Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez Reunite for Lunch After Divorce Filing and Were Reportedly ‘Kissing’

For the first time since Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck in August, the two reunited in public for an outing with their kids. The estranged couple had lunch at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel on September 14. 

Ben, 52, and Jen, 55, were photographed exiting a car with her twins, Max and Emme, 16, as well as two of his children, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12 (Ben’s eldest daughter, Violet, 18, is away at college). J. Lo rocked high-waisted pants and a black crop top, while Ben kept it fairly casual in jeans and a button down. 

Although the pair did not show any PDA outside the establishment, they were reportedly “holding hands and kissing” inside, according to Page Six. The children were also reportedly sitting at a different table from their famous parents. 

After Ben and Jen spent most of the summer apart, she filed for divorce on August 20. In her filing, she listed the date of separation as April 26, three months before their two-year wedding anniversary. Ben had moved out of the former couple’s mansion weeks before Jennifer officially filed her divorce papers and bought a new home of his own in July.

Both Ben and Jen have kept tight-lipped about the split, but the “Jenny From the Block” singer did subtly comment on the situation when she posted a series of photos to Instagram with the caption, “Oh, it was a summer.” 

“She wanted to try to work on their marriage, but Ben checked out, and it was hopeless,” a source exclusively told In Touch. “When she realized that, she filed. Though she’s putting on a brave face in public, behind closed doors she’s been in tears. It’s the worst year of her life.”

The A-listers have spoken about their different feelings toward life in the spotlight. While Jennifer thrives as the center of attention, the Oscar winner generally craves privacy. Earlier this year, he discussed about the situation in Jen’s documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told.

“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. I did very much object to it,” he explained. “Getting back together [in 2021 after their 2004 split], I said, ‘Listen, one of the things I don’t want is a relationship on social media.’ And then I realized it’s not a very fair thing to ask. It’s like you’re going to marry a boat captain, and you go, ‘Well, I don’t like the water.’ You know? We’re just two people with different approaches trying to learn to compromise.”

Unfortunately, they were not able to compromise as they hoped. “Ben left the filing and the divorce in Jen’s hands, almost like a parting gift,” another source exclusively told In Touch. “He really doesn’t care and gave up long ago.” A third source said, “They’ll never stop loving each other, but she can’t control him and he can’t change her. There’s no way it could have lasted.”