Jennifer Lopez looked like the very definition of a doting stepmother as she walked into the mall with a protective hand on her young companion’s shoulder, treating her husband’s youngest child to a day out.
But the picture of blended family harmony is rather complicated, with Jennifer and Ben, father of 12-year-old Samuel, reportedly “ignoring” each other amid marital rifts.
Although Ben hasn’t been around his wife much apart from brief visits since May and has since moved into his $20.5 million bachelor pad, his children are regularly with his estranged wife, and Jennifer Lopez clearly wants her to continue playing the role of a devoted stepmother.
Just days before her shopping spree with Samuel in Beverly Hills, Violet Affleck was photographed wearing one of her mother-in-law’s dresses while having lunch with Jennifer’s 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme.
Then earlier in the summer, she was spotted strolling through the Hamptons with her arm around Violet’s shoulder as the family enjoyed a holiday without their father.
Jennifer Lopez was spotted on a rare outing with Ben Affleck’s son Samuel on Monday, shortly after spending time with her estranged husband at their Los Angeles home.
Pictured: Jennifer and Ben, Violet and Finn Affleck, and Emme Muniz on their honeymoon in Paris in July 2022
Speaking to Page Six, a source claimed that Jennifer “has not fully accepted” that her marriage is over and said a big part of the reason is her children.
They said: “There are five children involved in this. She knew they were trying to blend families. She hasn’t fully accepted that it’s over yet.”
Here, FEMAIL takes a closer look at how Jennifer is fighting desperately to save her blended family amid rumours she is heading to divorce court for a fourth time.
“To his children, I am an ally.”
The couple, who married in July 2022, have five children from previous relationships and have made great efforts to make them feel part of the family.
The “Jenny from the Block” singer shares children Emme, 16, and Maximillian Muniz with ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Ben welcomed Violet Affleck, 18, Finn Affleck, 15, and Samuel Affleck, 12, during his 10-year marriage to Jennifer Garner.
At the couple’s lavish wedding, which took place at an £8.9 million “plantation” mansion in Georgia, Ben and Jennifer’s children walked down the aisle with the bride.
The couple honeymooned in Paris with their children and were photographed enjoying a boat trip along the River Seine.
Ben and Jennifer were officially married in July at a chapel in Las Vegas, and held their wedding reception at their Georgia mansion the following month.
The couple’s five children were photographed walking down the aisle behind the bride, with Jennifer Lopez’s twin children holding the bride’s veil.
Pictured: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck at the This Is Me… Now premiere in Los Angeles in February.
Pictured: Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s five children from previous relationships walking down the aisle with them at their wedding reception in August 2022
Jennifer Lopez’s daughter Emme was photographed out Christmas shopping with Ben Affleck’s son Finn.
A source told People magazine, “She was so happy that all her kids were there. She loved the location. It all felt so special. It was a dream come true for her.”
Stylist Courtney Victor added: “They all looked like such a happy, cohesive family.”
In a 2022 interview with Vogue, Jennifer spoke about the importance of blending families and the role she wants to play in Ben’s kids’ lives.
She explained, “What I want to foster in our family is that his kids have a new ally in me and my kids have a new ally in him, someone who really loves and cares about them, but who has a different perspective and helps them see things that I’m so emotionally tied up in.”
After the wedding, a source told People magazine that Jennifer had “spent months searching for the perfect home for her new family.”
“We moved in together, our kids moved in together, it was a really emotional transition, but at the same time, it feels like all my dreams have come true,” she told Today in January 2023.
“It’s been an amazing year. I think it’s been the best year since my kids were born.”
The couple ended up purchasing a $65 million mansion in Los Angeles in May 2023 and has already put it back on the market.
Speaking at the premiere of her film Shotgun Wedding, Jennifer said of the move: “It’s going really well. It’s wonderful. We have five really beautiful kids and we’re very happy.”
“Today, I dropped one of my kids off at school and I thought about what our lives have become and I felt so blessed and grateful that our lives have turned out the way they have.”
Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck and daughter Violet Affleck go shopping in the Hamptons
Jennifer Lopez and Violet Affleck embrace each other during a family vacation to Paris in July 2022 on Lopez and Affleck’s honeymoon.
(LR) Violet Affleck, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez leave their honeymoon at a Paris hotel in July 2023.
The challenges of living with four teenagers under one roof
During an appearance on Live with Kelly and Mark in May 2023, Jennifer opened up about the challenges of having four teenagers, but described her stepson Samuel as an “angel.”
