Matt Damon Warned Ben Affleck Against Reunion With Jennifer Lopez Over Worries He Would Relapse: Report
Ben Affleck's best friend Matt Damon is supporting him and making sure the former alcoholic doesn't relapse as he faces alleged turmoil in his marriage with Jennifer Lopez, according to a new report.
Damon "tried to warn" Affleck about the possibility of history repeating itself when his pal got back together with Lopez in May 2021 and tied the knot just a little over a year later, an unnamed source told the Daily Mail. Enstarz could not independently verify this information.
According to the insider, the "Jason Bourne" star helped Affleck "get it together" after his split from Lopez back in 2004 and "felt like this would happen again."
But this time around, the source said Damon is determined to help his childhood pal and Oscar-winning collaborator avoid another setback in his sobriety journey.
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"Matt is the only real guy friend Ben has. He would not let him get back on the bottle and has been on him to make sure of this," the source told the outlet.
Affleck has been vocal about his struggle with sobriety throughout his career. He relapsed in October 2019 when he was captured on video leaving a Halloween party intoxicated, but the actor appears to have been sober since.
In a 2020 interview with The New York Times, Affleck confessed that his drinking got worse when his marriage with now ex-wife Jennifer Garner fell apart in 2015.
According to the Daily Mail's source, Damon reportedly advised Affleck to focus on his own career instead of his wife's.
"As things started falling apart, Matt told Ben that he supports whatever choice he makes but wants him to jump in and focus on his work," the insider said.
The source added, "Ben spent so much time focusing on JLo's projects just like he did the first time around. He told Ben, 'What has she ever done for your career?'"
Affleck, for his part, reportedly respects Damon's opinions when it comes to relationships due to the "Oppenheimer" actor's successful marriage with his wife, Luciana Barroso.
For weeks now, rumors have swirled that Affleck and Lopez are experiencing marital strife, fueled by the news that the actor moved out of their marital home and that the couple is now trying to sell the $60 million mansion.
While neither Affleck nor Lopez has publicly addressed the split rumors, fans continue to fear that a divorce is looming as the pair have been photographed together only a handful of times over the past two months.
Despite the speculation, Affleck appeared to show a united front with Lopez in his recent interview with Kevin Hart.
During an episode of the comedian's "Hart to Heart" talk show, Affleck referred to Lopez as "my wife" and gushed over how loved she is by people.
"We went somewhere with [Jennifer] -- I can't remember because she's so famous, and she creates this -- people love her, and she really represents something important to people," he told Hart.
"[To me,] people are like, 'Hey, I like your movie,' and then they're like 'Aaaahhhh! J-Lo!'" he recalled. "It's amazing, you know what I mean?"
Lopez also recently expressed her love for Affleck when she posted a Father's Day tribute for him on her Instagram Stories.
The singer-actress called him "our hero" as she shared a throwback photo of her husband.
