Insiders Claim Jennifer Lopez's Marriage Documentary Was Ben Affleck's "Idea For His Company"

"Jennifer’s team didn’t want to do it since she was focused on the album and Amazon original video project.\201d

Ben Affleck & Jennifer Lopez
(Image credit: Getty Images/Mondadori Portfolio)

After Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck after two years of marriage and months of speculation, fans are revisiting the artists' documentary detailing their marriage...and are now learning that, allegedly, the project wasn't Lopez's idea.

According to multiple insiders who spoke exclusively to People, Affleck "was the one who had control" over his then-wife's Prime Video documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which was released in February and detailed their rekindled romance and trip down the wedding aisle.

"(Affleck) was very much in favor (of the project) and he was a driving force for (Lopez) to do the movie and the album and then he insisted on the documentary," the source told the publication. "It looked like he was hesitant and almost surprised by it, but that was a false narrative."

The documentary was released around the same time as Lopez's latest film project This Is Me…Now: A Love Story and music album of the same name.

“The documentary was Ben’s idea for his company, Artists Equity," another source alleged. "Jennifer’s team didn’t want to do it since she was focused on the album and Amazon original video project.”

Lopez filed paperwork to end her marriage from Affleck on Tuesday, Aug. 20. According to reports, the singer filed without the help of a lawyer and did not indicate the pair had a prenuptial agreement. Documents obtained by People also indicate that Lopez has officially requested that "Affleck" be dropped from her last name.

Initially, sources claimed that Affleck could not come to terms with Lopez's level of fame, and was uncomfortable with their marriage becoming such a public spectacle via the film, album and documentary.

One report indicated that Affleck was "taken aback" when he learned that Lopez had shared private letters he sent her with others and while she was writing her most recent album. The alleged moment was caught on film for the documentary, and showed Affleck in a state of shock.

"I did really find the beauty and the poetry and the irony in the fact that it’s the greatest love story never told,” Affleck said at the time. “If you’re making a record about it, that seems kind of like telling it.”

Yet another source refutes those claims, telling People that Affleck was "very supportive of (Lopez) making the movie and her album."

"He knew every step of the way what she was doing," the insider continued. "He loved the movie and album, but when you look at the doc, it looks like he's surprised by it and not signing up for it. He was playing the role of playing the regular guy and meanwhile, he was the engine in back of it.

"He definitely took it away from the director so he could have the narrative he wanted out there," the source added. "It’s confusing (because) he was so involved and so proud of Jennifer because she really got in there...but in the doc, it looks like he was surprised. 'You’re making an album about our (relationship)?'"

The source then reiterated that Affleck "not only supported" a life in the public eye, but allegedly "encouraged it."

"It was almost like he's justifying it," the insider continued. "The need for the documentary was his idea."

Neither Affleck or Lopez have issued public statements in the wake of their split, so, in the end, no one knows for sure why their two-year marriage has come to an end.

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.

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