OK, so a lot of us have a “type”. Ben Affleck’s go-to? Women named Jen
Aniston, Lawrence and Love Hewitt, look away now
‘Ben’s really messed things up this time’
He’s been on a voyage of redemption since giving his most honest interview ever recently, in which he blamed alcohol for the breakdown of his marriage to Jennifer Garner, and called it “the biggest regret of my life”. But Ben Affleck might now be wishing he hadn’t been quite so chatty, after upsetting his former wife over comments he made in the same interview about the other Jennifer of his past: his ex-fiancée Jennifer Lopez.
In outtakes from last month’s New York Times feature released on the writer’s Twitter, Ben called J-LO “the real thing,” adding, “I keep in touch periodically with her and have a lot of respect for her.” He also slammed the fact that she wasn’t Oscar nominated for her role in Hustlers. But according to insiders, Ben’s warmth towards his ex, who he was with for two years before ending their engagement in 2004, has gone down like a lead balloon with the other Jen in his life, despite his best efforts to make amends with her.
According to insiders, Jennifer Garner often felt overshadowed by her romantic predecessor – whose public relationship with Ben saw them famously labelled “Bennifer”. Despite Jen G marrying Ben in 2005, and having three children with him – Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, seven – before splitting in 2015, She’s often struggled with the fact that she’s the second Jennifer to win Ben’s heart, and their moniker Bennifer II was a constant reminder of that fact. Now Ben’s comments have stirred up old insecurities.
“When they first got together, Jen hated being compared to J-LO,” says a source close to the actress, who’s supported Ben throughout his struggles with alcoholism, despite divorcing him in 2018, three years after their split.
“Ben’s really messed things up by talking so passionately about his previous relationship. He really wants to win Jen back, but she feels like he’s never going to change and thinks he can’t contain himself, even when he’s being interviewed about his personal life. Ben had hoped she’d be touched by his comments about regretting their divorce, but now it’s all ended up backfiring on him. Jen’s told him she just wants to keep co-parenting the kids harmoniously and leave it at that.”
Sadly, despite his best intentions, it looks like Ben’s back to square one. Best steer clear of Jennifers, Ben. ■