Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck’s highly publicized divorce was already attracting significant attention, but a newly revealed detail has piqued public interest even more. According to TMZ, the judge overseeing the famous estranged couple’s divorce has personal connections to both the stars as well as one of her exes.
Lopez, 55, filed for divorce from Affleck, 52, on August 20, the second anniversary of their Georgia wedding. The singer made the move after months of speculation regarding trouble in Bennifer’s paradise two years into their rekindled romance. The filing in the Los Angeles Superior Court is being overseen by Judge Bradley S. Phillips.
Phillips has past links to both Affleck and Lopez’s ex-fiance Alex Rodriguez, the aforementioned publication reported on Wednesday, August 28. The connection is via his son-in-law, Strand Conover, a partner at the prominent Hollywood agency WME. Conover has reportedly worked with both the Oscar winner and the former MLB player. The tie raised concerns of a possible conflict of interest on the presiding judge’s part, but Phillips was quick to shrug off the doubts.
The judge said in the court papers reviewed by TMZ that his indirect affiliation to both parties won’t impact “his ability to be fair and impartial.” He also informed that he hasn’t yet and nor will he ever speak to his son-in-law about the divorce case.
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In her divorce filing with the actor-director, Lopez waived spousal support and requested the court to not grant any to Affleck either. The duo also reportedly had no prenuptial agreement in place.
Here’s a dust-off about Lopez’s relationship with Alex Rodriguez: The duo had been linked since early 2017, got engaged in 2019, and broke up in 2021. Lopez rekindled her romance with Affleck just a few months after parting ways with the athlete and got married twice to the Argo star the following year.
Since filing for divorce from Affleck, Lopez has asked the court to restore her maiden name.
