Jennifer Lopez is looking to ‘make extra efforts’ to help save her marriage to Ben Affleck, according to insiders, who claim cracks started to appear when the actress allowed rumors of a split to ruminate ahead of her new film.
The Hustlers star, 54, and the Argo director, 51, have been plagued by reports they could be heading for divorce in recent months, with claims Affleck’s ex Jennifer Garner is desperately trying to help save them.
The couple, who rekindled their romance in 2021, have continued to put on a united front, but it has done little to dispel the growing speculation over the state of their marriage.
Now, sources have claimed Lopez has realized her failure to tackle the reports head on took a toll on her husband, with the couple allegedly needing to work on communication.
‘Jennifer allowed the breakup rumors to ruminate while on the press tour for her new film Atlas because if people are talking about you, it can be a good thing for publicity,’ an insider told DailyMail.com. ‘But she is now seeing that Ben didn’t like that.’
Jennifer Lopez is allegedly looking to ‘make extra efforts’ to help Ben Affleck ‘feel better about their relationship’ amid their ongoing marriage turmoil
Indeed reports of marriage issues gained traction when it was revealed that Affleck, who has not addressed reports, has been living separately in a $100,000-per-month rental mansion for weeks.
Daily Mail previously revealed that Lopez had even been confiding in her husband’s ex-wife, Garner, amid claims their marriage was on ‘shaky ground’ and both women feared he could relapse over the strain.
Live Nation then announced last week that Lopez had canceled the entirety of her upcoming This Is Me…Live tour, with a statement stating she was ‘taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends.’
The insider added: ‘They are going to be apart while he works on his movies, but Jennifer is looking to make extra efforts to be there together during their days off.’
They went on to claim that while the pair have not necessarily fallen out of love with each other, Lopez wants to get back to how they were when they rekindled.
‘They are in love but she wants to fall in love with Ben again and get back to what got them back together in the first place,’ they stated. ‘She wants him to feel better about their relationship.’
The continued: ‘They have to work on their communication first and foremost.
‘Some have said the way they spend money is putting a strain on their relationship, but that isn’t the case. It’s that their communication is off.’
Sources claim the star is planning to spend as much time with the her husband during their upcoming days off after canceling her tour for her family
Fans have long speculated about their marriage due to seemingly awkward interactions in public, leading to reports that the two-year marriage is on ‘shaky ground’
Their marriage came under scrutiny after they went 47 days without being seen together in public, despite continued loved-up appearances prior.
Last month, the couple made a rare united front to celebrate Affleck’s daughter Violet, 18, at her graduation party, which they attended at Garner’s home.
But photos revealed that after the party, they headed straight back to Affleck’s rental mansion, while Lopez swiftly departed with just her assistant almost as soon as they had arrived.
The couple reunited again on Sunday to attend his son Samuel’s basketball game, which was also attended by his mother Chris and Garner.
Notably, the couple, who looked particularly stone-faced at the graduation party, greeted each other with an awkward air kiss at the game.
The meet-up came just days after the I’m Real singer canceled her entire summer tour ‘to be with her children, family and close friends.’
‘I am completely heartsick and devastated about letting you down,’ the Hustlers star said in a statement.
‘Please know that I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t feel that it was absolutely necessary.
‘I promise I will make it up to you and we will all be together again. I love you all so much. Until next time…’
Her tour had been suffering from anemic ticket sales, with blocks of seating available at multiple venues, according to official seat maps on Ticketmaster last month, and resale sites scalping tickets for as little as $10.
One insider suggested the apparent lack of appetite for her tour, which was to promote her latest album, This is Me… Now, could have been because of her being ‘overexposed’ in recent months.
The couple’s love story started in 2002 when they dated while filming the movie Jersey Girl. They got engaged the following year but broke up in 2004 (pictured in 2003)
They rekindled in 2021 and married in a Las Vegas ceremony the following July, before throwing a lavish wedding at Affleck’s Georgia estate in August 2022 (pictured)
Lopez released This Is Me… Now back in February, and it was accompanied by the musical film, This Is Me… Now: A Love Story, and a documentary titled, The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
The album debuted at number 38 on the Billboard chart, her first LP to not make the top 20.
Meanwhile, Affleck and Matt Damon’s company Artists Equity financed the documentary, with Lopez self-financing her film This Is Me…Now: A Love Story for $20 million.
The tour was eventually renamed This Is Me… Live: The Greatest Hits, seemingly to remind fans that she would be playing the older songs that they did like, and a source at the time said there was a ‘good uptick’ in sales as a result.
However, the hitmaker ultimately ended up pulling the plug on the tour – raising further eyebrows about what this could mean about the state of her marriage.