Ever since Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner – Bennifer 2.0 – announced their split on Monday, some of gossip old-timers have been waxing rhapsodic about our memories of Bennifer 1.0. Just months before Ben and Jen ever got together, Ben had broken off his engagement to Jennifer Lopez. They were together for (if memory serves) about a year and a half. And they were a glorious mess. It was during the Bennifer 1.0 moment that Ben “learned” several of the relationship tools he used during Bennifer 2.0. He learned how to look trapped. He learned how to gamble all night long while he should have been with his partner. He learned how to morph into whatever his partner expected. J.Lo really gave Affleck a makeover – he became her fake-tanned, hyper-groomed, beautiful-suited pretty boy. And he loved/hated every second.
Honestly, I could chat about Bennifer 1.0 all day long. And it’s nice to see that some gossip outlets feel the same way, which is why there’s been several J.Lo & Affleck stories in the wake of his split. The Sun UK had the best one – according to their sources (??): “Everyone is talking about J.Lo and Ben and saying it’s inevitable they will get together again at some point. They were pretty flirty sat the Oscars and have stayed in touch via email. Jennifer Garner never liked it.” As CB pointed out yesterday though, Ben always seemed pretty eager to put the whole 1.0 debacle behind him, and he even dissed Lopez several times in past interviews. But what’s Lopez’s response to these stories?
Battle of the Bennifers? Not so fast! Despite an unfounded rumor that Ben Affleck has been in regular contact with his ex-fiance Jennifer Lopez, and that their friendship contributed to his split from Jennifer Garner, sources tell Us Weekly that Lopez was in no way involved with the once-happy couple’s recent decision to divorce.
“Jennifer Lopez had nothing to do with it,” one insider tells Us of Garner and Affleck’s breakup, which they announced on Tuesday, June 30, one day after their 10th wedding anniversary. Adds another source of the rumor: “Beyond not true, and s–ty.”
Yes, because why would J.Lo want to go back to the Bennifer 1.0 era when she has… Casper Smart? Ugh, Lopez is SO DUMB IN LOVE. I was going to say that Affleck is way better than Casper, but even I’m struggling with that comparison. Yes, Ben has more money. But I think Ben and Casper are at the same level of “Bad Partners/Boyfriends.”
Oh, and TMZ said that J.Lo was not even part of the Top Ten reasons why Bennifer 2.0 split – apparently, Garner was never concerned and Ben’s major issues during their marriage had nothing to do with La Lopez. Somehow, I’m sort of grateful – at least J.Lo isn’t stupid enough to involve herself with Affleck a second time.
Photos courtesy of WENN, Getty.
No, she’s too busy with her cheating toy boy.
You have to be in a relationship to cheat.
JLo totally wants you to know that JLo had nothing to do with the Garner-Affleck divorce.
And JLo totally did *not* order her reps to fake issue ‘highly sourced’ denials because people recognize that pure JLo-ness alone can break up entire marriages. Natch.
I had no thoughts about them being in touch. It sounds like a press release to create buzz around her ‘brand’. All of a sudden, people are taking more interest in JLo because of the break-up and their past.
Exactly what I was thinking. I haven’t seen any gossip suggesting that JLo was a reason for their split? I highly doubt Ben or Jen had anything to do with this statement.
yup.
Exactly.
JLo’s camp is probably giddy right now.
This is such nonsense. I almost couldn’t believe it when the tabs dragged long gone J.Lo into the Garner-Affleck divorce. It reeks of desperation tactics to get something going where there is nothing. I hope nobody falls for this bogus tabloid drivel.
Kiddo
This.
I think J.Lo would totally have a go at Ben again if she could…but I don’t think he’ll ever go back to that since he got burned so badly then.
HE got burned so badly????
Agreed
Yep, she’s just “Jenny On The Clock”.
I think it’s delicious gossip that Ben, Gwyneth and J Lo are single now!
I know! Ben could go out with Winona Ryder! THAT would be delicious gossip! Gywnnie’s sworn enemy and Damon’s ex too…. Proper 90s/00s drama!
Make it happen Kaiser/Celebitchy!
What about Taylor Swift? She’s way too young for him, so he’d probably like that. She has the sort of good girl stepford wife thing going al a Nicole Kidman in the role, and think of the break-up tunes!
