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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Lifestyle
Amber Raiken

Jennifer Lopez files to change last name amid divorce from Ben Affleck

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Louise Thomas

Louise Thomas

Editor

Jennifer Lopez has filed to change what used to be her married name amid her divorce from Ben Affleck.

According to new court documents filed on August 21, obtained by US Weekly, the 55-year-old singer has requested to drop “Affleck” from her full name. She requested that her name be restored to what it was before her marriage, “Jennifer Lynn Lopez.”

The documents also revealed that Lopez cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for her split, and noted that she did not want herself or her ex to be awarded spousal support.

In addition, the “On the Floor” singer stated that she wanted to separate her and Affleck’s assets and debts. However, the “exact nature and extent” of community property that the couple acquired is currently not known and “will be determined.”

On August 20, Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck in LA County Superior Court, listing April 26 as the couple’s official date of separation. TMZ first reported that the former couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, which means earnings from the past two years of marriage could be considered community property during the divorce proceedings.

The divorce filing comes after months of speculation about the pair splitting up since Lopez had been spotted on several solo outings in May, such as press events for her movie, Atlas. Fans also noticed that the couple spent the Fourth of July and their wedding anniversary this year apart.

For her 55th birthday last month, Lopez also threw a huge Bridgerton-themed party in New York, which Affleck did not attend. On the same day, the Air director was seen on the opposite coast in Los Angeles – without his wedding ring.

The Hustlers star later told her Instagram followers she had “shed some tears” over the past year of her life and thanked them for their support. Amid the ongoing divorce speculation in July, Affleck purchased a $20m house in Los Angeles – weeks after listing his 12-bedroom Beverly Hills home with Lopez for $68m.

Lopez and Affleck rekindled their romance in 2021, after calling their first engagement off in the early 2000s. They announced their second engagement in April 2022, before officially tying the knot in a small ceremony in July of that year.

Before her split from Affleck, Lopez had been married three times, as she shares her 16-year-old twins, Emmy and Max, with her ex-husband, Marc Anthony. She was also married to Chris Judd from 2001 to 2003 and Ojani Noa from 1997 to 1998.

Affleck was previously married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018. The former couple share three children, Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.

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