How Jennifer Lopez Is Really Coping 1 Year After Divorce From Ben Affleck

The internet was in a frenzy after Jennifer Lopez and ex Ben Affleck were spotted cozying up to each other at the New York City premiere of her new movie, Kiss of the Spider Woman, on October 6. The former couple looked completely at ease as they posed for photos with their arms around one another and shared a quick, intimate chat in between red carpet interviews. Memes about Bennifer 3.0 circulated — along with the hashtag #BenniferForever — as fans excitedly posted about the possibility of a romantic reunion.

It was soon revealed Affleck was there to support the film as an executive producer, not to hard-launch a reconciliation with Lopez, 56. According to sources, the actress — who split from Affleck in August 2024 after two years of marriage (they ended their first engagement in 2004) — has no interest in getting back together with the actor, 53. “There is nothing going on between them,” one source tells Us Weekly. The booked and busy star is thriving on her own, and focused solely on her kids (she and ex Marc Anthony share twins Max and Emme, 17) and her career (she’s earning Oscar buzz for her performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman). “Jen feels more comfortable in her skin than ever,” says a second source. “There’s a sense of independence and peace about her. She’s in a really good headspace right now.”

It took time for Lopez to heal, but, says the second source, “she’s accepted [her relationship with Ben] ran its course.” The actress opened up about the divorce in a September interview on CBS News Sunday Morning, calling it a “tough time” before noting that it ultimately became “the best thing that ever happened” to her. “It helped me grow in a way I needed to grow, [to] become more self-aware,” she added. “I’m a different person than I was last year.” A third source tells Us Lopez is “grateful for the lessons she’s learned” from her marriage to Affleck. “She has no regrets.”

Working on Kiss of the Spider Woman — the musical wrapped production roughly two months before Lopez filed for divorce — was a welcome distraction. “Every moment I was doing this role, I was so happy,” she told CBS News. “Then back home, it was not great. It was like, ‘Oh, how do I reconcile this?’” She channeled her pain into the project — especially when playing the character of Ingrid. “[She] was feeling like she was cursed in love,” she told USA Today. “I was very lucky, because it does come out in the performance.”

TheStewartofNY/GC Images

In 2024, her professional life hit a low point with the lackluster sales of her album This Is Me… Now and the subsequent cancellation of her This Is Me… Live Tour that May — but with Kiss of the Spider Woman, she feels redeemed. “She’s coming off a high with the movie opening,” shares the third source. “It’s fueling her confidence; she feels on top of the world.”

The second source says Lopez has been channeling all her energy into her work. In August, she wrapped her month-long overseas tour, Up All Night. Next up, she’ll star alongside Brett Goldstein in the Netflix rom-com Office Romance and is heading to Las Vegas for her Up All Night residency, kicking off in December. The third source says that she’s working on finalizing new music as well. “She feels like she has a lot more to give,” adds the source. “It’s just the beginning.”

Jennifer Lopez's Dating History: A Timeline of Her Famous Relationships

Lopez and Affleck are in a good place. “There’s still a lot of love between them, but they both understand they shouldn’t be married,” the second source explains. “There is no ‘So-and-so did this’ or ‘This was the big event,’” Affleck said of the split in April. “It’s just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do.”

TheStewartofNY/WireImage

He also sang Lopez’s praises at the premiere of Kiss of the Spider Woman, telling Extra that his ex-wife “really does it all in this movie.” Lopez credited Affleck with helping get the film made in her CBS Sunday Morning interview, saying, “I told him, ‘This is a role that I was born to play,’ and I wanted to do it, and he said, ‘OK,’ and he helped make it happen.”

Despite the warm words, a fourth source emphasizes that the exes’ red-carpet appearance was “a work thing” and that they no longer have a “deep” relationship. During an October 15 sit-down with Howard Stern, Lopez joked, “Once I’m done, you’re dead to me.” She added, “Like, not dead to me, but definitely like, it’s over. I’m gonna move on.” Lopez “doesn’t really keep in touch with Ben,” says the fourth source. “She’s more likely to keep in touch with the kids; that was very genuine.”

Lopez’s twins and Affleck’s three children remain close. (He shares Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel, 13, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.) In September, Lopez was spotted shopping and grabbing lunch with Samuel in L.A. “They all try to maintain some type of normalcy after divorce,” says the second source. “The transition was tough for everyone, but they’ve made an effort to stay connected and still spend time together.” Max and Emme remain a top priority (the twins were also in attendance at the October 6 premiere). “No matter how busy she gets, her kids come first,” says the second source. “She plans everything around being present for them.”

Lopez told Stern she’s made a conscious effort to be even more present for her kids in recent years. “When the pandemic happened, I got to stay home, [and] I realized I need to be more home with them all the time,” she explained. “I realized how much they needed me there. It wasn’t just about me giving them a great life.”

Jennifer Lopez's Best Moments With Twins Emme and Max Over the Years

The star, who’s been divorced four times, has long centered romantic partnerships. But dating is the last thing on her mind right now. (Case in point: it’s her longest stretch without a partner since she shot to stardom.) “The more self-aware I become with the lessons that I learn and the hardships that I go through, the more I feel whole and complete on my own,” she told Gayle King on CBS Mornings in early October. (She did note she’s still “100 percent” a “hopeful romantic.”)

Cristina Andina/Redferns

In her chat with Stern, the radio host asked her if she believed she’d ever truly been loved. “No,” Lopez replied, noting that what she’s learned is “not that I’m not lovable. It’s that they’re not capable [of love.] They don’t have it in them… [but] they gave me what they had.” Reflecting further, she added, “and I didn’t love myself.” It’s something she’s been working on since ending things with Affleck. The third source says she’s been focusing on self-care and recognizing her self-worth. “She’s learning that she’s stronger alone,” notes the third source. “She’s enjoying the freedom and feels liberated [to make] decisions without compromise.”

She’s locked in on what’s ahead. “After everything that went on in her personal life, she’s focused on doing what she loves most, which is performing and creating,” says the second source. Speaking to Stern about the Kiss of the Spider Woman awards chatter, Lopez admitted it “would be great” to score an Oscar nod. (She was famously snubbed for her performance in 2019’s Hustlers.) “You want to win, of course, everybody wants to win,” she shared. “But at the end of the day, it’s like, you realize [it] doesn’t really matter… You are still in the conversation of the best people in the world doing what they do and that’s amazing.”

Moving forward, Lopez is focused on herself, her kids and her career. “She doesn’t have anybody to think about romantically, which is working for her and keeping her focused,” says the fourth source. “Being single is really working for her in that respect.”

For more on Jennifer Lopez, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.