As I’ve noted several times already, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have both been leaking stories about each other for months. It is not a case of “poor Ben, his crazy ex can’t stop talking about him,” nor is it a case of “poor J.Lo, Ben is making sure she gets the blame for everything.” Both sides are leaking and briefing and both sides have been represented well in the gossip media. But there’s been a shift in the past week, after J.Lo filed for divorce. Jennifer DGAF. I mean, obviously, she’s really hurt that this marriage blew up in her face after Ben convinced her that this time it was forever. But she doesn’t give a f–k about keeping it copacetic with Ben. J.Lo heard all of the sh-t about how This Is Me… Now represented the beginning of the end of the marriage, and she wants people to know that the companion documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, was ALL Ben.
Ben Affleck was a “driving force” behind Jennifer Lopez’s documentary about their marriage, according to sources. Multiple insiders tell PEOPLE that Affleck, 52, was heavily involved in the creative process for the Prime Video documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which was released in February alongside Lopez’s project This Is Me…Now: A Love Story and music album.
“He was the one who had control, pretty much,” a source says of Affleck. “[Affleck] was very much in favor [of the project], and he was a driving force for [Lopez] to do the movie and the album and then he insisted on the documentary, where it looked like he was hesitant and almost surprised by it,” the source adds, “but that was a false narrative.”
Another source says, “The documentary was Ben’s idea for his company, Artists Equity. Jennifer’s team didn’t want to do it since she was focused on the album and Amazon original video project.”
The first source also reveals that although reports have circulated that Affleck felt uncomfortable with the revealing look at their marriage and how much attention the documentary brought to his relationship with Lopez, 55, the Air actor was highly involved with the editing of the film.
“He was very supportive of [Lopez] making the movie and her album,” the source explains. “He knew every step of the way what she was doing.”
Adds the source, “He loved the movie and album, but when you look at the doc, it looks like he’s surprised by it and not signing up for it. He was playing the role of playing the regular guy and meanwhile, he was the engine in back of it.”
“He definitely took it away from the director so he could have the narrative he wanted out there,” the source says. “It’s confusing [because] he was so involved and so proud of Jennifer because she really got in there … but in the doc, it looks like he was surprised. ‘You’re making an album about our [relationship]?’ ”
Additionally, the source notes that when The Greatest Love Story Never Told was first released, audiences thought the dynamic between the couple “was funny,” but in the wake of their split, the documentary puts things into a new perspective. “At the time, people thought it was funny and now the press is reporting [Affleck] wasn’t happy with that life [in the public eye],” the source says. “But he not only supported that life, he encouraged it. It was almost like he’s justifying it. The need for the documentary was his idea.”
This is Jennifer’s side, this is her saying: stop blaming me for putting my marriage into the public sphere when the whole damn documentary was Ben’s idea and he was the driving force behind it. And honestly? The documentary is much better than This Is Me… Now: The Movie or whatever they called it. It’s true that Ben and Jen came across as very supportive of each other and very sweet together. We also knew that Ben produced it. What we didn’t know was that Ben was behind the whole-ass documentary and that he practically had final cut on it. Meaning it was his call to leave all of that Jane Fonda stuff in there? LOL. Anyway, J.Lo is fighting back. She’s like: don’t let this man push all of the blame onto me.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846503899, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846503912, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846504026, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846504126, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- HOLLYWOOD, LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, USA – FEBRUARY 13: Ben Affleck and wife Jennifer Lopez (JLo) wearing a Zuhair Murad Couture gown with Joseph Saidian and Sons vintage Van Cleef & Arpels diamond earrings and A.Jaffe diamond rings arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Amazon MGM Studios’ ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ held at the Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.,Image: 846504394, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no, Pictured: Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, JLo, Credit line: Xavier Collin / Image Press Agency / Avalon
-
- Celebrities at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Featuring: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 13 Feb 2024 Credit: Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com
-
- Celebrities at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Featuring: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 13 Feb 2024 Credit: Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com
-
- Celebrities at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Featuring: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 13 Feb 2024 Credit: Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com
-
- Celebrities at the Los Angeles premiere of ‘This Is Me… Now: A Love Story’ Featuring: Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 13 Feb 2024 Credit: Ryan Hartford/INSTARimages.com
I believe a lot of what she has been leaking in regards to Ben. But this simply doesn’t ring true to me. It’s right up there with the false narrative that he produced the film- which he didn’t. This is very much J.Lo’s MO and I think it’s funny that she’s trying to say it was his idea. Like that doesn’t even match the narrative SHE was telling when the film came out.
