To review this article, select My Profile and then View Saved Stories.
When a celebrity couple makes the decision to separate, as Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck did after two years of high-profile marriage, everyone wonders how it ended. A smart follow-up question is usually: Why are we finding out about this now?
Lopez’s divorce filing, according to People, states that the date of their separation is April 26, 2024, which was just 4 months ago, but it turns out that the day the news of the separation was announced to the rest of the world is no coincidence. “She’s done waiting, and the date says it all,” a Lopez source told the publication, noting that Tuesday, Aug. 20, marked the second anniversary of her wedding to Affleck in Georgia.
In addition to the emotional blow, the split was announced in the middle of the 2024 Democratic National Convention, the day Barack and Michelle Obama were due to deliver two headline-grabbing political speeches by Kamala Harris. DNC, Jennifer Lopez files for divorce from Ben Affleck,” AV Club headlined in its report on the separation.
A celebrity divorce of this magnitude cannot go absolutely unnoticed, especially one that is rumored to have been broadcast for as long (and as long) as this one. (Even the popular news account Pop Crave managed to do a live report from the DNC while proceeding to generate content about Bennifer’s divorce. ) But time data can minimize prospective politics or divert attention from the terms surrounding a primary division. “Divorces, breakups, those are things we control,” famed publicist Jonathan Hay told Marie Claire in 2016. “It’s not like a death or anything like that: you control when the announcement is made. You have a choice.
This content can also be viewed on the site where it originated.
This content can also be viewed on the site where it originated.
This content can also be viewed on the site where it originated.
This content can also be viewed on the site where it originated.
There are those who manage to be quietly separated for long periods of time before the news becomes public: see Sarah and Todd Palin, whose divorce filing in 2019 remained unheard of for months, or Meryl Streep and Don Gummer, who managed to stay put. keep silent about their separation for six years. Then there are those who seem to consciously disengage on a day when they think they are less likely to be the subject of a bunch of media pigs.
This sample low-key divorce announcement often occurs late on Friday afternoon, when everything may be covered but not as inspected as a weekday announcement. Additional broadcasts if the news breaks just before a busy meeting. Holiday weekend with staff shortage. (For what it’s worth, Gwyneth Paltrow and Chris Martin’s “conscious uncoupling,” posted on a Tuesday via Goop, seemed coordinated to get maximum media coverage. )
If we look at any extended holiday weekend on the calendar, a celebrity divorce was likely announced the previous Friday. In 2011, Katy Perry and Russell Brand’s split was announced a day before New Year’s Eve. Six years earlier, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston had been photographed walking on the beach on New Year’s Day, then tried to fly under the radar on the first consecutive Friday of 2005 with their divorce. Easter weekend is the best dumping ground for celebrity couples like Adele and Simon Konecki, as well as Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan. Memorial Day weekend brought news of Ben Stiller and Christine Taylor’s split, who have since reconciled, while news of Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s split seemed just before Labor Day. And Halloween weekend came on the heels of Gisele Bündchen and Tom Brady’s divorce announcements, not to mention Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries.
This moment does not benefit the other people involved. When Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey’s divorce broke down just before Thanksgiving in 2005, the occasion didn’t overshadow the news that Truth TV’s favorite newlyweds were separating. One active discussion forum called their separation “a true Christmas tragedy. ” Months of tabloid hypotheticals about why they broke up, exacerbated by the release of Lachey’s breakup ballad, “What’s Left of Me. “
Like Lopez and Affleck, there’s also a wonderful culture of celebrities announcing their divorce at primal political moments. It dates back to at least 1961, when Marilyn Monroe reportedly filed for divorce from Arthur Miller on the day of John F. ‘s inauguration. Kennedy. La news that Naomi Watts and Liev Schreiber had split hours before the first presidential debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton in 2016. The divorce of Real Housewives star Erika Jayne and her disgraced lawyer husband, Tom Girardi, made headlines on Election Day. 2020. Ten days later, Jason Sudeikis and Olivia Wilde’s breakup has been made public. And Page Six’s exclusive about Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s split was published in the middle of the Georgia Senate runoff in 2021.
Amid their irreconcilable differences, the only thing two incompatible stars can agree on is a bit of strategic timing. “When you have a couple of celebrities, all parties understand the desire to keep things calm and personal so as not to destroy the relationship. someone else’s logo in the process,” California family law attorney Christopher Melcher told Business Insider last year.
As for the next celebrity split?Labor Day is fast approaching, so we may not have to wait long.
DNC 2024: Democratic National Convention Live Updates
September cover star Jenna Ortega rises to fame
Listen Now: VF’s DYNASTY Podcast Explores the Year of the Royals
Exclusive: How Saturday Night Captures SNL’s Wild Opening Night
Inside Prince Harry’s ultimate showdown with the Murdoch empire
The twisted true love story of a diamond heiress and a TV star
More from Vanity Fair
Contact