Jennifer Lopez is not happy about the dating rumors surrounding Ben Affleck and Kathleen “Kick” Kennedy amid their divorce, a source exclusively tells In Touch.
“The word is Ben and Kick have been spending time together and getting to know each other. Ben’s telling people it’s none of their business.
He’s not going to explain whom he’s friends with, and the sooner he and J. Lo can wrap up this divorce and move on with each of their lives, the better,” the insider says.
“But J. Lo figures there’s no smoke without fire. She’s livid at the thought that he’s been chasing tail at the same time she was fighting tooth and nail to save the marriage, and there’s no way she’s willing to let this go.”
A source told Page Six on August 24 that the Good Will Hunting star, 52, had been hanging out with Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s daughter, 36. Ben and Kick were allegedly spotted at the Polo Lounge at the Beverly Hills Hotel and other Hollywood hotspots.
However, a source told TMZ on Monday, August 26, that the pair are just friends, adding that Kick “thinks highly of Ben” but there’s nothing romantic between them.
In Touch’s insider says of the rumors, “The fact is Kick is young and gorgeous and just his type. It’s no wonder everyone’s assuming something is going on, even if Ben’s trying to downplay it.”
The rumors of Ben dating are “not true,” a rep for Ben Affleck tells In Touch.
Whether the Argo star moves on with Kick or someone else, the source adds that Ben is “not going to sit around single for long. He’s ready to enjoy his life again.”
“He and J. Lo have been separated for nearly six months. He’s not going to live like a monk forever,” the insider continues. “But J. Lo is nowhere near ready to make this easy on him. She’s devastated, and the news that Ben’s dating a woman nearly 20 years younger than her, whether he admits it or not, is only making her more upset.”
The source adds that it’s “hard to ignore that Kick looks a whole lot” like a younger version of Ben’s ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, “which is another knife in the heart, considering all their history.”
“But J. Lo’s past the point of crying over Ben,” the insider concludes. “She’s reached the anger stage and all this talk about Kick is just fueling her rage. J. Lo’s friends are all telling her the best revenge would be to start dating someone younger and hotter than Ben.
Clearly, Ben’s ready to move on, so she should do the same, even if it’s the last thing she wants to do right now.”
The initial report about Ben and Kick came four days after J. Lo, 55, filed for divorce after two years of marriage, In Touch confirmed on August 20.
She submitted the paperwork on the second anniversary of her and Ben’s lavish second wedding at his estate in Georgia. The “Jenny From the Block” hitmaker listed their date of separation as April 26, 2024, and filed pro per, meaning without an attorney.
J. Lo did not indicate that she and Ben had a prenuptial agreement.
The filing came three months after In Touch exclusively reported on May 15 that the pair was “headed for a divorce.”
“He’s focusing on his work and his kids now,” an insider said at the time after noting that Ben was not to “blame” for their issues. “Ben already moved out and they’ll likely have to sell the dream house they spent two years searching for.
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.”