Is the greatest love story never told… over? Again? This week’s news cycle, which feels like deja-vu, certainly seems to think so. Two years after Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez gave the internet whiplash by rekindling their romance decades after they were first linked, they are once again at the center of a media storm of speculation about the status of their relationship.
What we lack in confirmation one way or the other about what’s actually going with this on again, off again, on again, and now potentially off again pair, we more than make up for in discourse.
Here’s everything we know so far.
They’re still wearing rings
According to People Magazine, Affleck and Lopez were spotted together on May 19 for the first time in 47 days. While the rumor mill stirred up during that time, the pair were reportedly still wearing their rings, and smiling for the cameras.
Lopez could be sending some messages on social media
In that same post, the magazine reported that Lopez had, that same day, “liked” an Instagram from an account called @yourcourageouscomeback about the kinds of people you “cannot build a healthy relationship with.” Among them? Someone who lacks integrity and emotional safety, someone who doesn’t respect your time, and more.
He may be leaning on ex-Jennifer Garner for support
Photos of Garner, who Affleck was married to from 2005-2018 visiting Affleck’s home recently circulated on Daily Mail. According to the gossip site, the visit came amidst Affleck and Lopez living apart “for weeks.”
They have “different approaches” to fame
At the premiere of Lopez’s movie This is Me…Now: A Love Story, she delivered a teary-eyed speech about Affleck and his support. “I know he hates that I’m doing this right now,” she said at the time, which holds new meaning when you consider their two different “styles” when it comes to fame.
According to People, they both have different relationships with media attention, with Affleck preferring to be more private and Lopez liking the spotlight. Notably, Affleck didn’t attend the most recent Met Gala despite the fact that Lopez was one of the evening’s co-hosts.
It may just have all been a fever dream?
No, we’re not talking about Lopez’s movie. According to a supposed “insider” who spilled to Page Six, Affleck has reportedly felt the last two years of their reconciliation have been a “fever dream,” and that heading for divorce is inevitable.
This post was originally published on W Magazine
