Just a year ago, Jennifer Garner, Ben Affleck, and Jennifer Lopez were co-parenting amicably in their blended family. Now that Bennifer 2.0 is done for good, Garner is reportedly pulling back from her friendship with Lopez.
The 52-year-old actress “no longer wishes” to stay in contact with Lopez — their relationship will strictly revolve around their children, according to a Daily Mail source. This change has been slowly happening after Garner felt like she was dumped into the middle of Affleck’s divorce drama. She was dragged into “playing mediator” and “marriage counselor” while the former dynamic duo hashed it out over the spring and summer. It doesn’t sound like a healthy place to exist.
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez at the premiere of “This Is Me… Now: A Love Story” held at Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Los Angeles, California.
Her friends feel she shouldn’t have allowed herself to get so involved in helping J.Lo to fix her marriage to Ben,” the insider added. “Especially considering Jen felt pitted against JLo at times during their own marriage. Jen is too nice and truly wanted to help, so she tried.”
The situation started brewing when Garner and Affleck’s oldest daughter, Violet, 18, spent time with J.Lo over the summer in the Hamptons. “They both seem so happy to be spending this time together and are just enjoying the moment,” a source told People in July. But Lopez’s younger sister, Lynda, recently visited the freshman at Yale University and that’s reportedly where things reached a head. The ties to the Lopez family are making Garner and her ex-husband uncomfortable.
“It’s quite confusing to Ben and Jen [Garner] because they do not understand why Violet is so adamant on keeping her close,” a second source told the Daily Mail in early November. “She looks up to J.Lo and Lynda and is intent on keeping the bond alive.”
The decision to back off from Lopez might be the best for everyone because the “I’m Real” singer reportedly didn’t love Affleck always running to Garner in times of trouble. “He confides in Jen about everything, even his issues with J. Lo,” an insider told In Touch Weekly in May. “J.Lo hates that Ben goes back to his sensible, down-to-earth ex-wife for advice and emotional support. She doesn’t want Jen’s input.”
That’s why the saying, “three’s a crowd,” exists in the first place. With Garner exiting the situation, it leaves room for Affleck and Lopez to hammer out their divorce and move forward with their lives separately.
Before you go, click here to see a complete timeline of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s relationship.
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez
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