Ben Affleck will reportedly avoid a red carpet reunion with his estranged wife Jennifer Lopez by skipping the premiere of their new film.
Lopezstars in ‘Unstoppable’ – which was produced by Ben – and it’s set to debut at the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival in Canada next month but a new report suggests Affleck will be absent from the film’s glitzy red carpet premiere so he can avoid a potentially awkward public encounter with the singer/actress after she filed for divorce.
A source told New York Post column Page Six that Lopez will attend the screening on September 6 but Affleck has decided not to be there.
The Hollywood couple called it quits back in April after almost two years of marriage but they kept their split secret until Lopez filed court papers on August 20 – the date of their second wedding anniversary – confirming the relationship was over.
A previous report published by the Daily Mail suggested that movie bosses were pushing for the pair to appear together at the film festival to give ‘Unstoppable’ a publicity boost.
A source told the publication: “[Certain producers are] pushing the two to appear together at the premiere in Toronto to create buzz on the film”.
‘Unstoppable’ isn’t the only film project the former couple have in the pipeline – Jennifer recently wrapped filming on ‘Kiss of the Spider Woman’, which has also been produced by Ben’s company Artists Equity.
The 55-year-old pop superstar was engaged to Hollywood actor Affleck in the early 2000s but the relationship ended shortly before they were due to tie the knot.
They got back together in 2021 before tying the knot in two ceremonies in 2022 – one in Las Vegas and one in Georgia.
The divorce filing came exactly two years after the couple’s extravagant second bash on August 20 2022. The divorce filing lists the official date of their separation as April 26 2024.
A source previously told PEOPLE that Lopez took the move to file for divorce because she knows it’s time to “move on” but she’s still very “sad” that the marriage is over.
The insider explained: “[She knows] it’s time to move on” for various reasons … She’s very disappointed and sad, but Ben hasn’t given her any signs that he wants to continue their marriage. He hasn’t shown any commitment and interest in making their marriage work. It’s gotten to the point that she just needs to look out for herself.”