JLo wants to go by her maiden name after Ben Affleck divorce

Amid her divorce from Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez is asking a judge to restore her maiden name.
According to a divorce filing reviewed by USA TODAY on Thursday, Lopez — whose legal name has been Jennifer Lynn Affleck since her 2022 marriage to the “Argo” actor — has requested to change her name back to Jennifer Lynn Lopez.
Lopez, 55, filed for divorce from Affleck, 52, in Los Angeles on Tuesday, the second anniversary of their Georgia wedding ceremony that took place at Affleck’s estate outside of Savannah.
According to the petition, the “Jenny from the Block” singer filed the court documents pro per, or without legal representation. She listed July 16, 2022 — the day they exchanged vows in a Las Vegas wedding chapel — as the date of their marriage and April 26 as the date of separation.
Lopez stated “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for divorce. She also requested for the judge to not award spousal support to herself and her estranged husband and for both parties to pay attorneys’ fees.
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She signed the filing on Monday. This was the second marriage for Affleck and the fourth for Lopez. The two were engaged to each other twice: first in 2002, then again in 2021.
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Lopez and Affleck for comment.
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Lopez’s filing came after several months of fan and media speculation as she and Affleck started appearing in public solo. Though they were married for two years, their romance dates back to 2002 when they met on the set of the rom-com “Gigli” while Lopez was married to her second husband, Cris Judd.
Affleck and Lopez were engaged that year but called it off in January 2004, blaming too much media attention on their relationship. After Lopez and former MLB star Alex Rodriguez called off their engagement in April 2021, “Bennifer” was spotted several times, sparking speculation about a reconciliation. In July 2021, she went Instagram official with Affleck for her 52nd birthday.
In a 2022 cover story for Vogue, Lopez responded to criticism of her choice to adopt her new husband’s last name.
“People are still going to call me Jennifer Lopez. But my legal name will be Mrs. Affleck because we’re joined together,” she said. “We’re husband and wife. I’m proud of that. I don’t think that’s a problem.”
As for the prospect of Affleck changing his surname to Lopez, she shut down that option as “not traditional,” saying “It doesn’t have any romance to it.”
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“I’m very much in control of my own life and destiny and feel empowered as a woman and as a person. I can understand that people have their feelings about it, and that’s OK, too,” Lopez said.
She added: “But if you want to know how I feel about it, I just feel like it’s romantic. It still carries tradition and romance to me, and maybe I’m just that kind of girl.”
Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY