Last year, Ben Affleck made headlines for appearing to be in a bad mood. After opening a car door for his wife, Jennifer Lopez, he shut it with what viewers decided was more force than strictly necessary.
Many claimed he also appeared to be sulking while seated next to his wife at the 2023 Grammy Awards. (He later said his expression had more to do with an unplanned bit by the event’s host, Trevor Noah.)
Then there was Mr. Affleck’s unaccompanied appearance at the Netflix roast of Tom Brady in early May, followed the next day by Ms. Lopez’s arriving without her husband at the Met Gala.
For many, Ms. Lopez’s abrupt cancellation of her summer tour last week (very possibly a result of poor ticket sales) was the final bit of proof fans needed to conclude that the couple’s marriage was on the rocks.
Rumors of issues between Ms. Lopez and Mr. Affleck, whose breakup-to-makeup story may be one of the most closely watched celebrity relationships in Hollywood history, began about a year after their surprise wedding in 2022. (The couple called off a first engagement 20 years ago.) But who’s to say the pair’s schedules haven’t made it difficult to attend events together? Perhaps Mr. Affleck’s seeming bad mood was unrelated to his wife when he shut that car door?
The frenzied speculation has only increased the already overwhelming attention the couple receives. Just this weekend, they were surrounded by a group of paparazzi snapping pictures as they left his son’s basketball game in Santa Monica. This time, they seemed happy together, even exchanging a cheek kiss.