Jennifer Lopez and Matt Damon's bond is unstoppable amid her divorce from his best friend, Ben Affleck.
J.Lo and Matt were photographed holding hands during a private conversation at the afterparty for their new movie, Unstoppable—which she stars in and he and Ben co-produced their company Artists’ Equity—following its Sept. 6 premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
The Hustlers star, 55, holds the hand of the Martian actor, 53, as they share an intimate moment on a couch. Matt can be seen bowing his head as he listens to Jennifer—donning the show-stopping mirrorball dress by Tamara Ralph—speak in one of the photos, while the pair shares friendly eye contact and appear to be smiling at each other in another.
Earlier in the night, the duo posed on either side of Don Cheadle as the celebrated the film on the red carpet alongside cast members Bobby Cannavale and Jharrel Jerome.
J.Lo turned heads on the red carpet in a revealing mirrorball dress by Tamara Ralph, which was tied together by black bows on either side.
The appearance was the singer's first since filing for divorce from the Oscar-winning director two weeks earlier on Aug. 20. However, her estranged husband was nowhere in sight as E! News previously confirmed Ben, 52, was remaining in Los Angeles for work as well as to spend time with his children Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, whom he shares with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
Despite Ben's absence from the star-studded event, Unstoppable director emphasized at the premiere that there's no awkwardness among the cast and crew due to Ben and Jen's divorce.
"It's always been about the movie," he said. "and that's their personal business. We just kept it about the movie. We just kept her eye on the prize."
Jennifer's show-stopping public outing came one week after the singer shared a telling post on Instagram seemingly alluding to her new chapter.
"She's in bloom and unbothered," a quote in the Aug. 31 post read. "Out of reach and at peace."
In another quote from the cheeky post, she added that "everything is unfolding in divine order."
Ben and Jen got married in 2022, the year after rekindling their romance from the early 2000s. When the This Is Me... Now singer filed for divorce in August, she listed their separation date as April 26 and cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split.
Keep reading for all of the signs that they were headed for divorce.
Solo Appearance at Met Gala
While the dress code for the 2024 Met Gala was "The Garden of Time," fans started wondering if there was a thorny situation between Jennifer and Ben after he didn't accompany her to the star-studded soirée (where she served as co-chair) on May 6.
As for the reason the Oscar winner—who took part in Netflix's Tom Brady roast in California the day before—didn't join the singer at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art? Ben's rep told E! he was filming the Accountant 2 in L.A.
Social Media Moves
Even though Bennifer stayed tight-lipped on the split rumors, social media speculation continued to get loud after fans noticed J.Lo had liked an Instagram post about relationship red flags a few months before.
"You can’t build a relationship with someone who is disconnected from themselves," the caption of the March 19 post read. "We can’t expect someone to see us when we can’t even see themselves. Getting in a relationship is the easy part. Nurturing & fostering it is a different story. After all, love is not a feeling, it’s action."
Different Perspectives on Relationships in the Public Eye
Just a few months before the rumblings of a split emerged, Ben shared insight into his and Jennifer’s very different approaches to privacy.
"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," the Argo star explained in the Grammy nominee's documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told that was released in February. "I very much did object to it."
Expressing how the "massive amount of scrutiny" they faced was a "catalyst" for the end of their engagement in the early aughts, Ben said he wanted to keep details of their private life more, well, private after they rekindled their romance in 2021.
"Getting back together, I said, 'Listen, one of the things I don't want is a relationship on social media,'" he added. "And 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.' We're just two people with kind of different approaches trying to learn to compromise."
Living Apart
Later in May, reports spread that Jennifer and Ben were living apart.
No Ben on Atlas Red Carpets
And as the month progressed, she continued her string of solo red carpet appearances—attending both the L.A. premiere and Mexico City fan event for her movie Atlas without him. However, Jennifer did accessorize her looks with her wedding ring.
Questions on Where They Stood
In fact, a member of the audience at a press conference in Mexico asked about the breakup rumors. But as seen in a video shared by El Gordo y la Flaca, the actress simply responded, "You know better than that."
Canceled Tour
At the end of May, representatives for Live Nation announced the cancelation of Jennifer's U.S. Summer 2024 Tour This Is Me...Live, noting in her On the J.Lo newsletter, “Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family and close friends.”
Saying No to Negativity
Not long after, the singer celebrated the success of her movie Atlas while also sending a cryptic message about negativity.
"ATLAS is #1 worldwide again this week!!!" she stated in a June edition of her On the JLo newsletter. "Thank you all so much!!! It may seem like there’s a lot of negativity out in the world right now…but don’t let the voices of a few drown out that there is soooo much love out there."
Selling Their Home
That same month, TMZ reported the actors were privately selling the Beverly Hills mansion they had purchased just the year before. By July, they had publicly listed the home for $68 million.
Italian Getaway
While fans may have hoped Bennifer was gonna be alright after they attended family events together and she sent him a sweet Father's Day tribute, the split speculation picked back up after J.Lo headed off to Italy in June while Ben stayed in L.A., where he was spotted without his wedding ring.
July 4th
And when it was time to celebrate the Fourth of July, the Maid in Manhattan star headed to the Hamptons in New York. While she posted a photo with one of her twins, Emme, Ben was not pictured.
A Quiet Anniversary
July also marked the second anniversary of the Gigli costars' Las Vegas wedding. And while Jennifer shared a celebratory post last year, she didn't upload one this time around.
Bridgerton Birthday
The "Waiting For Tonight" artist celebrated her 55th birthday on July 24 with a Bridgerton-themed party in the Hamptons. But again, Ben was pictured in L.A.
Less than two weeks later, she was spotted in L.A. without her wedding ring.
No Birthday Shout-Out
And when Ben turned 52 on Aug. 15th, Jennifer didn't give him a birthday shout-out on social media. Although, the "Jenny From the Block" artist did stop by his home on that day, according to photos obtained by Page Six.
This Is the End... Now
After months of speculation, Jennifer filed for divorce from Ben on Aug. 20 at Los Angeles County Superior Court. In the documents, she cited the couple's date of separation as April 26, according to the filing obtained by TMZ.