Yes to this! Most of her side sounds true but this is a whopper of the highest order. This is her management team trying to shake off the stink of failure from the project.
Ameerah M and Sunny: The truth of it is that as a producer, BA would have had a final say on the film and be involved creatively in it, from start to finish, including determining all the elements of the film, the interviewees, the structure, each scene, the overall pacing and flow, the running time, etc. that it what producing is, in the documentary world. I’ve made documentaries, and this is 100% how it works.
It kind of sounds like he took over from the director, a la Harvey Weinstein–and if so, then shame on her because she’s no slouch (see the behind the scenes for Hustlers) but clearly she trusted his story sense 100%.
@Enza – he wasn’t a producer. Which I mentioned in my original comment. He has no credit as a producer on the film and this lie needs to stop because it’s easily verifiable. His name is nowhere on the producer list.
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt31314185/fullcredits/?ref_=tt_cl_sm
I think it’s possible he suggested the documentary because he knew streamers would be more likely to buy her movie if it had a “making of” documentary with it. There’s no way Amazon pays $20 million or whatever for her silly movie without the doc that includes the both of them talking about their relationship.
So I can buy that it was his idea, but I think these quotes leave out the context behind that suggestion. She didn’t seem to understand that there was no demand for a fictional movie about her learning to love herself or whatever. If he did suggest it, he did her a favor. It’s the only reason she got a buyer for that vanity project.
Yeah, he seemed supportive to an extent. What baffled me about this: when the split became more public end of May/ beginning of June, I decided to finally watch both the documentary and the movie and it had been taken off the platform. Had wanted to stream it, but poof, it was gone. Everywhere. Same for my friends in the US. We wondered if JLo was embarassed and had it taken down and then poof, a week or two later it re-appeared as if it was never gone. Did he pull it or ask her to, or what happened? Was waiting for @kaiser to comment on this.
Thank you @Kebbie. Your take makes the most sense:
That is, technically the documentary WAS Ben’s idea so JLo & her team aren’t lying. But it was just a smart business suggestion. Ben wasn’t driven creatively to do a documentary about their relationship. So this story is technically true but framed in a dishonest way to push back on the “Ben is super private and JLo is super public” narrative out there.
https://artistsequity.com/projects/the-greatest-love-story-never-told
It is on his website. His company was behind it. Whose idea it was, well, I have no idea.
He was not a producer on the film. His company helping with the release is NOT the same thing. All that means is that she probably got some help in regards to distribution. But that doesn’t equal a producing credit. Those aren’t the same thing.
Mil – From the Artists Equity link you provided: “‘The Greatest Love Story Never Told’ follows Jennifer Lopez as she attempts her most daring project yet; independently producing a new album and cinematic original that explores her twenty-year journey to self-love.” With EMPHASIS: “[J-LO]… INDEPENDENTLY PRODUCING…JOURNEY TO SELF-LOVE… Directed by Jason Bergh… Produced by Gillian Brown, Courtney Baxter, Lindsay Utz, Stephan Bielecki; Executive Produced by Dani Bernfield, Jason Bergh; Co-Produced by Caitlin Alba-Rothstein, Eliza Comer.” Listed at the tail end of featured appearances: “Featuring Jennifer Lopez, [8 other people, then] Ben Affleck.”
