Filmmaker Kevin Smith, who has worked closely with Ben Affleck for years, is finding it hard to process the recent divorce of Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. Smith, 54, admitted that the end of their marriage has left him heartbroken, as he had great admiration for their relationship.
Lopez and Affleck, after first dating from 2002 to 2004, rekindled their romance in 2021. The couple got married in Las Vegas in July 2022, followed by a grand celebration for friends and family. Despite this second chance at love, the pair filed for divorce in April 2024, ending their marriage after less than two years.
Smith has a long professional history with Affleck, having collaborated on films such as Mallrats (1995), Chasing Amy (1997), and Dogma (1999). He also directed Lopez and Affleck in the 2004 film Jersey Girl. Smith expressed deep sadness over the couple’s split, describing it as something that personally affected him.
Reports suggest that Lopez’s close friends have been urging her to focus on self-care instead of seeking another relationship. According to a source, after four failed marriages, her friends believe she should take time to discover who she is and what she truly wants. One insider revealed that Lopez had felt humiliated by Affleck and timed the divorce to coincide with their second anniversary, but it had little impact on him as he had emotionally checked out long ago.
Earlier this year, Lopez released a film on Amazon Prime, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, along with an album, pouring $20 million of her own money into the project. While promoting the film, she reflected on her previous breakup with Affleck in 2004, saying their relationship had collapsed under pressure. Despite the challenges, she remained dedicated to her creative ventures, even joking about how others—and she herself—thought she was “crazy” for taking on such a large project.