Why Jennifer Lopez Gave Up on Ben Affleck and Filed for Divorce: ‘The Marriage Was a Mistake’

On August 20, 2022, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck held a fairy-tale wedding ceremony at the actor's Georgia compound. J. Lo, 55, donned a Ralph Lauren gown and gushed about walking down the "aisle that would lead me toward the rest of my life."

But just two years later, on August 20, 2024, Jenny From the Block would walk straight into an L.A. County court and file for divorce .

"This has been a long time coming; Jen and Ben have been separated since April, when he asked for space and moved out," an insider exclusively tells Life & Style . "Ultimately, the marriage was not fixable."

Accepting that was especially painful for the "Get Right" singer: She and Ben, 52, fell in love in 2002 but called off their "I do"s and broke up in 2004.

Jennifer went on to marry and have twins with Marc Anthony , while Ben wed and welcomed three kids with Jennifer Garner . Both divorced , "Bennifer" rekindled their romance years later in 2021.

J. Lo was so convinced it was forever this time, she took Ben's name, and according to the divorce docs — which she filed sans a lawyer — they had no prenup, meaning each is entitled to half their joint income and acquired property since they tied the knot. (They legally got hitched in Las Vegas on July 17, 2022.)

"When the marriage began to fall apart, J. Lo held out hope they could fix it , even canceling her summer tour in May, but Ben had no intention of working on things," says the insider. "The more time they spent apart, the more clear it became to him the marriage was a mistake."

Over the past few months, Ben was in L.A. while J. Lo largely lived it up in the Hamptons with friends and family, including Ben's daughter Violet, 18.

The couple were last seen by each other's side in public at his 12-year-old son Samuel's basketball game on June 2.

"Jen was concerned with saving face when the divorce speculation started," says the insider. "She made sure to step out smiling and be photographed with Ben when she could to try to stop the rumors."

However, after celebrating their birthdays apart and not acknowledging their second anniversary, J. Lo finally realized it was over.

"Ben left filing for divorce in Jennifer's hands, almost like a parting gift," says the insider. "She saw pulling the plug on the day of their anniversary as a bit of sweet revenge. He really doesn't care, though. Ben gave up on their relationship long ago."