After months of speculation, Jennifer Lopez has officially filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, leaving Lopez’s engagement ring as a poignant reminder of their relationship’s end.
The news surfaced on Tuesday (August 20), as reports emerged that the actress had filed legal documents for separation. According to Variety, Lopez submitted the documents independently, without an attorney, and marked April 26, 2024, as the date of their separation.
Variety also noted that the documents do not specify whether there is a prenuptial agreement between Lopez and Affleck. However, Lopez has reportedly waived spousal support and is requesting the judge to deny such support to Affleck as well.
This development may have come as a surprise to some, while others anticipated it (some fans believe they pinpointed the exact moment their marriage fell apart). Regardless, certain elements of Bennifer’s once-public declarations of love now seem awkward — especially Lopez’s engagement ring.
Affleck proposed to Lopez for the second time in April 2022 with a stunning green diamond engagement ring, specially engraved with a sentimental message.
In a 2022 interview with Apple Music One’s Zane Lowe, Lopez shared that Affleck had the phrase ‘not going anywhere’ inscribed on the ring.
“This one he put ‘not going anywhere’ because that’s how he would sign his emails when we started talking again,” she explained to Lowe. “Like, ‘Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.'”
Ironically, the divorce filing came on the anniversary of their second wedding ceremony, indicating that people did, indeed, end up going places.
The couple’s history dates back to the early 2000s when they first dated, giving rise to the Bennifer phenomenon. They were even engaged before ultimately calling off their wedding in 2004.
Nearly two decades later, Lopez and Affleck rekindled their romance in 2021 and married in a Las Vegas ceremony on July 16, 2022. They followed up with a second wedding ceremony in Savannah, Georgia, on August 20 of the same year.
Rumors of a potential split had been circulating for a while, with Lopez even addressing a reporter who bluntly questioned whether she and Affleck were still together.
This divorce marks Lopez’s fourth marriage; her most recent marriage prior to Affleck was with singer Marc Anthony. For Affleck, this is his second marriage. He was previously married to his Daredevil co-star Jennifer Garner, with whom he shares three children: Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose, and Samuel.