Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s marital troubles are on display for the whole world to see, but there should be safe spaces for both of them to operate in. For the 54-year-old superstar, a press conference should be one of those places as she promotes her upcoming Netflix film, Atlas. However, one reporter didn’t respect those boundaries.
Lopez, along with her co-star Simu Liu, were taking questions from the media in Mexico City on Wednesday when all hell broke loose. Everything was going smoothly until one journalist decided it was the perfect opportunity to ask her about Affleck and their reported separation. “Is your divorce with Ben Affleck real? These rumors?” an unknown voice was heard from the crowd. “What is the truth? Para la prensa Mexicana [for the Mexican press], what is the truth of the situation?”
The groans were heard from the audience — everyone knew it was an inappropriate question. Liu immediately responded for Lopez and defended her by firmly saying, “Okay we’re not doing that.” To soften his stern warning, he added, “Thank you so much guys, we really appreciate it. Thank you.”
Of course, Lopez is a strong woman, and she wasn’t going to be diminished in that moment by the reporter. She looked right at him and said, “You know better than that.” Yes, he does. In case anyone didn’t get the message, Liu concluded the awkward conversation with one more protective move for Lopez. “C’mon, don’t come in with that energy, please,” he said.
Liu later had high praise for his co-star and boss by sharing with his kind thoughts with the press. “If I could just end on one thing,” he gushed. “Jen is a producer on this movie and the reason why I am here and why Sterling [K. Brown] was in this beautiful movie is because Jen cares. And Jen cares about things like representation and diversity, and she’s a boss.”
Lopez has shown a brave face all week promoting Atlas while navigating the tricky headlines about her marriage to Affleck. The couple is currently giving each other space by “staying in separate homes” because “the tension has been high,” according to an Entertainment Tonight source. They want to “figure out what each of them is going through and wants” because “both of them have been very down.” Let’s hope the Mexico City press conference was a warning to the press that questions about Lopez’s marriage to Affleck are currently off the table. The dynamic duo deserves peace at work because they are dealing with plenty behind the scenes.
Before you go, click here to see a complete timeline of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s relationship.
