He snapped. On June 23, after pulling away from the Beverly Hills mansion he, until May, shared with second wife Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck suddenly stopped, reversed and slammed on his brakes. Jumping out of his car, the Oscar winner got into a photographer’s face and began scolding the man for blinding him with flashes as he exited the property he and J. Lo, 54, are now selling for $65 million amid relentless speculation that their nearly two-year marriage is beyond repair.
“It’s not surprising Ben lashed out like that,” a source exclusively tells Life & Style, “because he’s close to his breaking point.”
The past few months have been difficult for Ben, 51, and J. Lo as they navigate what’s next. Their marriage drama has also created new challenges for Ben’s first wife, Jennifer Garner, who in recent weeks has been spending more time with the troubled star and recovering alcoholic. She was even pictured punching a code into a call box to let herself into his $100,000-a-month rental in LA’s Brentwood neighborhood on June 15.
“People close to Ben have been concerned about him for some time. He’s in a bad place and has been isolating,” reveals the source. “Jen’s opening up to friends like never before about it, explaining why she’s been so involved lately and is often seen visiting Ben. She wants to finally share her side of the story.”
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner’s Situation Is Complicated
Pals had been trying to understand why Jen, 52, is providing support to her ex nine years after they announced that their decade-long marriage was over.
“Jen definitely had doubts that Ben and J. Lo would work out. But she says her biggest concern is Ben spiraling worse than before. She won’t let that happen,” notes a second insider. “Jen’s moved on from Ben as a husband, but because of the children they share [Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12], she’ll always feel responsible for him.”
She’s been here before. Following their 2015 split, Jen let Ben live in her guesthouse so he could be close to the kids. In 2018, she drove him to rehab. During his treatment, she begged the actor’s The Way Back director, Gavin O’Connor, “‘Please don’t pull the plug on the movie. He really wants to do this,’” the filmmaker later recalled.
