Ben Affleck’s Longtime Friend Kevin Smith Is ‘Heartbroken’ Over Actor’s Divorce From Jennifer Lopez

Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
Kevin Smith thinks the world of his friend Ben Affleck and his soon-to-be ex-wife Jennifer Lopez — so much so that he told People he was “heartbroken” by news of their impending divorce.

The writer and director called Affleck, 52, “one of my favorite people on the planet” and Lopez, 55, “wonderful too.”

Smith, 54, has worked with Affleck on a number of projects over the years, including 1990s hits Dogma, Chasing Amy and Mallrats. He also wrote and directed Jersey Girl, which Affleck and Lopez starred in together.

“If they’re not going forward, that breaks my heart and stuff, but I’ve always adored him,” Smith said.

Smith added that while he has not spoken with Affleck recently, he’s sure he’ll “run into him again.”

“Of course, there’s always something that I’m like, ‘Oh, my God, I need a movie star. Let’s call Ben,’” he said.

Affleck and Lopez first began dating in the early 2000s, getting engaged in 2002 before calling it off and rekindling their relationship two decades later. They married in 2022 before Lopez filed for divorce on August 20 of this year.

Smith attended their wedding and told ET that he could not hold back his emotions.

“I’m a crier,” he said. “I cry all the time. I cry watching episodes of The Flash. I cry watching Degrassi for heaven’s sake. But I bawled throughout because it was g—— beautiful. So beautiful.”

In the weeks since Lopez filed for divorce, the couple has reportedly struggled with “lingering doubts” and “hesitation” over whether they made the right decision, especially considering the five children they have between them.

Affleck and ex-wife Jennifer Garner share Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, while Lopez shares twins Emme and Max, 16, with ex Marc Anthony.

“When they’re together as a family and see the kids together, it reminds them of how good they are as a team and what’s important,” a source told Us Weekly.

Nevertheless, a second source told Us that they decided to still go through with the divorce.

“They both know they will be in each other’s lives because of the kids and are remaining friendly,” the second source said. “But the divorce is still happening.”

Even while staying in each other’s lives, it appears Affleck and Lopez understand their problems have not changed.

“A lot of their issues stemmed from lifestyle differences,” the second source explained. “They are just on completely different schedules — and nothing has changed [since breaking up].”