I actually like TayTay so no! Hahah…how about we throw Rachel McAdams in lol
I see your Wino and Swifty, and raise you.an Aniston.
Pros: Her name is Jen.
She would make the perfect politicians wife.
They both love a well crafted media image.
Brad Pitt something something.
Cons: None
Bennifer 3.0 ladies and gentlemen.
Good choice! Now that you’ve raised it, let’s throw Jennifer Lawrence in the mix! Good thing Jennifer Love Hewitt has settled down, so she’s off the list.
Mmm…poor J.Law (*shakes head*)
She’s actually the one left out of this whole swinging mess now, too young and immature to understand how this whole conscious-uncoupling thing works whereby “we’re divorced but still living and sleeping together or with anyone else we want” – for the sake of the kids, of course.
Meanwhile, J.Law’s all alone playing the fool, her walrus impressions a silent but obnoxious cry for help…seeking comfort in the protective shadow of her handsome bodyguard.
Evil Genius!
She’s way too old for him. He likes them young, like Blake Lively and that girl in Gone Girl who played his mistress.
Hey ChiChi,
How about a Sofia Vergara ? Joe M & her crazy ex would be devastated.
Eh. They should all have a romp in the hay together. Jude Law, J. Law and Miley could join in. Now THAT would be a story for the tabloids.
What about Gwyneth?
The Gwynneth he once loved 15 years ago is long gone, replaced with food-obsessed expert to the masses, self-proclaimed lifestyle expert, exercise-expert-to-the-peasants Goopy. Do you really see him with Goopy?
Oh, God THIS. I MIGHT’VE like Goop 15 years ago. Now? I can’t even stand to look at her face because she radiates smug.
Yes, what about Gwyneth?
When is she going to issue her own veiled PR statement to remind us that GOOP is guru of the conscious-uncoupling (and all that is well and good in the world)?
“at least JLo isn’t stupid enough to involve herself with Affleck a second time”
Um, I’m not so sure about that. In fact, I think she’s plenty stupid enough.
I am with you on it, Mia! She has proved she is stupid enough…
She might be but he won’t be. He used Jen G to clean up his image after dating her and put in his time and I bet, just like many men before him he will be dating someone very young and stripperesque with big tits. Just a wild guess.
Gyn might bang him in secret, but I highly doubt she would ever ever get back together with him.
Enter Emily Rat-a-tat ! (Ratajkowski? Ratajkowzi?)
He’s Big Game for her predatory brand of prowliness. And she ticks all the boxes for a mid-life blurred lines man such as Ben. Poor dope. He’ll be dead meat.
Just look at her track record since him. Marc Anthony and Casper Smart, twice. Yeah, she’s plenty stupid when it comes to men.
I didn’t think of her so much as a cause of the break up, but as he is now single again, I could see something happening between them once more.
I think that jlo still has feelings for ben – lost love etc but at the same time the same issues that they had during their relationship continued even with j garner – so to drag her into this is rather unfair
maybe if he can resolve what he wants – i think he just wants to work and be footloose and fancy free with no parental hassles so hes got what he wanted
My first thought when I heard about the split was: There goes Ben’s hope of a future in politics that might (in his dreams) have taken him all the way to the White House, a la Reagan (except as a Dem). This J-Lo rumor seems unlikely to me because of Ben’s (admittedly now-even-less realistic) political ambitions, because let’s face it, between her overt sexiness and her trail of cheezy boy toys, J-Lo’s just not Ben’s idea of First Lady material. Garner was. No way Ben would go backward now, unless he has REALLY hit the skids and just doesn’t care anymore. Which I guess is possible. But somehow I don’t think his ego has diminished that much yet, and his delusions of grandeur are most likely still operative, in which case I really think J-Lo is a no.
He seems to like women whose name rhymes with his.. Gwyn and Ben, Jen (1&2) and Ben. Beneth and Bennifer. Either one works.
Bennifer 1.0 was glorious. Le sigh. We’ll always have the ‘jenny from the block video’
Hahahaha. When I am down I head to YouTube and watch the “Jenny from the block” video and laugh my a** off. How he agreed to it it’s beyond me lol
I just rewatched it. Still giggling.
