Ben Affleck dropped subtle hints about the state of his marriage to Jennifer Lopez months before their official separation, leading up to Jennifer filing for divorce on Tuesday.
The 51-year-old actor, during a candid conversation with Kevin Hart on the fourth season of Hart’s show Hart to Heart, may have inadvertently revealed that his marriage was on the rocks as early as the beginning of 2024.
The Argo director was recounting an incident when his superstar wife was swarmed by fans while they were with his children—Violet, Fin, and Samuel—in the bustling heart of New York City, Times Square. As he shared the story, Ben used the past tense when referring to his marriage, a subtle but telling slip that fans are now reading into with fresh eyes.
Ben described how one of his children—he didn't specify which one — had a quirky habit of coming up with potential titles for an autobiography.
On this particular occasion, after witnessing the frenzy surrounding J-Lo, his child jokingly suggested their autobiography could be titled J-Lo Was My Stepmother. The past tense use of "was" is now being seen as a possible indication that the couple's relationship was already strained, if not over, at that point.
Ben didn’t address the curious choice of words his child used, but he did acknowledge the humor in it, saying, “And I was like, alright, that's a good title.”
The interview, filmed in early 2024, shows Ben sporting a full beard, a look he shaved off in March for the filming of The Accountant 2.
This timeline suggests that the split may have occurred earlier than Jennifer's claim of their separation in April. The couple’s second wedding anniversary passed on Tuesday, the same day Jennifer filed for divorce, making this revelation even more poignant.
During his chat with Kevin, Ben also spoke at length about the stark difference in fame between himself and Jennifer. The Air actor described an incident where they were together in Times Square, and fans went “bananas” upon seeing the 55-year-old Bronx-born beauty.
It was Ben’s idea to take a stroll through one of the world’s busiest neighborhoods with Jennifer, a decision he might have second-guessed afterward. “We went somewhere with [Jennifer]—I can't remember because she's so famous, and she creates this—people love her, and she really represents something important to people,” Ben said, acknowledging the overwhelming love fans have for his now-estranged wife.
He contrasted his own experience with that of Jennifer’s, humorously noting that while fans might casually compliment him on a movie, their reaction to seeing J-Lo was far more intense. “‘[To me,] people are like, ‘Hey, I like your movie,’ and then they're like ‘AAAHHHH! J-LO!’” he recalled, imitating the screams of adoring fans. “It's amazing, you know what I mean?”
As Ben recounted their walk through Times Square, he emphasized the chaos of the moment. They were on their way to a play, running late, and decided to walk the last block and a half. Jennifer, ever the trooper, didn’t complain. “We get out of the car, we were going to a play, and I was like.. ‘babe, we're going to be late, we gotta walk a block and a half,’” Ben said, adding, “[Jennifer] was like, ‘Alright,’.”
The couple was with all their children—Ben’s three with Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez’s twins, Max and Emme, from her previous marriage to Marc Anthony. The moment quickly turned into a scene of mass fan hysteria. “We get out with her, all the kids, through Times Square, and the [expletive] was like bananas,” Ben shared, illustrating the intensity of the crowd’s reaction.
He vividly described a woman, dressed in a tight purple suit and smoking weed, who started running backward while filming Jennifer, shouting her name. “Like a herald, that then gets everyone else, and then all the tourists come in,” Ben said, explaining how one person’s excitement quickly snowballed into a frenzy.
The situation escalated quickly, becoming overwhelming even for Ben, who has spent three decades in the spotlight. He noted that being in the middle of the crowd with their five children and the sea of screaming fans was “a lot to take in.”
During the interview, Ben also touched on his so-called “resting grumpy face,” offering a surprising reason for it—his shyness. “I’m also a little bit shy. I don’t like a lot of attention,” he confessed, a somewhat surprising admission from someone who has been a Hollywood fixture for so long.
Kevin Hart couldn’t resist poking fun at Ben’s often stern expression, joking, “You have resting bh face.” Ben, playing along, responded, “Bh? Now,” pretending to be offended. “I have resting hard face,” he clarified. “People are projecting onto me something that I don't feel about myself at all.”