Jennifer Lopez has shared a sweet story about her engagement ring amid rumors that she and her husband Ben Affleck are calling it quits.
The 54-year-old actor spoke candidly about her jewelry during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Monday. Her remark came as she was telling the host how starstruck she was when she met one of her idols, music legend Barbra Streisand.
Lopez noted how her admiration for Streisand first started, explaining: “My mom grew up loving Barbra Streisand, so she passed that on to me. And the love and musicals and all that stuff.”
The Atlas star acknowledged that amid her rise to fame years ago, that’s when she had the opportunity to meet Streisand. She also recalled that during that conversation, Streisand even mentioned Lopez’s engagement ring from Affleck, which she received after they first got engaged in 2002.
“I met her, and I just was like, ‘Oh my god. I love you!” JLo continued. “And she was like, ‘Oh my god!’ and she was kind of like, asking me to look at my engagement ring at the time that Ben had given to me years ago.”
She shared Streisands’s reaction to the ring, adding that the Funny Girl star said: “So that’s the big diamond!,” to which Lopez responded: “Yes it is!”
While Lopez didn’t address the breakup rumors surrounding her and Affleck, she was wearing a silver wedding band during her interview with Kimmel. She also wore the same ring to the Los Angeles premiere of her movie, Atlas, on Monday. However, her husband did not attend the red carpet event with her.
Last week, multiple reports claimed the pair are experiencing “issues” in their marriage, while some sources said the Gone Girl star has moved out of their $60m home in Beverly Hills. Although the couple have yet to publicly comment on the rumors, that hasn’t stopped people from speculating about a potential divorce – considering the pair weren’t photographed together for two months.
Throughout the last few months, the “I’m Real” singer has been spotted solo during several outings, such as promoting her new Netflix film Atlas and attending the 2024 Met Gala. Lopez is also set to kick off her low-performing tour – which was rebranded to This Is Me… Live | The Greatest Hits amid weak ticket sales – in Orlando, Florida, next month. Meanwhile, the Oscar-winning director is reportedly busy with his own projects, like filming The Accountant 2 in Los Angeles.
Reports have also speculated that the reason for the split was Lopez embracing the media attention surrounding their romance, while Affleck has been more reluctant. The Wedding Planner star self-financed her $20m Prime Video musical film This Is Me … Now: A Love Story, which coincided with the release of her latest album This Is Me … Now. Along with the visual album, Lopez released the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which disclosed details about her 20-year-long romance with Affleck.
However, one source claimed to Us Weekly that while the pair are navigating some problems in their marriage, Lopez and Affleck aren’t splitting up just yet. “Jen and Ben are having issues in their marriage,” the insider said. “They started having issues a few months ago as Jen had started ramping up work commitments and prepping for her tour.”
Despite the speculation, both Affleck and Lopez have also recently been spotted wearing their wedding rings. On 16 May, TMZ published photographs of Affleck driving away from a residence in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was captured with his left hand dangling out the driver’s seat window, giving a clear view of his ring finger. That same day, Lopez was also sporting her ring as she arrived at a dance studio in Los Angeles.
In 2021, Lopez and Affleck – also referred to as “Bennifer” – rekindled their romance, after calling off their first engagement in 2004. They tied the knot in 2022 and went on to become a blended family, as Affleck and his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, share three children: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 13. Meanwhile, Lopez and her ex-husband, Marc Anthony, share 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Lopez and Affleck for comment.