And the blue Bentley she bought him. And the pink diamond.
Ah, memories…
IIRC, they publicised how he proposed too….something about candles everywhere and a carpet of pink roses from the front door leading to which ever room he proposed in….
I had forgotten, he looked just as miserable at the end of bennifer 1 as with bennifer 2. I don’t think he’ll go that route again.
There’s no way he’ll get back together with JLo. She’s 45 now, has two kids — that’s way more complicated than he wants.
When you look at his dating patterns, he always went for A-list actresses — Gwyneth, J-Lo, Jennifer Garner. He seems to like the status of an A-list couple, even if he’s unable to actually maintain a relationship. But I think if he gets involved with anyone in the relative near term, he’s going to keep it under wraps for PR reasons.
He should get together with Ri-Ri. If she could do Leo….
In some of the old Bennifer 1.0 photos popping up everywhere, he has that same distant/checked out expression of boredom and contempt he’s had during his marriage. I have this feeling that he just isn’t a very content person. Is it because of the gambling and drinking or are those how he ‘medicates’ for his essential personality?
I agree, he just seems to be not a content person. Kaiser made a good observation how he morphs into whatever his current partner wants. Whoever he is changes, depending on who’s around.
The gambling/drinking is the only constant through multiple partners. And the cheating. And the lack of accountability – he blames JLo for his embarrassment but those were all his choices, he should just man up & own his behaviour.
He probably would have sex with her because he’s generous that way but no way would he date her publicly again. He blames her for the embarrassment that they were as a couple and declared the year they dated as the worst of his life.
I think he has a new girlfriend already and the Garner/Affleck camp claiming they’ve been seperated ten months already when there’s lots of touchy kissy pap shots since then indicating otherwise suggests they’re either the biggest fakers in Hollywood or there’s some information about to be released that needs for them to have been seperated over that time so as to save their reputations from bad publicity/humiliation. Maybe he got his new woman pregnant? Or time stamped sex tapes with people he’s not supposed to be starring with?
I agree with every word there was definitely a reason for th 10 month separation date.
Ah, good work, detective Elfie.
You are SPOT ON, just sit back and let this unfold, “something” happened within that time frame and his people are setting up the typical “they were on a break when this happened, Jen knew” . If it is as scandalous as I think it is, enough for Jen to actually want a divorce, then Ben has every reason to be devastated, and look back at pics of Ben in the last 3 months, he’s wearing the same Baker’s Bay Marina t-short almost days in a row, that is a sign of depression, he’s worried, his people are worried and they should be, also that is probably where they are now, bakers Bay resort in the Bahamas I actually believe she is happy, she’s at peace with this, there is no other way this could have ended but divorce.
blindgossip.com last night gleefully posted that ben CHEATED on jennifer garner with a random brunette when he was in novia scotia seen on the gas station video.
the brunette was in the car.
and blindgossip confirmed that they were later seen holding hands at a hotel.
the brunette wasn’t jlo.
i’m dying to know who it was.
BUT
i continue to stay with my belief that jlo absolutely is involved in this breakup.
no doubt in my mind.
the way she paraded through madison square park in NYC with casper the other day posing for the paps a day after the affleck/garner break up was SO obvious.
I hated the way he threw J.Lo under the bus. He was just as thirsty as she was, maybe more actually. He agreed to be in that embarrassing music video, he got her to sign on to Jersey Girl so they’d be on-screen together again, he did MORE pap walks than her, he started showing up to envelope openings, he bought a Bentley and a new hairpiece and some flashy clothes, he did joint interviews that just promoted the relationship, he gave all the details of his proposal to the press. Then he starts fronting like he just got caught up in her drama? Please, he was loving every second. Even when he clearly wanted out of the relationship, he was still basking in the attention it was getting him. His career was at a low point, but J.Lo was at the height of her success, and he was really happy riding those coattails for a while.
Someone pointed out that J.Lo’s personal life has been lower-key than Ben’s since they broke up, and they’re right. Yes she married and divorced, and hooked up with that capital L loser. But how often do you see photo’s of her kids going to school or activities? How much insight do you get into what her life is actually like behind closed doors. She’s successfully kept the parts she wants private, private. Meanwhile Bennifer 2.0’s kids are almost as well-known as their parents and Ben’s so indiscreet the public probably knew many of the details of his affairs and various addictions before his wife did.
