Two of Jennifer Lopez’s famous exes — Mark Anthony and Ben Affleck — were invited to comment on the diva’s talent, beauty, work ethic and all-around fabulousness for a new cover story for InStyle magazine.
But the current man in Lopez’s life, her supposedly on-again fiance, Alex Rodriguez, is noticeably missing from the story, Page Six noted.
Jennifer Lopez in Her Own Words (and Everyone Else's)https://t.co/mJZtfzpryk pic.twitter.com/93tez1V6s0
— InStyle (@InStyle) April 5, 2021
In addition, the $1.8 million engagement ring the former New York Yankees slugger gave her in March 2019 doesn’t show up on her left hand in any of the accompanying photos, Page Six added.
Lopez, 51, wears plenty of other diamonds in the photos, including Tiffany & Co. diamonds on her fingers, but not the enormous emerald-cut ring from Rodriguez.
Jennifer Lopez's engagement ring from Alex Rodriguez is estimated to be worth at least $1 Million. https://t.co/aLP18rMI2l pic.twitter.com/QvHLOOY74c
— E! News (@enews) March 11, 2019
Rodriguez’s total absence from the story comes several weeks after news broke that the celebrity super couple had broken up — before the couple quickly insisted they were back together, or that they had never really broken up but were “trying to work through some things.”
A media insider quoted by Page Six said the absence of Rodriguez, 45, in the InStyle piece is curious, to say the least.
“This story was done months ago, so it seems to indicate that Jennifer and Alex have been having problems for months,” the insider said. “How else would her ex-husband and ex-fiancé be included, but not her current fiancé?”
Rodriguez also has not figured in any of Lopez’s Instagram posts since late February, just before reports of their troubles exploded across the internet. Over their four-year relationship, the couple had become famous for regularly posting affectionate photos of the two together, looking fit and fabulous and posing on awards show red carpets or swooning in romantic locations.
Rodriguez more recently shared a photo of him with Lopez on March 26, but it was to promote a new brand of nutrition supplements.
The InStyle story is titled “Jennifer Lopez In Her Own Words (and Everyone Else’s)” and consists of quotes from her and from a number of friends and ex-partners. That includes Affleck, who was her fiance from 2002 to 2004, and Anthony, her ex-husband and the father of her 13-year-old twins, Max and Emme.
In his praise of Lopez, Affleck jokingly asks: “Where are you keeping the fountain of youth? Why do you look the same as you did in 2003 and it kind of looks like I’m in my 40s…at best?”
Others invited to comment on Lopez include Michelle Obama, Charlize Theron and Leah Remini.
Page Six reported that the InStyle story was meant to promote Lopez’s new film “Marry Me,” which originally was scheduled to be released in February but was pushed back to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A source close to the couple insisted that A-Rod’s absence has nothing to do with issues in their relationship.
“This is absolutely not true, and reading into this when there is little knowledge of the background is misleading,” the source said.
The couple acknowledged last month in a statement issued to People and other outlets that they were “working through some things.” One source close to the couple told Page Six that their relationship had been “on the rocks” for some time, while another told People that they had hit a “rough patch.”
News of their breakup came amid the latest allegations of Rodriguez’s being unfaithful. Speculation has run rampant that he had an affair with reality TV star Madison LeCroy of “Southern Charm,” as People reported. But other sources insisted to People that the couple’s “rough patch” had nothing to do with LeCroy or any other “third party.”
With regard to this month’s InStyle cover, the couple’s insider source told Page Six that Lopez’s camp wanted the story to focus on older memories from her decades-long career.
That’s why, for example, Matthew McConaughey and Judy Greer were invited to share their memories of working with her in the 2001 rom-com “The Wedding Planner.
“Jennifer Lopez — what can she not do?” McConaughey said. “Extremely deliberate, intentional, fully choreographed, and self-aware, she even knows how to make accidents look like accidents. … Her success is not happenstance.”
That’s also why Affleck was invited to comment. The couple were engaged from 2002 to 2004, after meeting while making the film “Gigli.” The movie came out in 2003 at the height of their romance, but was a notorious critical and commercial failure. Despite their breakup, Affleck has spoken in recent interviews of staying on friendly terms with Lopez.
He told InStyle: “She remains, to this day, the hardest-working person I’ve come across in this business. She has great talent, but she has also worked very hard for her success, and I’m so happy for her that she seems, at long last, to be getting the credit she deserves.”
