It was confirmed last month that their fairy-tale romance was officially over, marking the end of Bennifer 2.0. But Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have confused fans after they were spotted looking extremely cosy during a reunion, despite being in the grips of a divorce.

The former couple, who called it quits after two years of marriage, initially appeared tense as they arrived at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California for a brunch with their children. However, once inside it was a different story, with an onlooker claiming they were ‘holding hands and kissing’.

They added that Ben, 52, who shares Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, and Jennifer, 55, mum to twins Max and Emme, 16, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, were ‘at a separate table’ to their brood. Actress Jennifer, 52, was seen picking up her children, Seraphina and Samuel, before J.Lo and Ben left in a car together. Violet was not in attendance because she was on the East Coast attending Yale University. 

It’s certainly a stark contrast to previous outings for J.Lo and Ben, who had a string of frosty appearances in the lead up to their split. So, what exactly is going on between them?

Sources have told Closer that it was J.Lo who organised the brunch in the hopes that it might reignite their connection, but things didn’t go as she had planned – and the divorce is very much still going ahead.

 An insider reveals, ‘Jen was the one who initiated the meet-up – insisting it was important to show amicability for the sake of the children who’d all grown so close over the last couple of years and avoid causing them any more heartache and trauma than they’d already experienced.

‘While Jen has been trying to plaster on a brave face since their split and show strength, behind closed doors she’s been crumbling and has admitted how much she’s been missing Ben and pining for him. She’d been secretly hoping he’d fight to win her back and thought her filing for divorce would spark him to take drastic action to turn things around, so the fact he’s done the opposite has been even more heartbreaking.’

The source adds, ‘Jen thought a meet-up may spark something in him and make him realise what he was losing all over again, but instead he seemed frustrated and angry –showing zero interest in trying to maintain any sort of relationship with her, let alone try to save their marriage.’

Earlier this month, the singer raised eyebrows when she was pictured holding hands with Ben’s best pal, Matt Damon, during an intimate chat at the Toronto International Film Festival, where they were celebrating their new movie, Unstoppable.

And according to our source, it has only pushed Ben further away. ‘Ben seemed angry that he was even having to meet up and told Jen how betrayed he felt by trying to cosy up to his BFF, Matt Damon – accusing her of trying to twist the narrative to benefit her reputation as he felt as if she’d thrown him under the bus,’ they continued.


‘Jen was devastated by Ben’s accusations and was left even more crushed by his coldness towards her after hoping and praying that seeing her face-to-face would make all the feelings rush back and make him open his eyes to losing the love of his life all over again.’ 

Their reunion came nearly a month after J.Lo filed from divorce from the actor on 20 August, on what would have been their second anniversary of their Georgia wedding. She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split and listed their date of separation as 26 April. It’s believed that they do not have a prenup in place, meaning they’re now faced with dividing up the £489million worth of joint assets

They previously thrilled fans when they rekindled their relationship in 2022, 20 years after breaking up the first time. But speculation that things were on the rocks began earlier this year, with reports that Ben had moved out of the Beverly Hills home they share together.

Rumours intensified when Ben was absent from J.Lo’s Hampton’s birthday celebrations in July. On the same day, he bought a new £23 million bachelor pad, which also came just days after the couple put their £54 million mansion on the market.

In a candid birthday post, J.Lo admitted to feeling ‘fragile’. She wrote, ‘I really do have the best, most amazing fans in the world. I could never express how moved I am or how incredibly blessed I feel to have all of you be a part of my life. Thank you sooooo very much. It’s hard to believe we have spent all this time together. It’s funny as I sit here contemplating on the most extraordinary journey I still feel like the same girl starting out so full of energy and bravado, so ready to take on the whole world on the outside and yet so tender, fragile and sometimes frightened but always full of love on the inside.’

She added, ‘I have so much love for you. I want you to know on my birthday that YOU are my biggest gift. Besides my family and friends, you have always been there for me in the good times and in the tough times. I can always count on you. And I want you to know that you can always count on me. Thank you for your caring, your understanding, your loyalty and most importantly your love.’

While J.Lo may not have got what she wanted out of their brunch, our source says that she now feels that she can finally move on from the relationship. They claim, Despite her double heartache, she admitted it was the closure she needed to put a final stamp on this chapter of her life without any glimmer of false hope making her cling on to something that’s very much gone.’