Ben Affleck and Jennifer weren’t fighting at the 2023 Grammys Sunday night, but he was clearly “unhappy” and put out when his wife let him know that his miserable-looking expressions at the awards show had once again turned him into a social media meme.
This up-close, eyewitness account of the super couple’s interactions at the awards show comes from a TikToker who said she had the job of filling a seat right next to Affleck, the Daily Mail and BuzzFeed News reported.
Ben Affleck Reacts To Being A Meme! Did Ben & Jennifer Lopez FIGHT!? Grammys Seat-Filler REVEALS ALL https://t.co/rlnkM8mmtK pic.twitter.com/Dl2W5rp4vG
— Andy Signore (@andysignore) February 9, 2023
In one of her multiple posts about working as a seat-filler at the Grammys, the TikToker known as Almostanna said Lopez informed Affleck in real time that photos of him were going out over social media. The photos showed him looking bored, exhausted or miserable throughout the evening.
While Almostanna said Affleck and Lopez were “lovey-dovey” during the fairly lengthy time she said she sat next to them, she also said that Lopez showed Affleck her phone. “Oh my God, honey, look at this meme circulating about you!” Lopez said, according to Almostanna.
“And he was like, ‘Oh God, this again,’ like he knew during the performance that he was a meme!”
“Like he knew, and he also chose just not to change his expression!” Almostanna continued. “Like I love how unbothered that is! So I know that she was like on her phone and saw it and was like, ‘Honey, this is so funny, look at this.’ And he was like, ‘Jesus Christ.’”
From the TikToker’s posts, it’s not clear whether she was present for another viral moment between the couple, when the camera caught Lopez appearing to snap at her husband and pull away after he whispered something in her ear.
What is J Lo saying? Jlo and Ben Affleck at the #GRAMMYs Where are my lip readers at?! #jlo #BenAffleck pic.twitter.com/NVJt3yQpFL
— A M A N D A (@BasicCaliBetch) February 6, 2023
“Stop, look more friendly. Look motivated,” Lopez, 53, may have said to Affleck, 50, according to a lip reader who was hired by the Daily Mail to interpret the superstar’s remarks. Affleck, who often looks awkward, annoyed or sad when out in public, replied, “I might,” according to the lip reader.
In video clips, he could be seen frowning, then straightening his vest and posture, as it seemed to dawn on him that this awkward moment was caught on camera.
Lopez made her expression go blank as she, too, realized that whatever passed between them would end up being broadcast and dissected on social media. The image-conscious actor and singer then tried to make it appear that she was engaged in the excitement around her. She tried to look like she was having a good time, dancing along to performances, and she wore a big smile on her face as she presented Harry Styles the Grammy Award for best pop vocal album for “Harry’s House.”
This awkward moment between the famous newlyweds immediately prompted speculation that there already were tensions in their six-month marriage — or at the very least that Affleck was far less pleased than his extroverted wife about being in the spotlight at a televised awards show
Almostanna said she didn’t speak to either Affleck or Lopez, though she really wanted to have a chat with Affleck. She said she and her fellow seat-filler “didn’t talk to them because Ben Affleck didn’t look happy so I didn’t want to talk to him and be like, ‘Oh my God, Good Will Hunting is one of my favorite movies! You’re my hero!’”
Almostanna also insisted that the couple remained affectionate with each other, despite whatever aggravation passed between them.
“They were super lovey dovey, like their hands were always intertwined,” Almostanna said. “I don’t know how to describe it. But they just were! So it wasn’t like, ‘Oh my God, this is going to lead to divorce!’ Like, they were cute!”
The seat filler also shared a funny moment as the couple left the show, when Affleck attempted to help Lopez out of her seat, only to inadvertently lift her dress higher than intended.
“They left early and Ben took the skirt of her dress and lifted it up too much! And J-Lo was like ‘Honey!’ It was really silly.”
Ever vigilant about her public image, Lopez took to Instagram Monday to gush about Affleck and post happy-looking highlights from their Grammy night out: “Always the best time with my love, my husband,” she captioned the post.
Affleck and Lopez exchanged vows twice last summer, cementing a Hollywood love story going back decades. They first dated in the early 2000s and became engaged, but called off their wedding due to the extraordinary media focus on their relationship. They each married other people — he married Jennifer Garner and Lopez married Marc Anthony — and started families before going through divorces, other romances and his high-profile struggles with his career and with alcohol abuse. They finally reconnected in the spring of 2021 after she ended her engagement to Alex Rodriguez.