She said: “I have almost five teenagers. The youngest is 11, so she’s not a teenager, but she’s a preteen. She’s an angel.”
Opening up about her experience raising twins, the star added, “When you’re a teenager it’s hard. You start challenging yourself and everything.”
“You hold your baby for a while, and they become like your best little friend and you just love to be with them all the time, and then all of a sudden they’re like, ‘Get out of the room.'”
She added: “It’s like surfing. You’re riding a wave and you’re like, ‘Oh no, I’ve been knocked down!’ But now I’m back, I’m back!”
Pictured: Violet Affleck snuggled up to her stepmother Jennifer Lopez while vacationing in the Hamptons earlier this year.
Craving “quality time” with Ben’s kids
Jennifer has been regularly photographed taking their five children to and from school over the past two years and is said to be hoping to spend “quality time” with Ben’s kids before Violet returns to university later this year.
Ben and Jennifer are rumored to be heading for divorce, but a source told People magazine that Ben still wants to be involved in their lives.
They said: “Just because she’s not with Ben doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about his kids. She’s always cared about them.”
In fact, the couple’s only public appearance together in recent months was when they reunited at Samuel’s basketball game at a local YMCA in early June.
Most fighting couples would probably want to avoid each other, but it was unlikely that Jennifer would miss the event, which was also attended by Ben’s mother, Christopher Ann “Chris” Bolt, and Ben’s ex-wife, Jennifer Garner (52).
This comes just days after the family gathered in Los Angeles for Violet’s high school graduation party.
Violet Affleck was spotted wearing the same dress that her stepmother Jennifer Lopez wore with her father Ben Affleck on their 2023 Valentine’s Day date.
Lopez paired her ruffled dress with a Dolce & Gabbana belt and sparkling diamond stud earrings for a romantic Beverly Hills dinner with Ben last February, months before rumors of marital trouble began to surface. (Affleck and Lopez in February 2023)
Earlier this week, Violet Affleck was spotted wearing the same dress that Jennifer Lopez wore during her Valentine’s Day 2023 date with Ben.
The 18-year-old was photographed wearing a two-tone Dolce & Gabbana wrap dress while out to lunch with Jennifer’s 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme, in Los Angeles on Sunday.
This comes shortly after Jennifer Lopez took Violet on a shopping spree in the Hamptons over the Fourth of July holiday.
The pair were spotted checking out dresses at American designer store Love Shack Fancy in Sag Harbor.
The following week, Violet was photographed enjoying another shopping spree with her arm around Jennifer’s shoulder.
The “Jenny from the Block” singer also took her stepdaughter to the East Hampton Antiques and Design Show during the holiday.
Shopping spree with Samuel Affleck
The 54-year-old superstar, who hasn’t been seen out with the 51-year-old Batman actor in months, was spotted out shopping with the 12-year-old at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills.
Earlier this week, Jennifer was spotted on a shopping spree in Beverly Hills with her stepson Samuel.
Jennifer was photographed putting her arm protectively around Samuel as they walked into luxury department store Neiman Marcus.
The 12-year-old boy was later seen leaving the store with his stepmother carrying a shopping bag of Creed perfume.
Jennifer’s appearance with Ben’s children comes after DailyMail.com reported that the couple have already prepared divorce papers, which are due to be filed at a later date.
A source also told Page Six that Ben postponed filing for divorce to “protect” Jennifer, following reports that the pair are no longer on speaking terms.
The source said: “She was overstating that he was the love of her life so he humiliated her. They only had two weddings two years ago, which is kind of a record. They’re not young kids.”
Ben Affleck hasn’t had an “easy” summer amid marital troubles with Jennifer Lopez, but he’s reportedly “working nonstop” because “it’s when I’m busy that I thrive.” Pictured here in May.
The pair are currently thought to be living separately in Los Angeles, with Affleck moving into a $100,000-per-month property in Brentwood earlier this month (May), while Lopez lives with her children in a $60 million “dream home” in Bel Air. The pair remain united despite their difficulties, and both are still wearing their wedding rings despite their separation.
Earlier this week it was reported that it hasn’t been an “easy” summer for Ben Affleck, but he’s been “working nonstop.”
“It hasn’t been an easy summer for him either. He’s just trying to stay focused and make each day the best he can,” a source told People magazine.
“Ben is doing well. He’s at his best when he’s busy, so he’s been working nonstop. The kids are still out of school, so he’s had lots of time to spend with them.”
