Ben Affleck was still sporting his wedding ring as he headed to lunch in LA on Friday – after spending 4th of July without rumored estranged wife Jennifer Lopez.
The actor, 51, who has reportedly been split from J-Lo, 54, for months, looked strained as he stepped out – while flashing his wedding band.
The star wore a white tee, plaid shirt, jeans and sneakers, one day after Lopez was spotted looking somber while in the Hamptons.
Ben looked pensive as he chatted with a companion after marking the holiday with his children.
Lopez failed to raise a smile on her vacation on the East coast with manager Benny Medina.
Lopez landed in New York City on Monday – following a bombshell report that claimed her marriage to Affleck has been ‘over for months’ now.
The insider also told Page Six that the couple — who haven’t been photographed together in a month — have ‘been apart since March.’
The pair — who have not been pictured together in almost one month — have been at the center of split rumors for months, and are said to be ‘on the edge of divorce.’
But despite their marital woes, the source added that Affleck is ‘very protective of Jennifer.’
On Monday it was reported that the pair are selling off art work from inside their $60M mansion in Bel-Air, California. The house was listed for $65M last month.
And now it seems some of the pricy stuff inside the boxy white two story, 12-bedroom building – referred to as the ‘Wallingford estate’ – is getting the heave-ho as well.
Page Six claimed that items like painting and ‘other items’ were sold off to collectors in early June.
The lovebirds have not been seen in public together since June 2 when they had an awkward cheek kiss at his son Samuel’s basketball game in Los Angeles.
This comes days after People reported that Affleck picked up the last of his items from the dwelling when Jennifer was vacationing in Italy last month.
The stars are no longer living together; she is residing in their $60M Bel Air, California mansion while he is staying at his $100K a month rental located near his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
Affleck and Garner share three children: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
‘Ben continues to live at the Brentwood rental,’ a source told the site.
Affleck has been carrying on as business as usual amid constant rumors that he is ready to divorce his wife of only two years.
‘He’s been there for about two months now,’ another source added.
‘He seems okay. He’s been at his office every day and seems focused on work. He’s also spending time with his kids.’
Jennifer, on the other hand, seems to be trying to enjoy some fun this summer as she was seen in Paris then in Italy with close pals.
The two appear to still be in contact. They have business ties: Lopez is set to star in two upcoming movies for Affleck and Matt Damon’s production company. Those films are Unstoppable and Kiss Of The Spider Woman.
This comes a week after a source told DailyMail.com that Jennifer is ‘over’ trying to make her marriage with Ben work.
Amid rumors about the status of the couple’s marriage, an industry insider has now claimed that the pop star has reached her wit’s end and no longer feels that she can do any ‘more’ to save the relationship.
‘Jenny has had enough and she really tried but she can do no more, it’s not getting any better, it’s worse,’ a music industry source told DailyMail.com.
The insider adds that the main reason JLo, left her husband was because he was always ‘grumpy and negative’ like Oscar The Grouch from Sesame Street.
Jennifer is sad about the end of her nuptials but ‘is trying to make the best of it by working out, spending time with her twins Max and Emme and making new plans for 2025,’ they went on.
One of those new plans is resuming her This Is Me… Live tour for the summer of 2025 when she turns 56. She canceled the 2024 tour that was scheduled to kick off in July in order to ‘recollect herself.’
‘She is excited about going on tour next year when her personal life is on calmer ground and she can connect with her fans. She will take her tribe with her and make the most of it,’ said the source.
Lopez is also said to be ‘shocked’ by the bad press she has been getting, which she believes is not fair.
‘If people could see what she has really gone through they would be easier on her,’ said the source.
‘Ben is a great guy but he can be grumpy and a downer. I think the world saw that in photos like when they were at the Grammys last year; he wouldn’t smile. If they saw how it really was, they would not attack her,’ said the friend of Jennifer.
‘He chain smokes and cusses and seems irritated a lot of the time. Great director and actor, but not a lot of laughs with him, you know?’ said the source. ‘He is a wonderful father though.’
Lopez plans on pushing on.
‘She is really not used to this kind of bad feedback, but she will get over it. She will march on,’ said the pal.
‘Jennifer is a very smart and strong woman and she will bounce back, she always does!’
There have been many reports that Ben and Jennifer will announce their divorce soon and plan to do it on a Friday, which is the norm among celebrities who are splitting.
When the source was asked about this they offered, ‘I think they have wanted to wait until all the kids are out of school and done with school plans and all that before they make their big announcement. They are putting the kids first.’
She has Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony.
And as far as how Jennifer and Ben are getting along these days, the insider said they are being ‘cordial’ with each other.
So what happened to the once jovial Ben who used to smile at fans and make out with Jennifer in public? The source points to the pressure in Ben’s career.
‘He is now filming Accounting 2 and the hours are really long, he is working hard at it and it’s a lot to juggle with marriage and kids,’ said the source. ‘So sometimes he is not in the best mood.’
Meanwhile, Lopez cleared her schedule this summer to give herself some downtime to re-examine her life.
‘She is living alone and not with Ben, I think everyone knows that already, so that is a major change for her and the kids,’ said the pal. Indeed, Ben moved into a $100K a month rental near Garner months ago.
‘Of course Jenny is sad, she loves Ben, but they are just too different, there is no give and take, there was no blending, they are just on separate tracks.’
The source added that Jennifer gave it her all: ‘She really tried hard to make it work, and it just did not work.’
‘She invested a lot of time and energy, and I think he did the same. There is no one to blame here. It just was not in the cards. It is very hard for two massive stars to keep a marriage going, one has to give in, and in this case neither gave in.’
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.
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Source: New York Post
