Ben Affleck’s Saturday brunch with Jennifer Lopez at the Beverly Hills Hotel Polo Lounge has prompted conflicting reports about how well the divorcing couple got along — and whether their attraction for each other was so evident and undeniable that there’s hope they could call off the divorce.
But there’s no denying that this reunion — with four of their five children — took place in full view of the paparazzi, instead of in a private family place. That’s because the “Argo” director expected photographers to be in such a high-profile celebrity hotspot as the Beverly Hills Hotel, Page Six reported.
A source told Page Six that Affleck hoped that photographers would capture images of him and Lopez entering the famed hotel, with the idea of showing the world that he and and his estranged wife are “friendly exes,” despite her filing for divorce last month, Page Six reported.
“It was Ben Affleck’s idea to meet there,” the source told Page Six. “He wanted those photos. You go (to the Beverly Hills Hotel) when you want to be seen. Paparazzi hang out there.”
It’s not clear from this report, though, whether someone from Affleck’s team went so far as to alert the paparazzi — as some celebrities are known to do. It also seems uncharacteristic for Affleck, who likes to present himself as being media-averse, to seek publicity for such a momentous family event — that’s definitely more of a Lopez move.
In any case, photos published by Page Six and TMZ showed Affleck and Lopez driving up to the hotel in the same car, with their children racing in ahead. Affleck brought two of his children, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, while Lopez brought her twins Emme and Max, 16.
TMZ reported that Affleck and Lopez didn’t look too “excited” to be at the hotel together, but were clearly trying to put on a show of being “civil.” To TMZ, the pair seemed “frustrated” to be there, with Affleck “throwing up his hands and getting close to Lopez’s face” as they walked in — body language that suggested he was “not thrilled” with his soon-to-be ex-wife.
Page Six, meanwhile, told a much different story, saying that, yes, Affleck wanted them to be seen being “civil” to each other.
But once Affleck was back in his ex-wife’s presence for perhaps the first time in weeks or months, he found her “irresistible,” Page Six also reported.
“Once they were together, he could not keep his hands off,” the Page Six source continued. “They have always had a lot of sexual chemistry. That was not planned. They are still attracted to one another.”
During the brunch, the estranged couple were seen “holding hands and kissing,” Page Six furthermore reported. Affleck and Lopez sat at one table together, while their children — who are said to be close — sat at a different table, Page Six also reported.
TMZ updated its original report about Affleck and Lopez being “pretty frigid” with each other, to say that, yes, there was “some PDA” between the two during lunch. But TMZ said the affection was “more to show the kids that they’re getting along” than a sign that they could rekindle their romance yet again.
TMZ cited source who said that the divorce is still going to happen. People magazine echoed that view, with a source saying, “They are still moving forward with the divorce” and “working out financial details amicably.”
“They all came together for a fun lunch so the kids could hang out,” the People source added.
Lopez filed for divorce on Aug. 20 — the date of the couple’s two-year anniversary of exchanging vows during a lavish wedding ceremony and reception at Affleck’s estate in Georgia.
Lopez and Affleck married after rekindling a high-profile love affair that first played in the early 2000s when both were up-and-coming new stars. But they called off their engagement in 2004, went their separate ways and each dated other people, married and had children.
They got back together in the spring of April 2021, following his divorce from Jennifer Garner and her breakup from retired MLB star Alex Rodriguez. To demonstrate what Lopez publicized as their epic “greatest love story never told,” she and Affleck held two weddings: the first in Las Vegas in July 2022 and the second in Georgia in August 2022.
But the “greatest love story” was not meant to be — torn apart by her relentless quest for fame, his reported moodiness and controlling ways or a combination of both. They officially separated in April, as Lopez listed in her divorce filing.
