Ben Affleck has opened up about dealing with Jennifer Lopez's level of fame
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck are undoubtedly the most talked-about couple in the world, tying the knot in 2022 after rekindling their noughties relationship.
This year has seen their fame reach new heights, with the couple made the subject of constant speculation.
Affleck himself opened up about the frenzy - particularly around his wife, in a recent episode of Kevin Hart's podcast, 'Hart to Heart', explaining the magnitude of Lopez's level of fame.
“People are like, ‘Hey, I like your movie,'" recalled Affleck of his fans' reactions when they see him, adding that when they see Lopez, "they’re like ‘AHHHH! J-LO!'"
“It’s amazing, you know what I mean?," he continued. "She's so famous ... people love her, and she really represents something important to people."
Affleck went on to recall one particular situation when the family of seven visited Times Square, and Lopez's level of fame was made clear.
"We get out of the car, we were going to a play, and I was like, ‘Fuck it, babe, we’re going to be late, we gotta walk a block and a half," Affleck recalled.
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“We get out with her, all the kids, through Times Square, and the shit was like fuckin’ bananas,'“ he recalled. "I was like, ‘Oh my God.’
"There was a lady, she was smoking weed, in a full purple skintight suit - she’s a heavy lady - and she starts running backwards filming, going ‘J-LO!!’ Like a herald. Then gets everyone else, they're all tourists, whatever, just moving.”
"We got, like, our five kids, me and Jen," he later continued. "[And] it feels like hundreds of people are now screaming."
"I'm also a little bit shy," Affleck later explained. "I don't like a lot of attention. This is why people see me and they're like, 'Why is this dude always mad? [It's] because someone had their camera sticking in my face."
It is not known when this episode of 'Hart to Heart' was recorded, but it does come amid reports that Affleck and Lopez are “having issues in their marriage".
Affleck is reported to have moved out of their shared family home, with sources alleging that he and Lopez are on “two completely different pages.” And in recent weeks, Lopez has cancelled her 'This Is Me... Live' tour to spend time with "her children, family and close friends".
"[They are] taking some space to work out whether or not the relationship is right for both of them,” sources explained via Us Weekly.
"Jen and Ben have been living separate lives but have not officially separated yet," another source has reported to Entertainment Tonight. "At this point, they are just doing their own thing. They went into their relationship very optimistic and thought things could change, but they haven't."
We will continue to update this story.
Jenny Proudfoot is an award-winning journalist, specialising in lifestyle, culture, entertainment, international development and politics. She has worked at Marie Claire UK for seven years, rising from intern to Features Editor and is now the most published Marie Claire writer of all time. She was made a 30 under 30 award-winner last year and named a rising star in journalism by the Professional Publishers Association.