Ben Affleck has been spotted without his ring for the first time – amid a torrent of rumors he and Jennifer Lopez are going through a rough patch in their marriage.
The pair had not been seen together for 47 days until this Thursday, when they put on a united front to attend a school production for Ben’s 15-year-old child Fin.
One day later, Ben was glimpsed driving a gleaming black BMW in the evening in Los Angeles – and his left hand was completely bare.
Claims circulated this week that Ben has been living separately from Jennifer and is currently staying at a $100,000 a month rental property in Brentwood.
Now an insider has alleged to that the Argo director moved out of his marital home ‘several weeks ago,’ according to Us Weekly.
Ben Affleck has been spotted without his ring for the first time – amid a torrent of rumors he and Jennifer Lopez are going through a rough patch in their marriage
One day after his first sighting with Jennifer in seven weeks, Ben was glimpsed driving his car in the evening in Los Angeles – and strikingly, his left hand was completely bare
Ben Affleck has been spotted without his ring for the first time – amid a torrent of rumors he and Jennifer Lopez are going through a rough patch in their marriage; pictured February
Ben’s sighting came on the heels of claims that he moved out of his marital home with Jennifer ‘several weeks ago,’ in the words of an Us Weekly insider
The actor was seen apparently adjusting one of his mirrors before driving off
He was spotted Friday riving a gleaming black BMW
One day earlier, the couple reunited publicly for the first time in seven weeks amid reports they are experiencing difficulties in their relationship.
On Thursday night, the couple, who wed in July 2022 having rekindled their romance in 2021 – almost two decades after calling off their first engagement – were together to attending a school production for Fin Affleck, who uses the pronoun ‘they.’
An eyewitness told DailyMail.com that ‘Ben did not look happy to see JLo as she arrived at a show for one of his kids.’
‘When he saw her get out of her car, they did not hug or kiss,’ the observer noted of the actor, 51, and his wife, 54, who arrived separately and met up in a parking lot.
Despite not engaging in any public displays of affection, Jennifer brought Ben’s child a beautiful bouquet of sunflowers to celebrate their performance.
The two-time Oscar winner also brought flowers.
An insider told Perez Hilton that ‘nothing would have stopped them coming together for the kids’ and that ‘the marriage drama comes second.’
‘They are putting on a united front. Jen showed up with Emme to support Fin. Emme’s super attached to Fin, so it’s only natural that Jen, no matter what she’s going through with Ben, was there,’ the source said.
The insider noted that Lopez’s 16-year-old, Emme, ‘was super excited’ and ‘jumping for joy over Fin’s performance.’
There seemed to be no tension between Lopez and Affleck’s son Samuel, 12, as she walked with her arms around his shoulders, at one point.
For the occasion, the Marry Me actress rocked a beige button-down, tucked into a pair of light-wash flared jeans, and a pair of stilettos.
She opted to wear her straight light brown locks in a flirty ponytail amid rumors that her spouse has been staying at a home in Brentwood without her.
Affleck wore a dark blue flannel, grey graphic t-shirt, jeans and a pair of Nike sneakers.
Claims circulated this week that Ben has been living separately from Jennifer and is currently ensconced in a $100,000 a month rental property (pictured)
The pair had not been seen together for 47 days until this Thursday, when they put on a united front to attend a school production for Ben’s 15-year-old child Fin
While Samuel was present for the majority of the pair’s time together, Affleck and Lopez spoke privately by his car for a few minutes in the parking lot.
As they spoke, she smiled and looked into his eyes, before his son joined them, and she put on her aviator sunglasses.
The trio ultimately walked over to the school together as a family.
A source for People said the couple arrived separately to support their children, and the stars were both wearing their wedding rings.
They left together, according to the insider.
Later, Lopez, who recently ‘liked’ an Instagram post about unhealthy relationships, met back up with Affleck at the car with her 16-year-old, Emme Maribel Muñiz.
Affleck is said to have driven his wife and Emme back to their home, but ‘returned alone to his rental.’