Link provided by somebody the other day to New York Post about 4 or 5 residences that they looked at, couldn’t decide on, then threw several $hundred thousand at for fees, was more revealing about the parties and their ‘relationship.’
Well stated, Ameerah. It’s so funny or not funny how they are skewing Ben’s support of his former spouse into him being behind the creator/producer of this project..lmao… All you have to do is watch that catastrophe of a doc to tell that his heart isn’t into that project and not into her. This project was a concocted love story of jlo in love worship of herself. Ben was just the poor dope who’s name is getting dragged through the mud by her sadsack pr team.
Visit Laney and see it for yourself. Old interview. His team distanced Ben from documentary. This is all exhausting but not everything JLo’s team says is untrue.
Ben has better PR, but he’s been problematic since forever.
I am glad someone’s pushing back. He’s toxic. So is his brother.
https://x.com/aliicapus/status/1827746005778837887?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1827746005778837887%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.laineygossip.com%2Fben-affleck-jennifer-lopez-split-timeline-as-team-jlo-goes-on-the-offensive-to-counter-the-narrative-that-he-was-hostage-to-her-ambition%2F78784
Oh dear lord, if these two aren’t going to stop, then I will.
Not JLO throwing Ben Affleck under the bus 🤣 Nah, this is her attempt to deflect, she is scrambling at this point. There are like 5 mini articles out there as to why they divorced: his moods, she was tired of waiting, he didn’t want to work on the marriage, she filed on her own and is ready to move on, and now Ben was the one who controlled the narrative on the doc. 😂 JLO is insufferable.
Sure, Jan… sure!
I hope their management team lets cooler heads prevail and stops the leaking . NO one will win this and they will both look like fools. Divorce in the court not in the media. Sheesh….
It was known that he gave the idea, co- wrote and produced the documentary, she talked about it multiple times during the promo, but people didn’t listen and still conveniently blamed her for a lot. She has the right to get her side out yet again. I mean, it was no secret, but apparently it bears repeating.
I’m sure he’s not done either. I truly hope this is over sooner rather than later, for the sake of everyone involved, mostly the children and for the sake of what they once had. I believe it was real, that they were sure it would be forever, got very carried away, just like the first time and are both very hurt now. Yes, Ben too, even if he doesn’t show it.
She spoke about it so many times, you just need to go back and listen to the interviews she did during promo but people will blame her and call her a liar. Because a 52 year old man like Ben simply can’t say No to Jennifer. He is a poor, poor baby with no agency after all. He just did everything JLo asked him to do. That narrative is far more endearing to people. I remember during Atlas promotion Sterling K. Brown was so supportive of her. But twitter and tiktok would cut and edit the interview and were convinced he hated her but if you saw everything, you knew that they have good working relationship with mutual respect. Its just people want to believe a narrative about JLo and everything good about her or her side of the story is automatically rejected as fake.
I would like some of what you’re smoking. Talk about revisionist history.
A simple timeline clarification for those still confused: Ben’s letters were shared during the album making process, which took place months before the doc was filmed, which was almost a year before the public saw it. He still married her after that, it was never an actual issue.
You are in their relationship to know it was never an issue ? Him marrying her afterwards doesn’t mean he wasn’t uncomfortable with her sharing his love letters to strangers without his consent. He kept that scene in that Doc for a reason
They’re both just exhausting.
Exhausting and not even interesting. Ideally be interesting and not exhausting. But if you have to be exhausting, at least make it interesting.
