No surprises here: the Bennifer split is the cover of this week’s People Magazine. People would have chosen the split as their cover no matter what, but they’ve also gotten a sh-tload of exclusives from Jennifer’s team in the past week. I believe Ben’s side is talking to the gossip media too, and they have been talking for months, but this past week has been almost entirely about Jennifer’s narrative and her side of things. And I’m glad! I’m glad she’s putting this sh-t out there because a lot of people have been attacking her and putting all of the blame on her. She loved Ben and fought to make the marriage work – he passive-aggressively tapped out of the marriage and started banging Kick Kennedy. Team JLo Forever for me. There’s a lot in the cover story which we’ve covered in recent days, but here are some highlights:

Different people: “They are very different people,” says a source who knows both stars. “She’s super public and is more social, and he’s more of an introvert and is happy to hang out at home.”

Ben’s moods: Another source says Affleck was prone to “mood swings,” with “big highs and big lows. Who he said he was and who he turned out to be were two different people.” It was a cloud that hung over the relationship, adds an Affleck source: “He doesn’t understand how his bad mood affects people around him.”

Their separation through the spring & summer: Lopez, says the source, was still hoping to navigate a path forward with her husband during that time. “She tried really hard to make things work,” says the fifth insider. But Affleck — who bought a $20 million L.A. mansion in July when Lopez was staying on the East Coast at her house in the Hamptons — wasn’t as invested.

The Kick Kennedy rumor: Two sources say he has been quietly spending time with actress Kick Kennedy, 36, the daughter of former U.S. presidential candidate Bobby Kennedy Jr., since June, though an Affleck insider calls romance speculation “garbage. There’s definitely nothing going on. I don’t think they even know each other.”

J.Lo is going stand up for J.Lo: Still, Affleck wasn’t giving his wife “any signs that he wants to continue their marriage,” says a Lopez insider. “It got to the point that she just needs to look out for herself.”

Ben was torturing her: “It’s been incredibly difficult for her that Ben chose to pull away from their marriage and move on with his life, leaving her behind,” says the source. “She didn’t want a divorce. She wanted to figure things out. They love each other. Jennifer is not the type to just give up. It’s been almost torture for her to wait around.” And “after filing for divorce, she seems relieved,” the source adds. “Her family and friends agree that it was the right decision.She’s surrounded by a lot of love and support. She’ll be fine. She’s strong and always comes out on top.”

[From People Magazine]

“Who he said he was and who he turned out to be were two different people.” Yikes. I mean, I would assume the same, that Ben’s celebrity image is much different than the man at home on a daily basis. That’s true of most celebrities, but all of this talk about “his bad mood” and “mood swings” and “his darkness” indicate a much wider disparity between the public and the private Ben. “It’s been almost torture for her to wait around.” I wonder what was said between them in the spring, when clearly something happened and they separated. Jennifer seemingly spent the summer waiting for Ben to come running back to her, or at least she hoped for Ben to say something about how he wanted to save their marriage.

Cover courtesy of People, additional photos courtesy of Backgrid.