Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez have been officially divorced for about a month. In a new interview, the actor and director speaks for the first time about the separation from the singer and shares revealing words about the reasons behind their split.
After months of speculation about a marital crisis, the sad truth was confirmed on August 20, 2024: Jennifer Lopez, 55, filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, 52, with court documents indicating that the separation had already taken place in April of the same year. On February 21, 2025, the Hollywood couple’s marriage was officially dissolved by the Los Angeles County Superior Court.
While The Cell actress had already spoken about the breakup last fall, the actor remained silent. But now, Affleck is also addressing the matter—putting an end to speculation regarding the reasons for their separation.
Ben Affleck on the Reasons for Their Split: “The Truth Is …”
Ben Affleck graces the cover of the April issue of GQ. In an interview with the magazine, the usually reserved actor gives a rare glimpse into his emotions. The Argo director emphasizes that he has “nothing but respect” for Jennifer Lopez. People tend to look for reasons when a relationship fails. “But honestly, […] the truth is much more ordinary than people probably think or would find interesting,” says The Accountant actor.
So, was there no major, decisive reason for the breakup? “There’s no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue. The truth is, if you talk to someone and ask, ‘Hey, what happened?’ in this case, there’s no ‘This is exactly how it went down.’ It’s just a story about people trying to manage their lives and relationships in the way we all normally do. And as you get older—and this applies to me, and I assume to most people—there’s no […] ‘This was the big event.’”
He doesn’t want to share more about the causes of the breakup: “And the reason I don’t want to talk about it is simply that it’s embarrassing. It feels vulnerable.”
Ben Affleck Finally Breaks His Silence
Journalist Zach Baron also asks the director about the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which Affleck made with JLo, highlighting the contradiction between the former couple’s desire for privacy and their decision to put their love in the spotlight with the film. Affleck explains that he participated in the documentary because he found it interesting.
Actor Defends Documentary with Jennifer Lopez
However, he emphasizes that Lopez has been “much more skilled and adept at handling fame than I have” and adds, “My nature is a bit more reserved and private than hers.” In relationships, however, it’s common not to always have the same perspective on such things.
Still, his motivation for participating was very clear to him. “I love and support this person. I believe in her. She’s amazing. I want people to see that,” says the two-time Oscar winner about his ex-wife. He especially wants to make it clear that the documentary was “not the cause of a major breakup. It’s not like you can watch this documentary and say, ‘Oh, now I understand the problems they had.’”
