An old clip of Jane Fonda speaking to Jennifer Lopez about her relationship with Ben Affleck has resurfaced following the news of Bennifer splitting up again this week.
The “protective” 86-year-old actress shared her “concerns” about the romance in Lopez’s 2022 documentary, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, which follows the making of her latest album.
In the clip, the “Jenny from the Block” singer, 55, is seen on the phone with her former Monster-In-Law co-star. The Oscar winner began by saying, “Hi sweetheart. Thanks for calling. First of all, I want you to know, I don’t entirely know why, but I feel invested in you and Ben. I really want this to work.
“However, this is my concern,” she continued. “It feels too much like you’re trying to prove something instead of just living it. You know, every other photograph is the two of you kissing and the two of you hugging.”
Jennifer laughed at the assertion and reassured her friend, “That’s just us living our life.”
However, she acknowledged Fonda’s good intentions, saying, “She’s very protective of me,” and added, “She felt like, ‘You’re putting yourself out there to get beat up again.'”
Fonda subsequently expressed her concerns to Lopez’s manager, Benny Medina—who reportedly has “bad blood” with Affleck and “can’t stand” him.
“I believe that everyone in the entire world is pulling for this relationship and this love,” Jane told Medina.
“And the idea of how you present that is so sacrosanct, so important that it should be handled in a way that you aren’t overly flaunting it, so much so that it creates any form of criticism or resentment. My biggest concern is that when critics or people come at her in any way.”
Jennifer and Ben first began dating in the early 2000s, got engaged in 2002, but eventually called off their wedding plans and split up in 2004.
The stars rekindled their romance in 2021 and got married in July 2022 at the Little White Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas before tying the knot for a second time one month later at Affleck’s estate in Riceboro, Georgia. They were surrounded by friends and family, including Lopez’s 16-year-old twins, Max and Emme, with ex-husband Marc Anthony, and Affleck’s children with ex Jennifer Garner, Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
On Tuesday, Aug. 20, the Grammy winner filed for divorce from Affleck in Los Angeles County Superior Court on the anniversary of their second wedding ceremony.