A close friend of Ben Affleck has broken his silence on persistent rumors that the actor and Jennifer Lopez have split.
Affleck, 51, and Lopez, 55, who tied the knot in July 2022, haven’t been photographed together in months. The singer celebrated her birthday without him, and the actor bought a new $20.5 million mansion in Pacific Palisades after moving out of the marital home.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith, 53, said the actor “will let him know when he’s in a good place” when speaking to People at San Diego Comic Con on Sunday – and revealed that he had not yet approached him, despite advice from his wife Jennifer Schwalbach Smith.
Smith, who worked with Affleck on Mallrats, Chasing Amy, Dogma and Jay and Silent Bob Reboot, said: “It’s clear he’s been through something, or at least that’s what the press is saying.”
“Me, his least reliable friend who is very loose-lipped… my wife was like, ‘Oh, you should contact him.’
Ben Affleck’s close friend Kevin Smith has broken his silence on ongoing speculation that the actor has split from Jennifer Lopez – photo 1999
Affleck, 51, and Lopez, 55, who tied the knot in July 2022, haven’t been photographed together in months. The singer celebrated her birthday without him, and the actor bought a new $20.5 million mansion in Pacific Palisades after moving out of the marital home.
Jennifer and Ben were photographed in happier times in November
“I thought, ‘The last person he wants to hear from right now is the guy who chats a lot.’ So if he’s in a good place, he’ll let me know.”
Smith said he plans to talk to Affleck when he begins filming the next Jay and Silent Bob movie in the fall.
He said, ‘I’ll get in touch with him. He might even come and play, but I haven’t been anywhere near that situation yet.’
The Academy Award winner closed escrow on a new $20.5 million estate in the oceanfront enclave, according to TMZ.
The home has five bedrooms and six bathrooms with breakfast and dining areas, as well as a separate family room, study, walk-in closets, media room, powder room, guest house and more amenities typical of a million-dollar home.
This development is the strongest sign yet that Affleck’s marriage to Jennifer Lopez, 55, may be headed for divorce.
This Is Me…Now artist and Affleck put their Beverly Hills home on the market earlier this month for $68 million, after purchasing the estate for $60 million in May of last year but finding no takers.
They recently celebrated their second wedding anniversary separately, amid rumors that they were living in separate houses.
Filmmaker Kevin Smith, 53, said the actor “will let him know when he’s in a good place” when speaking to People at San Diego Comic Con on Sunday — and revealed he hasn’t reached out to him yet, despite his wife’s advice — pictured in 2019 with Jason Mewes
Smith said: ‘Me, as his least trusted friend who’s very loose-lipped… my wife was like, “Oh, you should reach out to him.”‘ – pictured with wife Jennifer in 2019
While Lopez lives in their marital home, Affleck lives in a $100,000-a-month rental house a short distance from his ex-wife Jennifer Garner’s Brentwood home.
He and Garner, 52, were married from 2005 to 2018 and have children together: Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and 12-year-old Samuel.
Reports of Affleck and Lopez’s marital problems began circulating in May, after the couple had not been seen together since late March.
A source told In Touch at the time, “Ben has already moved out and they will likely have to sell the dream home they’ve been looking for for two years.
“They will 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.”
One of Lopez’s friends from LA told the Ny Breaking: ‘If it’s just a matter of putting in the effort, then you better trust that [Jen] will turn it around.
A source told In Touch at the time: ‘Ben has already moved out and they will probably have to sell the dream home they have been looking for for two years.’
“She’s put her heart and soul into her love story with Ben and she’s not going to give it up without a fight,” the source added. “From what I hear there’s still a lot of love, so there has to be hope.”
Meanwhile, Lopez is in New York City, having recently celebrated her 55th birthday in the Hamptons.
After hosting a Bridgerton-themed party that Affleck didn’t attend, Lopez thanked her fans for their birthday wishes in a post.