Is Hollywood’s most adored fairytale drawing to a close? Jennifer Lopez walked alone up the iconic steps of the Met yesterday evening, and the fandom buzzed with concern. She and Ben Affleck, after all, had been thrown together in all the right places—mostly for social media’s benefit—since the couple’s twice-repeated nuptial vows last summer. And now Lopez was at the Met without her groom. Speaking of which, where in the world was Affleck? “The Accountant 2”? No, wait—a story that is really begging to be told. Sandra Bullock could have told it. Surely, …
Jennifer Lopez’s heart is all over “This Is Me…Now,” an explosive opus that marks her long-awaited return to the album format. Inspired by her rekindled romance with Ben Affleck, it’s quite clearly intended to counteract any notions that these two aren’t the perfect pair (or perfect marketing duo) that they were when they first came together in the early aughts. But even if you don’t buy into the supposed “truth” of Lopez and Affleck’s “Bennifer” love story — the album goes hard on encouraging you to see it that way, anyway — “This Is Me…Now” has its strong points.
Still, in the midst of all the talk, they keep working together—both in their careers and as co-parents. Jennifer and Ben continue to have shared business interests and familial responsibilities, but with these two playing lead roles in such a high-profile romantic drama, it’s hard not to wonder if they’re about to either write a new chapter in their love story or finally put a period at the end of it.