Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s romance may be doomed due to their differing ideas of fame, according to a divorce attorney Holly Davis.
“No one truly knows what goes on in a private relationship behind closed doors, but we know the media, paparazzi and public scrutiny of their relationship played a big part in the breakup of their first engagement,” Davis, a founding partner of Austin, Texas-based Kirker Davis LLP, said in light of Ben, 51, and Jennifer’s marital issues. “We know because they told us about it years later.”
After pointing out that Ben has been open about wanting a “very private love life” with Jennifer, 54, Davis – who doesn’t represent either party – said that her interest “to be very public about their relationship” has created conflict. “Jennifer’s desire to have the most intimate details of their relationship be a part of her public storyline and a part of her brand was made obvious when she released the movie This Is Me … Now, which serves up their relationship as a product and a brand,” the attorney continued.
“For Jennifer, it makes sense to create a movie about what captivated her passion and focus, and doing the same with an album and a world tour would be very natural for her, as well,” Davis added about the film, which premiered alongside an album and tour announcement. “But the fact that Jennifer had to invest $20 million of her own money into the project must have been a sore spot in the relationship.”
While Jennifer likely had high hopes for the project, the movie and album were not commercial successes. Meanwhile, she had a difficult time selling tickets for the tour.
“If one person advised their partner against productizing their relationship but the other person didn’t listen, and then the product flopped, there’s a lot of blame and defensiveness to go around,” Davis explained. “For Jennifer and Ben to be living in two separate homes, for her to be posting forced smiles on social media while canceling the world tour, all of this points to an identity crisis for Jennifer and maybe for Ben as well, and an identity crisis will always strain a marriage.”
In light of their marital issues, Jennifer announced she canceled her This Is Me… Live: The Greatest Hits tour in order to focus on her family on May 31.
“She has a believable reason for canceling and she gets extra time to be with her family and make a decision about her relationship,” Davis continued. “When people take time away from work to focus on their family, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are committed to saving the marriage. It could mean they are emotionally preparing for a divorce and change in living situation.”
While Davis acknowledged that only Jennifer and Ben know “the strength of their relationship,” she said that a divorce will be relatively easy. “They both have prenups in place and their families have barely had enough time to blend together, so the true terms of the divorce would likely be predetermined and undramatic,” she said. “The real drama lies in whether these two stars are going to pull the plug again on their relationship after making such a big deal about their everlasting love story on film and in music.”
Jennifer and Ben’s marital issues first came to light in May when In Touch exclusively reported that he moved out of their shared home and they are “headed for a divorce.”
“He’s focusing on his work and his kids now,” the insider dished at the time, adding that the Gone Girl actor was not to “blame” for their problems. “Ben already moved out and they’ll likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years searching for. They’ll never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him, and he can’t change her. There’s no way it could have lasted.”
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