Late in the day, PEOPLE posted an exclusive about Ben Affleck and how he’d be spending American Thanksgiving. Maybe they’re rolling out coverage to ensure there’s enough content on the page for the holiday while the staff is off work and given that it’s generally quite slow because of the holiday break, this is the only kind of non-story filler they could come up with. Or maybe it’s whoever it is speaking on behalf of Ben that wants it out there this Thanksgiving, his first since he and Jennifer Lopez broke up, he’s doing great.
According to PEOPLE’s source, "He's very happy with life. He enjoys working. He'll spend Thanksgiving with his kids."
I don’t know how this qualifies as “exclusive” because you could say that about anyone – that they’re happy, they enjoy working, and that they’ll be with their kids at Thanksgiving. Where is the exclusivity here?! This is why language is degrading and people don’t know what the f-ck they’re saying anymore, because words like “exclusive” are used so stupidly. Like I get it that PEOPLE is trying to say that their source only came to them with this update but when the update is pointless, I don’t even know why the source even bothered.
And I say pointless because from the moment that we found out that Ben Affleck had ghosted JLo, his whole f-cking brand has been “look at me, I’m free and now that I’m without her, my only emotion is joy!”
We KNOW. We’ve known all year. It’s gross, the way he and social media have leaned right into that stereotype about their relationship, blaming all and every misery in the world on her high maintenance but, like, from the perspective of awareness? WE GOT THE MESSAGE, bruh. And from where I stand, the message is unkind. When your happiness becomes a performance that actively reinforces the (bullsh-t) idea that she was the source of your unhappiness, it borders on cruel. A lovely sentiment on a holiday that’s meant to be about gratitude, non?
Anyway, here are some shots of Ben earlier this week, AS HAPPY AS EVER! in case it still wasn’t clear, on set with Matt Damon while shooting their new feature RIP. This is a crime thriller, the two of them play cops, and the cast member I care most about on this project is Kyle Chandler.
As for JLo, she was seen yesterday in LA out for lunch with friends. After Thanksgiving, JLo’s priority will still be Unstoppable, scheduled for limited release on December 6 before streaming on Prime in January. They’ve been campaigning for this film so it’ll be interesting to see if they land any nominations. JLo’s best bet might be the Golden Globes but beyond that it’s a longshot.
However, as we wind down the year, there is some JLo anticipation for next year because Kiss of the Spider Woman is currently in post, and if it’s ready in time, I wonder if we might see it at Cannes. As familiar as JLo has been through her career on almost every major red carpet around the world, she actually doesn’t have much of a Cannes footprint, which is wild when you consider how, um, accessible the Croisette can be. Like think of all the models they parade up and down those steps, celebrity ambassadors for the various sponsor brands, various Euro socialites, etc. JLo, however, is not one of them. I’m not saying that, for sure, this film will be on the Cannes list. But wouldn’t that be something to see.
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