Thank you
This comment 100000 per cent
Why do people act like Jlo is so BENEATH Ben, like seriously he’s a damn user he blatantly used J GARNER for his career he never loved her, but what she could do for his IMAGE. And good for her she used Ben for a come up and cheated on both Scott and Michael Varten, she ain’t a saint but gets a pass because she’s white.
J-LO isn’t beneath Ben. They had a great love affair at first and that had burned out for him by the end and it was clear he was over her and wanted out. I just find it silly when people think he wants to go back to Gwynneth or J-LO, two women he hasn’t been involved with for twelve to fifteen years. It wasn’t that she was beneath him why it ended. He was over her huge entourage always with her. She admitted that in an interview as one of the major reasons for the breakup and in part Mark had an issue with it too. People act like he’s carrying some torch for her. He’s the one who broke her heart, and just like this Jen, he wanted out so badly, and both hung on too long to him when he was withdrawing emotionally for a long time.
“Why do people act like Jlo is so BENEATH Ben”
@lucia- You know why.
@lucia – “because she’s white” …. Seriously? For Petes sake Not everything is about race.
Jennifer garniers love life prior to Ben wasn’t exactly the front page gossip/news and she was clearly not talked about as much as other stars – like JLo. I wouldn’t assume that she was given a pass just because people aren’t still talking about it- it’s just people could have cared less what Jen G was doing. She’s just not exciting- Even during her alias days. She just wasn’t a big gossip get. JLo on the other hand was someone people wanted to talk about. She was popular , gorgeous and every where.
@Marty
LOL!
+ 1, Jessica. J. Lo is—don’t kill me, please–a lot like Liz Taylor in this regard. Taylor had high-publicized love affairs and dramatic relationships, but people forget that her children’s lives were very private and they all are successful adults with quiet lives now. No big scandals. By all accounts, she was very close to her children and doted on the grandkids.
I do wish J. Lo would ditch Caspar, though. Even in boytoys, she could do so much better–and cuter. Aren’t there any good-looking backup dancers around?
I know. If you are going to go the boy-toy dancer route, why Caspar? I will never get it. They really, really hot ones are probably gay, though. Of course, it seems Caspar isn’t completely straight anyway.
Yes! I made the comparison because of the messy love life but this fits too. She is like a budget Liz Taylor in many ways.
Ben’s mother was educated at Radcliffe and Harvard, grew up in the upper East side of NYC and taught at Brearly. Her mom worked for MoMA.
Ben’s dad was an alcoholic theatre actor/bookie/bartender/janitor.
From Wiki: “While Affleck has described his father as a “very smart guy”, his chronic alcoholism often made Affleck’s childhood “scary and trying.” His parents divorced when he was eleven and Affleck was raised by his mother.[His father’s life “hit the skids” in Affleck’s teens.[When Affleck was sixteen, his father moved to Indio, California, completed rehabilitation, became an addiction counselor and later reconnected with his adult sons.”
History repeating in that way? The calmer woman, the troubled man? Versus a JLo reboot?
He was never really loved JLO though.
He never seemed into her the same she was into him.
He may bang her again but it will be bad for thei image especially JLO since she will be seen as the other woman.
Out of topic, looking back at their pictures, I realise out over hyped they were/are both in terms of looks lol.
I don’t agree at all…I think Ben and JLO were hot, hot, hot for each other!!!!!! But sex and passion, alone, cannot sustain a relationship…JLO liked to dress Ben up (and he did look great when they were together) but I think, Ben is a slob at heart and hated the make over!
I think JLO would def get back with Ben…I think she always wanted to be part of a power couple and with Casper Dope, thats not going to happen….but, I think Ben already has a jump off…
Jlo and Ben may have sexual chemistry in the beginning (that was clearly so tepid, it translated as awkward bro-sis stuff on screen) but that clearly didnt last long. He cheated on her, repeatedly and had the nerve to parade around that sulky look for a good chunk of their time together. I think people over estimate Ben if they think he has ever loved anyone other than himself.