This comes amid a TMZ report on Thursday which claims that Affleck and Lopez have been living apart.
An eyewitness told DailyMail.com that ‘Ben did not look happy to see JLo as she arrived at a show for one of his kids’ on Thursday; the pair are pictured in May 2023
Another source told People that Ben hasn’t been staying at their home and instead staying another one of their homes in LA so he can film The Accountant 2.
Jennifer has recently been in New York a lot – to film her movie Kiss of the Spider Woman, her promotional tour for her movie Atlas and also for the Met Gala, which she went solo.
Ben attended the Roast of Tom Brady earlier this month during a break from filming.
DailyMail.com has reached out to representatives for both Affleck and Lopez for comment.
On Thursday morning, Ben was seen driving near the home he is reportedly staying in once again without J-Lo.
Prior to their latest sighting, the celebrity couple known as ‘Bennifer,’ were last seen together seven weeks ago, at the end of March, while grabbing lunch in New York City.
On Wednesday, it was reported that the pair ‘just couldn’t make it work’ and are headed for a split after less than two years of marriage. A source who spoke with In Touch claimed Affleck has already moved out of their marital home.
‘The writing is on the wall – it’s over,’ the insider stated, adding, ‘They’re headed for a divorce – and for once, [Ben’s] not to blame!’
On Wednesday, it was reported that the pair ‘just couldn’t make it work’ and are headed for a split after less than two years of marriage; the pair are pictured in December
The source alleged the actor has moved out from the $60 million home he shares with Lopez.
The mother-of-two was seen house hunting in Beverly Hills without Ben on Tuesday.
‘He’s focusing on his work and his kids now. Ben already moved out and they’ll likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years searching for,’ the insider went on to say.
‘They’ll never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him, and he can’t change her. There’s no way it could have lasted.’
Jennifer’s decision to release her Amazon Prime documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, in February, which chronicled her love story with Ben, seemingly put a strain on the pair’s marriage.
The candid show was the third part of her very public $20 million tribute to Ben, which also consisted of ‘his Is Me… Now: A Love Story, a semi autobiographical ‘musical rom-com action sci-fi’ film and her single, This Is Me… Now.
The source said, ‘Ben would never try to stifle [Jennifer]’s dreams or tell her she can’t do something that advances her career, even though she can be quite controlling of him.’
On Wednesday Lopez wore a sporty look while heading to a dance studio. She kept comfortable in a cropped sweater, beige pants and sneakers.
Her honey-toned tresses were pulled into a ponytail and she rocked a pair of hoop earrings.
The day prior the multi-hyphenate appeared to be looking at new mega-mansions.
It has only been a year since Lopez and Affleck bought the $60.85 million, 46,000-square foot abode they currently own.
The home — referred to as the ‘Wallingford estate’ — sits on a five-acre promontory and boasts 12 bedrooms and 24 bathrooms.
Lopez was solo for her co-chairing duties at the glitzy Met Gala in New York on May 6, with many surprised that Affleck skipped the event
Fans have pointed out that the pair have been spending a lot of time apart lately, and attending events without each other.
Lopez was solo for her co-chairing duties at the glitzy Met Gala in New York on May 6, with many surprised that Affleck skipped the event.
Ben is said to have been working on The Accountant 2, but the source said he ‘decided to call it quits’ on his marriage to the singer.
Meanwhile Affleck was on his own while appearing at The Roast of Tom Brady on May 5th.
During their last outing together the pair appeared strained, with neither cracking a smile as they grabbed lunch at Cecconi’s.
Tensions were seemingly starting to bubble to the surface in Lopez’s recent documentary, where Affleck admitted he wasn’t comfortable with having such a public relationship.
The director confessed, ‘Getting back together, I said, “Listen, one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media.’ Then I sort of realized it’s not a fair thing to ask. It’s sort of, like, you’re going to marry a boat captain and you go, “Well, I don’t want the water.” We’re trying to learn to compromise.’
