If there were such a thing as a “Bennifer-ologist,” I’d like to think I’d be vaguely qualified for the role. I’ve penned countless articles about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s relationship over the past three years. I even managed to snag a bottle of J.Lo’s signature fragrance Glow before anyone else in my circle back in 2002. Yet, despite all this, when I saw photos of the supposedly estranged couple kissing and holding hands during brunch at the Beverly Hills Hotel’s Polo Lounge amidst their recently announced divorce, I was utterly baffled. Will anyone ever truly understand these two?
To be fair, there’s been a lot of Bennifer drama to keep up with this summer. From Lopez starring in her own Nancy Meyers-esque movie in the Hamptons to Affleck sporting a sad-hot-single-dad faux-hawk, and Lopez even hanging out with fellow Affleck ex Jennifer Garner (and Affleck bestie Matt Damon, for that matter), it’s been a whirlwind. Honestly, while it’s hard to keep track of everything, I find myself strangely obsessed with the lack of narrative coherence. Who says you can’t make out after a divorce? And why not seat your kids separately at the Polo Lounge so you can rekindle the flame? (Honestly, I’m all for it. What teenager actually wants to sit with their parents at brunch, especially if those parents are the stars of Gigli?)
People magazine claims the Affleck-Lopez divorce is still moving forward, and while I risk implying that all celebrity gossip is essentially fabricated, I have to wonder if anyone would actually know if the divorce wasn’t moving forward, “exclusive source” or not. Whether together or apart, Affleck and Lopez have been conducting their love lives in public for over two decades now, and I feel like they’re playing three-dimensional chess. Is it time to consider the possibility that we know only what these two crafty celebrity innovators want us to? Or were they simply so overcome with lust for one another that they had no choice but to get the round-three relationship rumors flying? Either way, I’m seated, ready for whatever this epic love saga throws my way next.
