Simu Liu defends Jennifer Lopez from question about Ben Affleck divorce rumors

Simu Liu came to Jennifer Lopez’s defense when she was asked about the ongoing breakup rumors surrounding her and her husband Ben Affleck.

The 54-year-old singer was asked about her marriage during a press conference for her new movie, Atlas, in Mexico City on 22 May, as she took the stage with her co-star, Liu. In a video of the event shared to X (formerly known as Twitter), the two actors directed their attention toward the audience, as one reporter questioned if the rumors about Affleck and Lopez getting a divorce were “real” or not.

From there, Liu didn’t hesitate to step in to shut the question down, responding: “OK, we’re not doing that. Thank you so much guys, we really appreciate it.”

The Hustlers star hit back at the person who asked about her relationship, adding: “You know better than that.” Neither she nor the Air star have publicly addressed the divorce rumors.

Last week, multiple reports first circulated about Affleck and Lopez’s marital woes, since the pair hadn’t been photographed together for two months. Throughout the past few months, the “I’m Real” singer has been spotted solo during several outings, such as press events for Atlas and attending the 2024 Met Gala on 6 May. Lopez is also set to kick off her tour – which was rebranded to This Is Me… Live | The Greatest Hits amid weak ticket sales – in Orlando, Florida, next month. Meanwhile, the Oscar-winning director is reportedly busy with his own projects, like filming The Accountant 2 in Los Angeles.

Multiple outlets have claimed that the pair are experiencing “issues” in their marriage, while some sources said the Gone Girl star has moved out of their $60m home in Beverly Hills. Reports have also speculated that the reason for the split was Lopez embracing the media attention surrounding their romance, while Affleck has been more reluctant.

However, one source claimed to Us Weekly that while the pair are navigating some problems in their marriage, Lopez and Affleck aren’t splitting up just yet. “Jen and Ben are having issues in their marriage,” the insider said. “They started having issues a few months ago as Jen had started ramping up work commitments and prepping for her tour.”

Both Affleck and Lopez have also recently been spotted wearing their wedding rings. On 16 May, TMZ published photographs of Affleck driving away from a residence in the Brentwood neighborhood of Los Angeles. He was captured with his left hand dangling out the driver’s seat window, giving a clear view of his ring finger. That same day, Lopez was also sporting her ring as she arrived at a dance studio in Los Angeles.

Days later, the “On the Floor” singer made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and shared a sweet story about her engagement ring from Affleck. Her remark came as she recalled how starstruck she was when she first met music legend Barbra Streisand decades ago. She also described how the Funny Girl star had noticed her engagement ring, which Lopez received from Affleck after getting engaged in 2002.

“I met her, and I just was like, ‘Oh my god. I love you!” she said. “And she was like, ‘Oh my god!’ and she was kind of like, asking me to look at my engagement ring at the time that Ben had given to me years ago.”

She shared Streisands’s reaction to the ring, adding that the Broadway star said: “So that’s the big diamond!” To which Lopez responded: “Yes, it is!”

In 2021, Lopez and Affleck rekindled their romance, after calling off their first engagement in 2004. They tied the knot in 2022 and went on to become a blended family, as Affleck and his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, share three children: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 13. Meanwhile, Lopez and her ex-husband, Marc Anthony, share 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme.

The Independent has contacted representatives for Lopez and Affleck for comment.