It’s official, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are legally divorced as of January 6, 2025. We knew it was coming so it’s not a surprise, but it’s still sad to announce the legal ending of Bennifer, the reboot. The proceedings started about 20 weeks ago when Jen, without the help of a lawyer, filed for dissolution of marriage on August 20, 2024. The day she filed just so happened to be the second anniversary of their lavish Georgia wedding. Symbolic much?!
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The former couple first tied the knot in a surprise Las Vegas wedding on July 16, 2022. It was a small affair with just a few of their nearest and dearest in attendance. That ceremony was followed by an extravagant multiple day event at Ben’s Georgia estate that culminated in their second wedding on August 20, 2022. Two years later to the day, Jen headed to Los Angeles County Superior Court to file for divorce.
And now, just 20 weeks later, their divorce is a done deal. Here’s what we know about Bennifer 2.0’s divorce.
In May 2024, rumors that their marriage was in trouble started.
Jen was doing publicity for her movie Atlas with no sign of Ben around. She also attended the Met Gala without him. By June, Ben had moved out of the mansion they bought together and Jen went on a European vacation without him. The signs were there, I just didn’t want to believe them. Oh, wait, this isn’t about me.
As an anniversary present, Jen gave Ben divorce papers.
OK, that might be a dramatic way of putting it, but it’s pretty dramatic to file for divorce on your wedding anniversary, especially since the date of separation was listed as April 26. She chose to file without the help of a lawyer and cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce. She also asked to have her name changed back to Jennifer Lynn Lopez as she had taken Ben’s last name when they married.
Not due to lack of love.
Apparently, the end of their marriage wasn’t due to lack of love, at least not on Jen’s part. Sadly, sometimes love isn’t enough. “She didn’t want a divorce. She wanted to figure things out. “They love each other. Jennifer is not the type to just give up,” a source told People about a week after Jen filed for divorce.
Now that the divorce is official, who got what?
As part of their agreement, Jen gets to keep all of her earnings and personal belongings since April 26, 2024, their date of separation. Same goes for Ben. They’ve also come to an agreement on how they will split funds from their $60 million Beverly Hills mansion that is currently on the market, but the details of the agreement are sealed.
What else?
Jen gets to keep all “miscellaneous personal effects in her possession, custody or control,” and all assets that she owns “individually or by entities of which [she] is the sole owner, member or shareholder.”
Ben gets to keep his interest in the production company Artists Equity.
Ben gets to keep his interest in the production company Artists Equity, which he founded with Matt Damon in November 2022. Furthermore, he “shall pay, indemnify and hold [Jennifer] harmless from any and all liabilities, claims, debts, actions, causes of action and/or tax liabilities associated with” the company.
The ending to this romance reboot is a bummer.
It felt like a real-life rom-com when Jennifer and Ben got back together in 2021 decades after their first attempt at spending happily ever after together fell through.
They met on the set of Gigli in late 2001, they got engaged in November 2002, they postponed their wedding in September 2004, and they broke up in January 2004.
I really thought this romance reboot would have a better ending than the first, but nope. What a bummer. Perhaps they are just meant to have a friendship ever after since the two are still in each other’s lives as their kids have bonded and continue to get together.
Jennifer has twins Emme and Max from her marriage to Marc Anthony. Ben has children Violet, Fin, and Samuel from his previous marriage to Jennifer Garner. Both Jen and Ben seem committed to letting their children continue to be a part of each other’s lives.