Omg I’m losing sympathy for her. She is literally on the damn thing saying she wanted this and he had to support her. I know she is in a terrible place but she is 55. The world isn’t that stupid. Why would Ben want to make a documentary about their marriage. It’s like Jen being the public why one all of a sudden. At least maybe now she sees that was so bad so bad to make that no one is telling her what she wants to hear anymore even her own team. This this right here is what damned her marriage, she put her own team before her husband. He moved out and she starts planning a tour, she says she wanted to work out but was in New York, Paris and Italy for most of the summer. Please the second my man moves out and gets a new place I’m going to take a pause on that because she didn’t take it seriously in my opinion. It went on too long and now she wants to say it was all Ben. I am a fan or hers but I wish she had a better team and had her best interests Benny Medina is a ghoul. Ben is winning the PR game so far but he should stay single forever. Ben doesn’t seem to be the forgive and forget type. I don’t get jlo right now. She had it all.. she got everything. The leaks on how Ben isn’t contacting her kids and that she made him a family man not JG is low.
It’s like her pr team has lost the ability for rational thought and are acting out of pure emotion in leaking their lies. Which ironically is the worst thing you could do as a pr tactic in a situation like this. That is how you know it is Jennifer shooting the shot with these hit pieces in the tabloids trashing and accusing Ben. It does not make Jen look good AT ALL. She looks even more desperate than the cloying, cringey documentary made her look. The best thing she could do for her brand and reputation at this time is shut up and go dark until people forget the effups. She should have her pr people put out some nice puff pieces about her working a t a woman’s shelter, helping the homeless. Get some pap photos of her dressed like a normal everyday person going to the movies with her kids or something. She is playing a dangerous game of self sabotage though right now. very dumb
I’m with you on everything but the poverty tourism. The homeless are not props. I think it should be more her working, spending time with her kids, family and if she had any real ones her famous friends. No “leaning on this or that person “ she needs to stop trying to be something she isn’t and that is one of us. She is a glamorous, rich, independent and vicious woman that had better things to do. Also how relatable being “wrong” betrayed ” and she will have to reinvent herself again. She should mentor new talent, speak of her lessons learned in general and never say his name again. Even if it’s not true on the independent part. But she won’t she is to hurt, has a horrible team and her side isn’t bending filtered right. All this is her. Like she has speed dial and isn’t even asking anyone if the a good idea.
Gotta love the spin.
This woman better give it a rest because she really is coming off as the batshit crazy ex.
And she isn’t she is just really hurt. My heartbroken a little about her not wanting him to move on first or ever or “gloves are off” shock to hurt to sad to angry. It’s all a part of the human experience off loss but her team should really protect her more and stand firm in this showing her humanness instead of unhinged narcissistic ex that he left months ago. No pap walks , IG posts or leaks. Just dignified self preservation and grace. It’s a divorce no way this was all her fault but right now she or her team is making is so much worse.
You’re right. I wonder what she’s grieving more- the loss of the marriage or the blow to her self image
I think and always said she’s been holding patienly not only bc she wanted to regain Ben, but also her project. Reconciling was like the only way she could get the tour back on track.
I suspect putting out there that Ben was the driving force behind the documentary is just an attempt to taint him professionally in revenge; even if she’s clearly seen in it saying Ben was against the idea.
In any case, points Ben made across in the doc is he loved Jen, he respects and admires her work ethics, he didn’t quite liked the thought of their relationship being exposed through the project.
Artist equity produced it. I know you all don’t want to admit it but Ben’s involved in this. He just likes to play victim. JLo didn’t need his company to shop this when her musical album was already sold with profit to Amazon. Heck, she simply didn’t need that documentary financially but I guess it was a lucrative double feature sales pitch and it did top viewing charts so win win for everybody financially. JLo kept quiet about up until he started blaming her public career/lifestyle for his marriage failing. But people who tracked the development, everyone knew. Also, none of you here like her much to begin with. Ben could himself admit this tomorrow that he messed up and you all will still say Poor Ben, he was manipulated and yada yada yada.
@Gem I know they list it on their website. But they are not listed on any of the credit as producers as Ben or a company. Other than Ben clearly working on it as film crew. I know someone posted that Ben took over as director. But he isn’t listed as a director. Jason Bergh is.
