Celebrities

Ben Affleck ‘open’ to dating after split — while Jennifer Lopez declared she’s ‘not looking for anybody’: report

His love don’t cost a thing?

Ben Affleck is reportedly ready to date again, a little over two months after his estranged wife, Jennifer Lopez, filed for divorce.

“He’s open to it,” a source recently told Entertainment Tonight. However, the insider cautioned that dating is not at the top of the star’s to do-list.

“Ben has other priorities that are more important,” they said.

The Post has reached out to Affleck’s rep for comment.

The insider’s update comes just weeks after Lopez revealed she is “not looking for anybody” to date and is happy being single for the time being.

Ben Affleck at the 78th Venice Film Festival in 2021. Simone Comi / IPA / SplashNews.com
Jennifer Lopez arriving at a UK Special Screening of “Unstoppable” on Nov. 5, 2024 in London. GC Images

Speaking with comedian Nikki Glaser for a piece in Interview magazine, the “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer shared that she is “working on herself’ after her “whole world fell apart” this summer.

Lopez, 55, filed for divorce from Affleck, 52, on Aug. 20, the two-year anniversary of their second wedding ceremony.

When Glaser suggested that Lopez has “a new bar for the next person that comes along” after her split from Affleck, the “Selena” star was emphatic — she is not interested in dating right now.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez were seen having a tense conversation amid ongoing divorce proceedings, meeting at the Beverly Hills Hotel with their children in tow on Sep. 14, 2024. LXXVI/Splash News / SplashNews.com
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are seen going out to lunch together amid divorce news. BauerGriffin/INSTARimages

“Here’s the thing: There’s no new bar because I’m not looking for anybody. How’s that?” she told Glaser.

Asked by Glaser whether this is “the first time you’ve been able to say that as a single woman,” Lopez exclaimed, “Yes!”

“For people who are romantics and love being in relationships and want to grow old with somebody, we think, ‘I have to have that to be whole and happy.’ And you don’t,” JLo added.

Happier times: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend the Los Angeles Premiere of JLo’s documentary “This Is Me…Now: A Love Story” on Feb. 13, 2024 in Hollywood, California. FilmMagic

She also said that she does not regret “one second” of the pain the breakup with Affleck caused.

“That doesn’t mean it didn’t almost take me out for good. It almost did,” she admitted. “But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, ‘F–k, that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, God. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry that you had to do this to me so many times. I should have learned it two or three times ago. I get it. You had to hit me really hard over the head with a f–king sledgehammer. You dropped the house on me. Don’t have to do it again.’”

JLo went on to note that her newly found perspective on love doesn’t mean she has “everything figured out,” but insists she’s “excited” to be on her own.

Jennifer Lopez aka JLo seen leaving a private screening for her new movie “Unstoppable” in London accompanied by a security guard on Nov. 5, 2024. / SplashNews.com

“Yes, I’m not looking for anybody, because everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f–king do when it’s just me flying on my own — What if I’m just free?”

As Lopez and Affleck’s divorce moves forward, the couple are reportedly “doing well” but only have “limited contact,” according to ET.

“They’re focused on their families, work commitments and just moving forward,” a source told the outlet.

Though Lopez isn’t interested in re-entering the dating pool, her friends and family “want to see her get out there again and finally get her happily ever after” though they are “giving her time and space to move on,” the person said.

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