JLo Wants 1/2 of EVERYTHING|INCLUDING Ben’s New $20Million Mansion

Ben Affleck Is ‘Focused’ on Kids Amid J. Lo Divorce: ‘He Hates That They’ve Been Pulled Into This’

Ben Affleck is keeping his children close amid his divorce from Jennifer Lopez. The Batman actor is “focused on his kids, as much as he can be, and trying to repair whatever damage this has done,” an insider exclusively tells Closer in the aftermath of Ben’s split from J. Lo.

Ben, 52, shares kids Violet, Fin and Samuel with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, while J. Lo, 55, shares twins Emme and Max with ex-husband Marc Anthony.

“Jennifer Garner is doing her best to put on a united front with Ben for the kids’ sake,” the source adds. “He hates that they’ve been pulled into this. Unfortunately, Jen’s twins have been through this several times before.”

On Tuesday, August 20, J. Lo filed for divorce from Ben after two years of marriage. She listed their date of separation as April 26. The date of the filing was significant in that it marked the two-year anniversary of her and Ben’s wedding celebration at his home in Georgia. They initially wed in a smaller ceremony in July 2022 in Las Vegas.

In the months leading up to their split, J. Lo and Ben sparked speculation that their romance was on the rocks as they were rarely photographed together and were both spotted out without their wedding rings on a number of occasions. The Argo actor moved out of their marital home, In Touch reported on May 15.

“Ben already moved out and they’ll likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years searching for,” a source told the outlet at the time.

“The writing is on the wall – it’s over,” the insider added. “They’re headed for a divorce – and for once, [Ben’s] not to blame! They’ll never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him, and he can’t change her. There’s no way it could have lasted.”

Ben Affleck Is ‘Focused’ on Kids Amid J. Lo Divorce

Ben was noticeably absent from J. Lo’s Bridgerton-themed 55th birthday party in the Hamptons in July, and she did not post anything about their second wedding anniversary on Instagram that same month. The duo also put their marital home on the market for $68 million in July. At the time of publication, the home has still not found a buyer.

Speculation continued to swirl about the status of their marriage when Ben purchased a $20 million L.A. home without Jennifer on her birthday.

“The fact that he bought a new home while she was celebrating her birthday in the Hamptons was really humiliating for her,” a source told In Touch on August 13. “Plus, one day he has his ring on, and the next day it’s off — it’s like he’s gaslighting her.”

The insider went on to tell the outlet that J. Lo and Ben were “giving each other the silent treatment” in the days prior to her filing for divorce.

“J. Lo doesn’t know how it came to this,” the source said. “She really thought she’d finally found her happily ever after, and then Ben pulled the rug out from under her. She’s putting up a brave front in public, but she’s seething on the inside.”

Now that she’s single, she is looking for a hit single!

A source tells Page Six that Jennifer Lopez is shopping around for a new smash song in the wake of her split from Ben Affleck.

“They have reached out to songwriters,” says the source. “She wants a big dance hit.”

The source tells us, “Her priority [career-wise] is music. There is no point of her going into it unless it’s big, and critics say it’s the old Lopez. She needs a big banger.”

The star, 55, not just looking for one song either. She wants a whole album, we hear.

“She wants to get hits, and put out a new album,” says our source.

Lopez’s last album, “This Is Me… Now,” inspired by her relationship with her ex, Affleck, was released in February of this year, but failed to break the top 20, debuting at number 38 on the Billboard Top 200.

Lopez had hinted at retiring from music ahead of the release.

“The truth is I don’t even know if I’ll ever make another album after this,” she said. “Don’t tell Benny [Medina, her longtime manager] that that’s what I’m thinking — this might be my last album ever.”

“She has had an enormous amount of hits and can’t accept the last album is the end of her music career,” says the source. “She wants to wash away the stink of ‘This is Me Now.’”

The album got mixed reviews from critics. Slate wrote, “most of the album falls short,” while hip site Pitchfork reckoned of the album, “the narrative threatens to, and does, overtake the music.”

The project was also released with an experimental Amazon documentary, inspired by her relationship with Affleck.

The tour for the album reportedly sold poorly and Lopez, who was in the midst of her split with Affleck, wound up pulling the plug, saying she was “taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends.”

While the multi-talented performer’s movies have done well, we’re told the “On the Floor,” singer’s “priority is on music” as well.