Thats also the reason why I dont think a reunion would happen. Jlo really is stupid enough to sign on but Ben is too shrewd to go in for a second round, knowing the amount of unflattering coverage that would cause.
I think Jen’s had one or two nose jobs since then that’s for sure.
Realizing that mint dress was over ten years ago makes me feel old.
It’s older than that, I think it’s a vintage Valentino.
People really need to let go of Bennifer 1.0, it’s not gonna happened again.
I can’t even believe that anyone thinks he would run back to J-LO. She’s 45 with two kids and still got her big entourage going that he hated. She has a busy life. He now has three kids and will be a divorced father, with his movie career at its peak, and needs someone who can better fit into his life, not following J-Lo around. He couldn’t get out of that relationship fast enough. When he’s done, he’s done. She hung on after he bailed on the wedding, and he passive-aggressively wasn’t around, refused to show up to her New Year’s Eve party, until she had to end the relationship. Ben in the last ten years has worked with hot, younger leading ladies. If you think he’s fantasizing over her and not whomever his current leading lady crush is, you are off your rockers.
Why age shame Jlo, “she’s 44” well guess what Ben is his 40s and is now a divorcee with kids as well
Crazy how people act like Ben this great ray of white sunshine when he’s an opportunist, alcoholic and coward for covering up his ancestors slave owning history
Guess what Ben ain’t all that for people shading, age shaming Jlo because a she’s non white woman
@Lucia-I didn’t see the “age-shaming JLO cause she is a non-white woman” angle. But it is 10 years later, and she does have two kids. I think she has terrible taste in men. The proof is in her history. It’s not because she is “non-white” it’s because she is non-smart in love. WE have all been there regardless of color. She deserves better than Ben, Casper, etc. As for Affleck, he’ll end up bouncing from bit to bit. He never looks happy.
I mentioned her age for a reason, not age shaming. I mentioned it in what I thought we would see Ben going for post-divorce.
I think Jennifer Lopez is stunning and looks better than most women and could do far better than Ben Affleck and the boy-toy she’s with. As far as I’m concerned, Ben will end up with some younger actress with no baggage who is new and fresh to him that he has a big crush on. I don’t see him with a long-ago ex his age, as he’s just coming out of a divorce, because he seems to be in a midlife crisis and will go for the younger woman as part of that. That’s why I mentioned her age. Ben said hitting 40 was really hard for him. LOL So what’s a man to do that hated hitting 40 and is now 42 and getting divorced? Go get loved up with a younger, hot actress with no kids, footloose and fancy free, who looks up to him, and makes him feel young again. It’s kind of what J-LO did after Marc Anthony. She went for the much younger guy with no baggage to adore her and fit into her baggage-filled life.
Well I’ve always thought there was an element of racial stereotypes in the media portrayal of these three. When Ben got caught red handed cheating with a stripper it was all blamed on JLo. Jen Garner’s sketchy behavior got glossed over and she was portrayed amazing the wholesome and simple (ie white) woman that saved him. So yeah there was sexist and racist tropes abound in the whole thing.
Who and where are these people that think Ben is a great ray of white sunshine?!?
They certainly are not on the CB threads.
And nobody is age shaming JLo. Just saying that Ben will most likely be going for young cocktail waitress types because he wants to have fun and party without any strings attached. It’s much more a judgment on him than it is of her.
abt jlo being 45 etc – we dont really know what the real story is – i think that both of them being older may be better for any relationship but tbh ben is still too immature – he wanted the family wife and kids but once he had it it wasnt what he wanted so he bailed. and I like jlo a lot – but i think their time has passed. Ben is the party guy no matter how much he tries otherwise – i think he cheated and thats why j garner got the divorce – why else wd she put herself through this – otherwise
i think the fact that his mother never liked jlo may have played a part in their break up and i dont think matt damon ever liked her either – no loss thoughesp since i think jlo really did love ben.
I did not see this one coming. I’m usually sensitive to how media depicts women of color, being one myself so I honestly cant see where you got this theory. Ben absolutely did take a public beating when Bennifer 1.0 details came out. The stripper thing was a particular lightening rod. Didnt he have to go to rehab as a PR gimmick to get them off his back?
