Jennifer Aniston Has a ‘Mini Crush’ on Ben Affleck Amid His Marital Strain With Jennifer Lopez

Jennifer Aniston and Ben Affleck hit it off when they costarred in the 2009 romantic comedy film He’s Just Not That Into You — and now sources exclusively tell In Touch that she’s hoping they’ll get to hang out in the wake of his imminent divorce from Jennifer Lopez.

“Jen has definitely had a mini crush on Ben for years, but he’s always been in these very serious, long-term relationships during that time. But change is in the air,” reveals a longtime source close to the Friends star, 55.

In May, In Touch was the first to exclusively report that Ben, 51, and J. Lo, 55, are “headed for a divorce” and that the actor moved out of their martial home.

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While neither Ben nor J. Lo publicly addressed the rumors that there is trouble in paradise, Ben has been photographed looking particularly down and out in recent days. The actor has also been seen without his wedding ring on, and he was nowhere to be found when J. Lo celebrated her recent birthday in the Hamptons. On the same day, Ben closed on a new home in Los Angeles, California.

“As things pretty openly wind down between J. Lo and Ben, there’s a real opportunity for Jen [Aniston] to make up for lost time with Ben,” says the source. “They’ve never really been single at the same time before, and Jen has been a true-blue fan of Ben’s for decades.”

While it looks like it’s finally the end of the road for Ben and J. Lo, he has seemingly always been unavailable for Jen. After the Morning Show star’s divorce from Brad Pitt was finalized in 2005, Ben was married to ex-wife Jennifer Garner until 2018. Jennifer had eventually moved on with second husband Justin Theroux, though they split in 2017. She hasn’t been in a serious relationship since her second divorce.

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And since Ben and Jen previously worked together — playing love interests Beth and Neil in He’s Just Not That Into You — and run in the same tight-knit Hollywood social circle, it may be the perfect pairing.

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“They did work together on He’s Just Not That Into You 15 years ago but they were trying to figure out a project together for years before then, and they still keep each other in mind for stuff,” says an insider. “There’s a very friendly and flirty open line of communication between them, plus a boatload of mutual friends — everybody from Jon Hamm to Sandra Bullock, who can totally see Ben and Jen becoming a couple down the road.”

There are also plenty of reasons why the Emmy Award-winning actress would go for the Good Will Hunting star if and when he finds himself back on the market.

“Ben really is exactly Jen’s type: he’s an overachiever, he’s self-made, he’s still culturally relevant, and he’s still handsome as hell,” the source notes. “But Jen has had these unrequited crushes before — several times since she and Brad Pitt split up — and it’s always been tricky for her to turn them into something real.”