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Did Ben Affleck intentionally make Jennifer Lopez look like an oversharer in 'The Greatest Love Story Never Told'?

Affleck was allegedly super on board with Jennifer sharing their love story but pretended not to be


AUGUST 26, 2024 11:47 AM EDT

The same year, Jennifer Lopez released "The Greatest Love Story Never Told" — a documentary showing behind-the-scenes of the making of JLo's musical album for her album "This Is Me, Now" — she filed for divorce from whom she multiple times called "the love of her life," Ben Affleck.

In the entire documentary, Ben Affleck appears visibly annoyed that his now soon-to-be ex-wife shared private details of their love story, including a book he gifted the singer for Christmas. The book features all the love letters and emails the pair have exchanged since their first relationship, breakup, and rekindled romance in 2021. 

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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend the Los Angeles Premiere of Amazon MGM Studios "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story" at Dolby Theatre on February 13, 2024, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic)

In "The Greatest Love Story Never Told," which has been available on Prime Video since February 27, 2024, Jennifer tries to convince Ben that the story she is telling in the visual of "This Is Me, Now" is inspired by her journey but not about her in its entirety. Still, Affleck said during multiple takes he did not want their relationship to keep feeding the tabloids. "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 very much did object to it," he says.

According to Ben, some things are "sacred and special," so "being in the making-of documentary about my personal life" wasn't how he envisioned his future with Jennifer Lopez.

Now that fans are revisiting "The Greatest Love Story Never Told" for clues about what might have led to their second split, sources assure nothing is what it seems, as Ben Affleck's disapproval was reportedly staged.

Did Ben Affleck make Jennifer Lopez look like an oversharer on purpose?

The onion has more layers than anticipated, as Ben Affleck was allegedly super on board with Jennifer sharing their love story. "The documentary was Ben's idea for his company, Artists Equity," one source told People. "Jennifer's team didn't want to do it since she was focused on the album and Amazon original video project."

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(L-R) Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck, and Benny Medina attend the after party for the Los Angeles premiere of Amazon MGM Studios "This Is Me...Now: A Love Story" on February 13, 2024, in Hollywood, California. (Photo by Monica Schipper/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images)

The comments have shocked people more than once, especially those who watched the documentary and labeled Jennifer Lopez an oversharer, which might have been the leading cause of her marriage failure. 

Now that a resurfaced doc video shows Ben's opposition, Lopez's team might need to clarify some narratives. "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," Affleck said in the doc. "Getting back together, I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media. Then I sort of realized it's not a fair thing to ask. It's sort of like, you're gonna marry a boat captain, and you go, 'Well, I don't like the water.'"

Jennifer Lopez seemed to be okay portrayed as someone who wants to share it all

Lopez knew Ben was unhappy with "This Is Me, Now" — or did she play along?

"I don't think he's very comfortable with me doing all of this," she said at the time. "But he loves me, he knows I'm an artist and he's going to support me in every way he can because he knows he can't stop me from making the music I made and writing the words that I wrote. That's going to happen and he doesn't want to stop me."

Adding, "He wants to do that [for me], but that doesn't mean he's comfortable being the muse."

Despite all the "I don't want this" narrative, a source told People that Affleck "insisted" and was highly involved in the documentary's editing process. "He was the one who had control, pretty much," the source said, claiming Affleck portrayed "a false narrative."

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"He loved the movie and album, but when you look at the doc, it looks like he's surprised by it and not signing up for it," the source said. "He was playing the role of playing the regular guy and meanwhile, he was the engine in back of it."

They continued, "He definitely took it away from the director so he could have the narrative he wanted out there."

So, if both were on board with sharing their love story, what led to their split?

An insider told People that Ben Affleck had "erratic mood swings," which led Jennifer Lopez to file for divorce. "They were trying to work through it, but when the mood swings and the big highs and big lows informed a toxicity that was pervasive, no one can help you — you have to help yourself," the source said. "The world was rooting for them, but who he said he was and who he turned out to be were two different people."

Now that the singer pulled the plug on her marriage, she requested a judge to restore her maiden name. Per USA TODAY, Lopez, who legally changed her name to Jennifer Lynn Affleck after her 2022 marriage to the actor, asked to be restored to Jennifer Lynn Lopez.

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Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are seen at "Jimmy Kimmel Live" on December 15, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images)

Lopez, 55, and Affleck, 52, separated on April 26, but she waited until the second anniversary of their Georgia wedding ceremony to file for divorce pro per, which means she didn't seek legal representation. The pair married on July 16, 2022, in a Las Vegas wedding chapel. Lopez cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for her divorce.

The singer of "Love Don't Cost a Thing" is practicing what she preaches in the song, as a source close to the star told NBC News, reveals details of what she might be seeking from the settlement. Per the insider, Lopez's documents filed at the Los Angeles County Superior Court on August 20 read that she is waiving her claim to spousal support and requesting the judge deny Affleck any payments. Since they didn't sign a prenuptial agreement, the money earned between them since their July 2022 marriage in Las Vegas is considered community property. Lopez listed her date of separation as April 26, 2024. 

Ben Affleck might be in the middle of a divorce, but the father of three is using his single life to spend quality time with his loved ones. After arriving in California from Connecticut, the star took Fin and their friends to a movie theater in Marina Del Rey to watch "Alen Romulus."