And to be fair, any flack JLo got at the time was because she had a major PR problem with seemin inaccessible and out of touch. She had stupid performance riders, an insane entourage and no sense of scale. Even worse, she would put out silly stories about what diamond her new guy got her or what car she bought him, all while putting out records like “my love dont cost a thing” and “Jenny from the block”. If people didnt like her, they had good cause. Her bullsh*t was blatant, Garners i undercover. Garner has always worked to maintain that girl-next-door likeability. Shes very successful at it.
Furthermore Jlos past relationships were still recent memory. The Diddy thing cost her an urban fanbase because she was seen as the furthest thing from a ride-or-die. Like she dated a music moghul to help her launchher career and fled as soon as it was PR acceptable to do so. Then it also cost her with the more mid-Western types, because “OMG whats she doing with a man who was charged with a crime, she is guilty by association”.
All of that just played in such a way then even when it was clear that Ben was cheating, people remembered that she was no saint either. A white woman whose reputation was already as tainted as Jlos was would also have been ripped apart. Case in point, Gwyneth Paltrow vs Chris Martin.
LOOOOOOOOOOL, “age-shaming,” I must say the shaming brigade does not disappoint, around every corner a new and more sinister type of shame to get all scoldy about… it’s like a beer of the month club for the chronically indignant.
He likes them young.
Remember the Bennifer 1.0 album, “This is Me…Then,” supposedly titled so she could show it to their kids one day? And “I’m Glad,” the song about him? It’s on my J. Lo playlist for workouts:
https://youtu.be/K9hiMy_C-iw
I don’t like J-Lo’s generic vocals and generic songs, but I love On The Floor.
The song about him is Dear Ben, she changed the title last minute.
They both are songs about him, actually. The whole album was reportedly about “her baby, Ben,” which makes me side-eye the cheating lyrics sung by LL Cool J in “All I Have.” Check out the wiki article on the album:
“Twenty years from now, if I give this [album] to one of my kids, I’ll be like, ‘This was me then, at that moment.'” Lopez dedicated the album to Affleck, with the words “You are my life … my sole inspiration for every lyric, every emotion, every bit of feeling on this record” written on the disc jacket.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/This_Is_Me…_Then
Sorry, what I meant was that she changed the title from Perfect to Dear Ben.
That was my favorite album of hers. She was so on love back then and it just poured out of her into the record.
Oh wow, is that a, Gigli poster they’re standing in front of?? Ahhhh memories. That was such an awesome time period for gossip. The good old days.
I know most people here don’t care for Jlo, but I have a soft spot for her. She’s gorgeous and came from nothing and she works HARD. Along with the person who posted above, I don’t see why people acted like Ben was above her. He’s a huge movie star but he’s also a proven jerk.
I love her too.
You know what’s really funny? I watched 13 going on 30 with Garner yesterday and there’s mockups of a fake magazine with JLo on it all throughout the movie and her name is mentioned too. It gave me a chuckle.
YES!!!! I remember seeing that years ago and thinking it must have been some crazy coincidence. The film did pre-date Bennifer 2.0, right? Still, talk about foreshadowing.
It did. I also noticed some outfits were very JLO-esque, lol, maybe I was reading too much into it.
Omg searching On Demand THIS INSTANT to find that movie! As many times as I’ve seen it, I never noticed.
Haha! Share your thoughts after you re-watch it 😉
It’s funny but I actually don’t want them to get back together even though it would make a bombastic news! I’ve grown to like JLo too much and as silly as she is when it comes to her love choices, she doesn’t deserve to be with this douchebag agan.
I think he was in lust with Jennifer Lopez, not so much in love. And boy did they have chemistry.
I was so hoping JG and BA would make it. Just loved the vibe of the girl next door marrying the man of her dreams, having beautiful babies, and riding into the sunset. Yeah I always thought him a tad smug and bad boy……but hot.
So my husband was right and he’s a certifiable jackass. (Mr. Dirty Martini hated him over his poser politics.).
I can’t decide if I want him with JLo or not. He’s so damn smug and smarmy and she so dumb and horrible at making the same mistakes over and over and over.
Ah, heck, go for it, Shoot both your careers in all 4 feet and become 2016s version of Keeping Up With The Klueless. They deserve each other and worse.
Bye bye Ben.