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Ben Affleck caught between exes Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner during their kids’ school play, forging his escape plan around Lopez’s daughter Emme. Since their divorce, Lopez and Affleck have strived to keep things cool, at least on the outside despite predictions of a messy post-divorce drama on the horizon due to the lack of a prenup. Despite their seemingly “amicable” relationship, the signs of tension are unmistakable, rearing its head in the guise of Affleck’s bid to draw closer to Garner, and most recently, flaking Lopez’s alleged Thanksgiving plans.
After supposedly slithering out of Lopez’s Thanksgiving plans despite his initial promise to split the holidays between his two exes, Ben Affleck found himself caught up in an unavoidable situation with the crooner over the weekend. The former couple attended a school play to watch their respective kids perform. The Friday night play featured Affleck and Garner’s daughter Seraphina, as well as Lopez’s daughter Emme who attend the same school. While all three parents had valid reasons to be there in their supportive capacities, photos from the family outing showed the Atlas actress looking like a third wheel.
In the snaps shared by TMZ, Ben Affleck mostly associated with Jennifer Garner, seemingly keeping his distance from Lopez. In one pic, the co-parents stood side-by-side, with Lopez standing beside them, with a smile fixed on her face, supposedly in an attempt to “look happy.” The star, who turned up for her daughter Emme rocked a red top and denim, with a fur coat swung over the outfit. Thankfully, her son, Max stood beside her throughout the outing, making things less awkward.
Ben Affleck Lures Jennifer Lopez’s Teenage Daughter Into Divorce Drama
While it is unclear if Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez interacted throughout the night, the Green Lantern actor made a show of fraternizing with his ex’s daughter Emme. According to an eyewitness at the event, Affleck stopped for a quick chat with Emme, despite seemingly ignoring his ex. The eyewitness revealed that Affleck waited offstage to congratulate Seraphina, his daughter with Garner, and Lopez’s daughter Emme after they took their final bow. He reportedly gave the 16-year-old “a sweet embrace and a kiss on the head” before exiting the venue per DailyMail.
Throughout this interaction between her non-binary daughter Emme and Ben Affleck, the eyewitness claimed Jennifer Lopez “looked on adoringly.” Although seemingly innocent, this exchange could easily pass for another spiteful move from the 52-year-old, amid his dwindling relationship with Lopez. Since the photos from the outing hit the media, netizens have pointed out how awkward it must have felt for the 55-year-old to be in the same space as her ex, especially with Jennifer Garner present.
His little interaction with Emme while seemingly ignoring their mom has since become the highlight of the night in major tabloids. This further deepens the blow on the Ain’t Your Mama singer, who only recently dealt with the embarrassment of getting stood up on Thanksgiving.
Jennifer Lopez Respects Her Kids’ Fondness For Stepdad
Jennifer Lopez has been open about life with her and Affleck’s blended family and how they worked to sustain it. The star, who admits her twins, who she shares with ex Marc Anthony, completely adored their stepdad and considered him a father figure, discussed the downsides of managing a house full of teenagers. Appearing on Live With Kelly and Mark, she divulged,
“It’s a time when they are individuation, and they are challenging everything you say and everything you do and everything you are, and that’s what it is. And you have to kind of just ride the waves. I feel like it’s surfing. I’m riding the waves, and then it’s like, ‘Oops, I just got knocked over!’ Now, I’m back, I’m back!”
As a mom who realizes her kids were at an age where they got to choose their preferences and who respects their “individuation,” it is unlikely Lopez would have an issue with her daughter Emme choosing to interact with her estranged ex. Unless of course there was a malicious undertone in that interaction which the unsuspecting teenager did not get a wind of.