Throughout the show, Ben makes it clear that he doesn’t like shining the spotlight on their love life, calling their private moments ‘sacred’ and rolling his eyes when he recalls Jennifer sharing all their old love notes with her friends and colleagues.
Meanwhile the Jenny from the Block hitmaker added, ‘I don’t think [Ben] is very comfortable with me doing this, [but] he doesn’t want to stop me.
Prior to their latest sighting, the celebrity couple known as ‘Bennifer,’ were last seen together seven weeks ago, at the end of March, while grabbing lunch in New York City (seen in January 2024)
Affleck made it apparent in the documentary that the intense scrutiny in the early scrutiny when they were first dating in 2003 caused the couple to split just before they were se to get married.
The actor blamed it on ‘the massive amount of scrutiny around our private life.’
The couple’s love story started in 2002 when they dated while filming the movie Jersey Girl. They became engaged the following year but broke up in 2004. They then rekindled their romance in the spring of 2021.
The duo married in a Las Vegas ceremony in July 2022, followed by a lavish wedding at his Georgia estate on August 2022.
They detailed the highs and lows of their rekindled romance in J Lo’s new documentary, yet while she is hellbent on publicly declaring her love, she openly admits Ben is ‘uncomfortable’ being her muse.
Ben shared: ‘Things that are private, I’d always felt are sacred and special because in part they’re private… So this was something of an adjustment for me.’
It’s not the first time fans have speculated about there being trouble in paradise in the couple’s marriage.
In May of last year Ben appeared to slam the car door after Jennifer sat in the passenger seat, causing fans to go in a frenzy on social media.
Fans took to Twitter to comment on the viral clip, noting that he looked ‘miserable.’
That same month they were caught having yet another tense exchange in public.
Lopez is hitting the road next month with a string of dates across North America in support of her ninth studio album, This is Me… Now; seen in February 2024
The couple were driving in Beverly Hills when they stopped at a red light and engaged in a heated conversation.
Photos taken by a European tourist and obtained exclusively by DailyMail.com showed a visibly frustrated Ben, who was behind the wheel, talking to Jennifer as she sat in the passenger seat of his Rivian electric SUV, with the windows rolled down.
The two also looked serious as they hit the red carpet at the premiere for her movie The Mother in May. The Get Loud songstress had a frown on her face and was gesticulating at her husband while he looked angry.
The pair also raised eyebrows at the 2023 Grammy awards, when they were captured sharing an awkward moment where the star seemingly snapped at her partner.
Jennifer shares twins Emme and Max, 16, with ex-husband Marc Anthony. Upon tying the knot with Ben, she also became stepmother to his children whom he welcomed with ex-wife Jennifer Garner: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
Garner was notable for her absence at Affleck’s wedding in Georgia, with his brother Casey also declining to attend after saying he had prior parental commitments in Los Angeles.
It’s been a stormy month for Lopez, who was reportedly at the center of crisis talks over her upcoming tour, with organizers keen to pull the plug over poor ticket sales to stave embarrassment – but the singer and her manager refused, insiders have claimed.
But with only a matter of weeks to go, she is still facing a worrying lack of sales, with blocks of seating still available at multiple venues, according to official seat maps on Ticketmaster, and resale sites scalping tickets for as little as $10.
Now, multiple insiders have claimed Live Nation, the promoter behind the tour, recently suggested canceling all 30 dates – but no one, including her long term manager Benny Medina, was able to convince her.
Medina urged Lopez to create her latest album This Is Me.. Now, which centers around the rekindling of her relationship with Affleck 20 years after the two separated.
Affleck and Matt Damon’s company Artists Equity financed the documentary, while Lopez self financed her film This Is Me…Now: A Love Story for $20 million.
Lopez’s former publicist, Rob Shuter, uttered similar sentiments during an interview with the The New York Post, claiming her mistake was thinking people still care about her love story with Affleck.
‘Jennifer’s always been a marketing and PR genius but her biggest miscalculation here is that she thinks the world is still interested in Ben and Jennifer’s love story,’ he said.
‘But no one cares about Bennifer anymore. The world has moved on.’