P. Lehman
Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck may have to split their shared assets equally if reports that they didn't sign a prenup are accurate.
On August 20, multiple outlets reported that Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck on the second anniversary of their lavish wedding in Georgia. This followed months of speculation that the pair had broken up.
This is the second split for the couple, dubbed "Bennifer" when they started dating in 2002. The first time around, they called off their engagement after a two-year romance. This time, they'll have to go through formal divorce proceedings.
Citing unnamed sources, TMZ reported that the famous couple didn't sign a prenup before their intimate Vegas ceremony in July 2022 or their splashier Georgia wedding in August 2022.
This means that their marital assets will likely become community property to be split 50/50, including any property they bought together after they married and any financial assets they accrued over the past two years.
Google Maps; Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
Lopez and Affleck individually own several properties across the country, but one that will likely be split during the divorce settlement is the 38,000-square-foot mansion they bought in 2023 in Beverly Hill's Post Office neighborhood.
The couple listed the house on multiple real-estate sites on July 11 for $68 million.
People reported Affleck bought another property in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles for $20.5 million on July 24 — Lopez's birthday — after moving out of the Beverly Hills mansion.
Citing court documents, TMZ reported that Lopez listed the date of separation as April 26, which could mean Affleck's new property won't be among the assets to be split.
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Since the couple got married, Affleck has appeared in five movies, produced four movies and a TV show, and directed a film and three Dunkin' Donuts adverts.
Affleck was a writer, producer, and director for 2023's "Air," a biopic about Nike's Air Jordan line of sneakers, which means he likely got paid upfront for his roles as an actor and a director and received a share of the residuals. The film made $90 million, according to Box Office Mojo.
Forbes reported in March that Affleck was the ninth-highest-paid actor of 2023, earning $38 million between "Air," his cameo in "The Flash," and his starring role in "Hypnotic."
In November 2022, Affleck and his longtime friend Matt Damon co-founded a production company known as Artists Equity.
Since the company was made after Affleck and Lopez's wedding, Lopez could receive some of the profits over the last two years.
The film company worked on Affleck's Dunkin Donut commercials, "Air," Lopez's documentary "The Greatest Love Story Never Told," Damon's latest movie, "The Instigators," and three more upcoming movies.
Lopez has starred in and produced two Prime Video movies and two Netflix movies in the last two years. She also appeared in Affleck's Dunkin' Donuts ad and released a new album this year.
Finding out what Lopez earned is trickier since streaming deals are not normally publicly released.
Lopez's two Netflix films, "The Mother," which became the streamer's most-watched film of 2023, and "Atlas," were likely made through the singer's multiyear partnership deal between Netflix and her company, Nuyorican Productions, which she began in 2021.
There are no verified reports about how much Lopez may have made for appearing in the films or if she earned residuals. On June 13, Puck reported, citing unnamed sources, that Lopez was paid $16.5 million for "Atlas."
Lopez's "This Is Me … Now: A Love Story," released on Prime Video in February, was self-financed.
Lopez told Variety in February that she invested $20 million of her own money into the three-part multimedia project, which included the film, her latest album, "This Is Me … Now," and a documentary about the making of the record and film. Variety reported that Prime Video later bought the film and documentary for an undisclosed sum.
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Forbes last listed Lopez and Affleck's net worth in 2020, when Lopez was reportedly worth $150 million and Affleck was worth $55 million.
If true, it could mean Lopez stands to lose more financially in a divorce than Affleck.
