Less than a month after Jennifer Lopez officially filed for divorce from Ben Affleck, the estranged couple was spotted holding hands and kissing during a brunch with their children.
The duo ate at the Beverly Hills Hotel on Saturday, Sept. 14. “Ben and JLo are currently at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel holding hands and kissing,” a source told Page Six. “The kids are with them, but at a separate table.”
The children at brunch were Affleck’s daughter Seraphina and son Samuel along with Lopez’s twins Emme and Max.
While outside the famous hotel, Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck were pictured looking like they were having an “intense conversation.”
Lopez was notably wearing her engagement ring. However, she had it on her pinky finger and a “Jennifer” ring on her wedding finger.
The brunch seemingly ended when Ben Affleck’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner picked up Seraphina and Samuel at the hotel.
Following months of speculation from the public, Jennifer Lopez called it quits on the marriage on the second anniversary of her and Ben Affleck’s Georgia wedding. She cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the divorce and listed April 26 as the date of separation.
The “Jenny From the Block” hitmaker also formally asked a judge to change her legal name from Jennifer Lynn Affleck back to Jennifer Lynn Lopez. She took Affleck’s name after their Las Vegas elopement in July 2022.
Neither Lopez nor Affleck have publicly spoken out about the split. They reportedly did not have a prenup.
Jennifer Lopez’s First Husband Speaks Out, Says He Can Relate to Ben Affleck When It Came to Publicity
Meanwhile, Jennifer Lopez’s first husband Ojani Noa decided to get candid about the less-than-a-year marriage. He said he can relate to Ben Affleck not wanting to deal with the high-profile publicity.
Noa was recently asked about the level of attention Lopez required when it came to being in a relationship. “I could understand Ben. We would both try to get her confidence a little bit higher,” he said. “But she’s had four good husbands and she’s been loved before. So, I don’t know how much love she needs or how much love she’s still looking for.”
Agreeing with Affleck’s statement of feeling like he “wants to break someone’s head off” at public events, Noa said, “I coud see myself doing that too.”
Noa then continued, “I can tell you in my own experience, we would have disagreements in the car and then 20 minutes later, we’d have to sit and pretend everything was fine. But you can only pretend so much. When we were going through h— and going out as a couple, I was in a bad mood too. Because I knew inside we were not good.”
He added, “I hated going on the red carpet. She would try and get me to come and I’d say: ‘No way. I’m not going to pretend.'”