Hollywood star Jennifer Lopez's sizable fortune could be "at risk" amid reports of a split from her husband Ben Affleck, a legal expert has told Newsweek.
Lopez, 55, and Affleck, 51, have been plagued with rumors of marital strife over the past several weeks, potentially bringing to an end one of Hollywood's most talk-about romances. The Gigli co-stars wed in Las Vegas in July 2022, some 20 years after they first started dating and 18 years after they called off their engagement.
While neither of them has publicly confirmed the speculation surrounding the state of their union, there have been multiple sightings of the two spending the summer months apart from one another. There have also been claims that their marital home is on the market and that Affleck recently purchased a property of his own.
Newsweek has contacted representatives of Lopez and Affleck via email for comment.
Vanessa Lloyd Platt, proprietor of the London-based matrimonial legal firm Lloyd Platt & Co., has told Newsweek that the differences in the stars' fortunes could leave Lopez open to facing huge costs should their marriage end in divorce.
"The relationship between Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck has always been somewhat volatile," Platt said. "In the first phase of their relationship, when they first came together, it was alleged that a prenup had been drawn up, which not only protected their assets but protected the relationship from infidelity.
"What it was purported to say was that they would both keep their money in the event of a divorce except if Ben Affleck cheated in which case there would be a penalty to Affleck in so doing. It was suggested that this may have put pressure on the relationship and in due course, the relationship broke down and the alleged prenup never came into play."
With the couple reuniting several years later, Platt said that the reported prenup issue may have been done away with by the time they tied the knot in Sin City.
"It is now suggested that having caused a problem the first time round, the parties may not have entered into a prenuptial agreement on this occasion," she said. "This has meant that Jennifer Lopez's fortune which is estimated to be in the region of $400 million compared with Ben Affleck's at $150 million may potentially be at risk."
While there had been unconfirmed reports that Lopez and Affleck had planned to enter into a post-nuptial agreement, Platt noted that "it now looks sadly [like] the relationship may have come to a final close with talk of divorce papers having been drawn with a view to releasing this in an appropriate time in the future.
"Their shared property worth some $60 million has now been placed on the market for sale, and in July, [Lopez] sold her 4-bedroom New York penthouse for some $23 million."
While Platt acknowledges that there could be a risk factor for Lopez, she doesn't believe that the actress and singer's fortune will be greatly affected, should the reports of marital turmoil turn out to be true.
"Whether the parties do go ahead with divorce proceedings or decide to change this to a post-nuptial agreement to protect assets and move forward with their relationship can only be pondered upon," she said.
"In the meantime, given that this has been a very short marriage, as a divorce lawyer I do not believe that Ms. Lopez fortune will be as much at risk some commenters are wishing to say.
"As to whether this divorce will affect the careers of both of the parties going forward, it will have absolutely no effect for either of them given their high profiles."
The persistent rumors of marital turmoil come after Lopez's album, This Is Me... Now, was released in February. Debuting at No. 38 on the Billboard 200, it became Lopez's first studio album to miss the chart's top 20. A U.S. tour of the same name, which was scheduled to take place between June and August, was canceled in May so Lopez could "be with her children, family and close friends."
"Please know that I wouldn't do this if I didn't feel that it was absolutely necessary," Lopez said. "I promise I will make it up to you, and we will all be together again. I love you all so much. Until next time..."
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