Los Angeles:
Jennifer Lopez has filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, US media reported on Tuesday, two years after the Hollywood power couple officially gave love a second chance by tying the knot.
The couple, nicknamed “Bennifer” when they dated in the heady tabloid celebrity days of the early 2000s, had rekindled their relationship nearly two decades later.
But Lopez filed divorce papers in a Los Angeles court on Tuesday, Hollywood trade outlet Variety and celebrity gossip site TMZ reported.
A representative for Lopez declined to comment. A spokesman for Affleck did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
It was the fourth marriage for pop singer-turned-actress Lopez, 55, and the second for Oscar-winning movie star and director Affleck, 52.
The couple met for the first time in 2002 on the set of the widely acclaimed film Gigli.
They became a media sensation when they started dating and announced their engagement.
But they postponed their planned wedding in 2003 and announced the end of their relationship in early 2004.
“Bennifer” set the internet on fire again in 2021 when pictures of them together started circulating again.
“It’s a beautiful love story that we got a second chance,” Lopez said in an interview around that time.
Lopez and Affleck announced their engagement in April 2022, and the A-list lovebirds tied the knot in Las Vegas in July.
They made it official again the following month in a lavish ceremony at the “Good Will Hunting” star’s 87-acre (35-hectare) estate in the southeastern US state of Georgia.
Among the Hollywood types who attended the three-day affair were Affleck’s longtime pal Matt Damon and director Kevin Smith.
The couple reportedly bought a $60 million home together in Los Angeles last year.
But rumors of marital problems surfaced in the entertainment press and on social media earlier this year.
Fans noted that Lopez celebrated her 55th birthday last month without her husband, and TMZ reported that she sold their shared home as Affleck moved into a luxury bachelor pad.
According to People magazine, the relationship is strained because they approached the celebrity in different ways.
“He wants to open his heart to his fans and the world,” the magazine quoted an unnamed source as saying.
“He’s more introspective and private. This has been difficult every day.”
The divorce papers listed the date of the couple’s separation as April 26, 2024, according to TMZ, which says the couple is no longer on speaking terms.
Lopez was previously married to actress Ojani Noa, dancer Cris Judd and singer Marc Anthony, with whom she shares twins Max and Emme.
Affleck was married to actress Jennifer Garner and they are the parents of Violet, Seraphina and Samuel.