I just feel it’s more promotion than any funding or creative control they had on it. Or the connection is Ben worked on it for free.
Ben & Matt do have producer credit on Kiss of the Spider Woman.
@Flamingo, they actually have a “Company Credit” on IMDb. When you hit the all cast and crew link, scroll to the bottom and hit the Company Credits link, they are listed there. But you are correct that they don’t have a credit for producers, but I’m also not sure if those who are listed as producers work for Artist Equity or not. But they are listed as the production company.
My bad, they are listed as the production company for the documentary. Then Ben has absolutely no say on anything related to him on it.
Ben and Matt Damon and a few others are the founders of Artists Equity.
This really feels like another fair-weather marriage for Ben. When everyone celebrated, they reunited. It was sunshine for days. When Jennifer hit a rough path in her career. It was back to the shadows with her.
And I still stand by the fact I liked some of the songs on This is Me… Now. And the dancing was fantastic. I just wish they went in a different direction with the CGI. It made it a bit corny.
I would take messy bun and sweatpants Jennifer over Jenny from the Block high glam and diamonds. I want to know the woman Leah Remini loves.
Jennifer Lopez produced this documentary with 20 million of her own dollars, and she discussed it extensively before it came out. She never once, before this, touted or brought up that HE had the control in this project. So, was she telling the truth when she claimed all the credit, or is it the truth now? And, Amazon bought it AFTER it was completed, so she may have needed the production company’s involvement in the actual production of the documentary. Neither one of these people are the hero, just as neither one is the villain. They both just have crappy relationship choices and they ignore all the red flags each time they get involved with someone.
And if they want either of their next two projects, Unstoppable and Kiss of The Spider Woman, to succeed then they both need to put this story to rest. So much for all those early stories explaining how they were putting off the announcement of divorce for the sake of the kids. Seems the kids are the first ones used in the fight. Not to mention now he’s the one who had “the control” all along…..hmmmm
Jlo produced/bank rolled the This is Me Now album movie. Not the documentary. She had released her album then album film and then documentary. The 20 million was not for documentary. Do the math, why would it take 20 million to make a documentary? If you’ve seen her album film, it had sprawling cast and so much special effects. The documentary wasn’t in production in the beginning at all.
I see no heroes or victims here. Two erratic, insufferable ,needy in their own way, people got married. Stevie Wonder could see that this wasn’t going to work but folks were all caught up in the romanticism. I’m not going to take sides, they both made a commitment to what they knew was a BAD idea. No one wanted to compromise or bend toward the other. I’m over the both of them and they need to go a-way and stop water boarding everyone with the tea from their messy marriage. Be an adult, you both went into the marriage, you both own the failure of that marriage.
“Stevie Wonder could see that this wasn’t going to work.” 😂😂😂😂😂😂
This is jlo reading the gossip on line and disagreeing that she shouldve kepts bens letters private/showing them was disrespectful . Ben acting like he didnt know was just acting for the camera and to enhance the existing narratives about him being a private person and jen being so public with everything.
It was just acting. It looked like he was shocked but he was one of the driving forces behind the scenes. I can believe that. I’m not a fan of jlo but im on her team. After all this, she deserves her truth to be out if thats what she wants and we deserve a storyline because they have put this in our faces since a good 3 years
She needs to take (at least) the rest of the year to be on her own somewhere: no pap strolls, no glamorous party pictures, no PR releases… just rent a vacation house somewhere quiet to learn to be by herself.
You guys, Lainey posted an actual video clip when JLo was doing press for the whole album/film/documentary and she said BACK THEN that the documentary was not her idea, it was Ben’s. And then BEN put together the documentary team. This particular headline is not PR spin, it’s been out there and everyone ignored it. Ben has a love/hate relationship with the press and celebrity in general and he likes the attention and praise almost as much as JLo but doesn’t want to admit it.
I gotta say calling their story “Greatest love story” was already a sign that this relationship was doomed..