben finally emerged and were photographed at the same place at the same time.
More from MamásLatinas: Jennifer Lopez & Ben Affleck — A timeline of their love story
They started as the "it couple" of the early 2000s, dating from 2002 to 2004 before calling off their engagement. In the nearly 20 years that followed, Jen and Ben started families with different partners. They ultimately rekindled their romance in 2021 before eloping in Las Vegas in July of that year. Following a star-studded wedding in Savannah, Georgia, that August, Bennifer has seemingly been living in married bliss. Or have they?
Most recently, Ben and Jen were spotted leaving a school event on May 19.
On Sunday, May 19, Jen and Ben stepped out together for a movie event at the Aero Theater in Santa Monica, California, Page Six reported. The couple was papped as they walked through a parking garage. As photos were taken, Jen seemed unfazed by the camera flashes while Ben appeared visibly flustered by the intrusion. (And yes, he wore his wedding ring.)
That same day, paparazzi snapped a photo of the lock screen on Ben's phone.
Another interesting tidbit came from Sunday's Bennifer sighting. Paparazzi photos caught a peek at the lock screen on Ben's phone featuring a sultry photo of his wife. Notably, he had her saved in his contacts as "Jennifer Affleck" in a photo obtained by Page Six of him sitting in the driver's seat of a vehicle.
Folks on social media have since joked about the photo of Jen.
Of course, folks on social media caught wind of the "Jennifer Affleck" situation and ran with it. One X user wrote, "why is it an ai pic tho."
Another person declared via X, "this is the best thing to come out of the Bennifer Breakup Rumors."
Meanwhile, yet another X user was unconvinced the lock screen was proof that Ben and Jen's relationship was as good as ever. The person wrote, "Oh please. Their marriage is on life support as it is!"
On May 16, Ben and Jen were finally spotted together for the first time in nearly 50 days.
On Thursday, May 16, "proof" that Ben and Jen aren't ending their marriage came in the form of, you guessed it, paparazzi photos. They hadn't been spotted together for nearly 50 days at this point. Ben drove up to the outside of a school to pick up Jennifer and Emme from a play in which his child Seraphina, whom he has with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, performed that night.
The split rumors started when Ben skipped the Met Gala.
On May 6, Jennifer walked the red carpet ahead of the 2024 Met Gala. She rocked a gorgeous custom Schiaparelli Haute Couture gown designed by Daniel Roseberry, per Glamour. And although J.Lo looked stunning, fans definitely took notice of her husband's absence at the fashion event of the year.
Recently, a source claimed Jennifer and Ben are 'having issues in their marriage.'
As breakup rumors ramped up following Ben's absence from the Met Gala, an inside source confirmed relationship problems. “Jen and Ben are having issues in their marriage,” the insider told Us Weekly in an article published on May 16. “They started having issues a few months ago as Jen had started ramping up work commitments and prepping for her tour.”
Furthermore, TMZ reported that Ben had been staying in a house in the Brentwood neighborhood in Los Angeles — separate from Jennifer.
