Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck Have Reportedly Been Communicating for Months

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck‘s reunion might have come as a surprise to the public, but the former fiancés have been back in regular contact since February, sources with direct knowledge told TMZ on Tuesday. Just days after the Shotgun Wedding actress and The Way Back actor were photographed together in Montana, TMZ’s sources claim that Affleck first reached out to his ex with “loving and longing” emails in February while she was filming in the Dominican Republic.

Affleck, who at the time was shooting The Tender Bar with George Clooney in Boston reportedly noted how beautiful Lopez was looking and how he wished he was in the D.R. with her. The two reportedly began emailing back and forth throughout Lopez’s shoot, which wrapped in late April but didn’t see each other in person until after Lopez’s split with fiancé Alex Rodriguez in April.

Rodriguez’s own fidelity came into question when the Southern Charm season reunion aired in January, and cast member Madison LeCroy was accused of having an affair with the former MLB player. While Rodriguez’s name was bleeped during the Bravo show, LeCroy later confirmed she had been in contact with Rodriguez, although claimed nothing physical had happened between the two. While Lopez and Rodriguez stood together publicly during the scandal, last month they announced they had split amid their two-year engagement. In a joint statement to the TODAY show, the former couple said they “realized we are better as friends.” They continued, “We wish the best for each other and one another’s children. Out of respect for them, the only other comment we have to say is thank you to everyone who has sent kind words and support.”

The first weekend in May was the first time Lopez and Affleck were spotted together in Los Angeles, and the two haven’t been hiding their reunion ever since. The former couple has always maintained a friendly relationship since their 2004 split, but Affleck had glowing words for the Grammy-nominated artist in InStyle‘s May 2021 cover, saying he was “completely humbled” by her work ethic and the “quiet and dedicated way” she goes about accomplishing her goals. “She remains, to this day, the hardest-working person I’ve come across in this business,” he said at the time. “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.”