Jennifer Lopez's Ex Alex Rodriguez Posts Cryptic Message Amid Split From Ben Affleck
Alex Rodriguez is keeping it vague.
On the day the news broke that the MLB star’s ex-fiancee Jennifer Lopez had officially filed for divorce from her husband of two years, Ben Affleck, Rodriguez shared a cryptic message on his Instagram Stories.
Quoting himself, Rodriguez wrote on Aug. 20, “You either go one way or the other, you might as well be the one deciding the direction.”
The post seems particularly pointed considering Lopez—who chose to file for divorce herself without an attorney present—ended her two-year engagement to Rodriguez weeks before she rekindled her romance to Affleck in 2021.
But since their split, the former New York Yankees star has kept things cordial throughout his ex’s very public romance with Affleck.
In October 2022 during an appearance on Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace?, Rodriguez noted of his time with the Marry Me star, "With Jennifer, look, it was a good experience, and I wish her and the children—who are smart, and beautiful and wonderful—I wish them the very best."
Lopez shares twins Max and Emme, 16, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Rodriquez shares daughters Natasha, 19, and Ella, 16, with his ex-wife Cynthia Scurtis.
As for Rodriguez’s personal life, he confirmed his romance with Jac Cordeiro in December 2022. The couple still appear to be going strong, sharing a romantic yacht vacation with his daughters in honor of his 49th birthday in July.
Meanhwhile, Affleck, 52, and Lopez, 55, tied the knot in a July 2022 Las Vegas elopement before finalizing their wedded bliss in a grand August 2022 ceremony in Georgia—with the “Jenny From the Block” singer filing for divorce on the two-year anniversary of the second nuptials.
While Lopez was filing at the Los Angeles Superior Court, Affleck was in New Haven, Connecticut, taking his eldest daughter Violet Affleck, whom he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, to her freshman year at Yale University. He was photographed landing back in Los Angeles that same day.
Lopez and Affleck’s romance was heavily documented in the GRAMMY nominee’s album and visual film, This Is Me… Now and the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
"When we got back together, I felt very inspired," Lopez told E! News in January. "I was like, 'Oh, this is me now.'"
And as for showcasing her journey, Lopez previously said she wanted her art to imitate her life.
"I think that life can be heart-breaking and it can also be elating," she told E!, "and can also be very funny sometimes when you look back at it. I think you have to not take yourself too seriously. The lessons and the things that you learn, you have to share with people.
But while Lopez only just filed for divorce, there has been much speculation about their relationship. Keep reading for all the signs the pair were heading towards a breakup.
While the dress code for the 2024 Met Gala was "The Garden of Time," fans started wondering if there was a thorny situation between Jennifer and Ben after he didn't accompany her to the star-studded soirée (where she served as co-chair) on May 6.
As for the reason the Oscar winner—who took part in Netflix's Tom Brady roast in California the day before—didn't join the singer at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art? Ben's rep told E! he was filming the Accountant 2 in L.A.
Even though Bennifer stayed tight-lipped on the split rumors, social media speculation continued to get loud after fans noticed J.Lo had liked an Instagram post about relationship red flags a few months before.
"You can’t build a relationship with someone who is disconnected from themselves," the caption of the March 19 post read. "We can’t expect someone to see us when we can’t even see themselves. Getting in a relationship is the easy part. Nurturing & fostering it is a different story. After all, love is not a feeling, it’s action."
Just a few months before the rumblings of a split emerged, Ben shared insight into his and Jennifer’s very different approaches to privacy.
"I had a very firm sense of boundaries initially around the press while Jen I don't think objected to it in the way I did," the Argo star explained in the Grammy nominee's documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told that was released in February. "I very much did object to it."
Expressing how the "massive amount of scrutiny" they faced was a "catalyst" for the end of their engagement in the early aughts, Ben said he wanted to keep details of their private life more, well, private after they rekindled their romance in 2021.
"Getting back together, I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media,'" he added. "And then I sort of realized it's not a fair thing to ask. It's sort of like you're gonna marry a boat captain and you go, 'Well, I don't like the water.' We're just two people with kind of different approaches trying to learn to compromise."
Later in May, reports spread that Jennifer and Ben were living apart.
And as the month progressed, she continued her string of solo red carpet appearances—attending both the L.A. premiere and Mexico City fan event for her movie Atlas without him. However, Jennifer did accessorize her looks with her wedding ring.
In fact, a member of the audience at a press conference in Mexico asked about the breakup rumors. But as seen in a video shared by El Gordo y la Flaca, the actress simply responded, "You know better than that."
At the end of May, representatives for Live Nation announced the cancelation of Jennifer's U.S. Summer 2024 Tour This Is Me...Live, noting in her On the J.Lo newsletter, “Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends.”
Not long after, the singer celebrated the success of her movie Atlas while also sending a cryptic message about negativity.
"ATLAS is #1 worldwide again this week!!!" she stated in a June edition of her On the JLo newsletter. "Thank you all so much!!! It may seem like there’s a lot of negativity out in the world right now…but don’t let the voices of a few drown out that there is soooo much love out there."
That same month, TMZ reported the actors were privately selling the Beverly Hills mansion they had purchased just the year before. By July, they had publicly listed the home for $68 million.
While fans may have hoped Bennifer was gonna be alright after they attended family events together and she sent him a sweet Father's Day tribute, the split speculation picked back up after J.Lo headed off to Italy in June while Ben stayed in L.A., where he was spotted without his wedding ring.
And when it was time to celebrate the Fourth of July, the Maid in Manhattan star headed to the Hamptons in New York. While she posted a photo with one of her twins, Emme, Ben was not pictured.
July also marked the second anniversary of the Gigli costars' Las Vegas wedding. And while Jennifer shared a celebratory post last year, she didn't upload one this time around.
The "Waiting For Tonight" artist celebrated her 55th birthday on July 24 with a Bridgerton-themed party in the Hamptons. But again, Ben was pictured in L.A.
Less than two weeks later, she was spotted in L.A. without her wedding ring.
And when Ben turned 52 on Aug. 15th, Jennifer didn't give him a birthday shout-out on social media. Although, the "Jenny From the Block" artist did stop by his home on that day, according to photos obtained by Page Six.
After months of speculation, Jennifer filed for divorce from Ben on Aug. 20 at Los Angeles County Superior Court. In the documents, she cited the couple's date of separation as April 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.
