Jennifer Lopez and Casper Smart’s 2016 Split Has a Dramatic Reason, Here's What It Is

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's tumultuous relationship draws major media attention. But back in 2016, it was Casper Smart. Smart and Lopez began seeing each other in 2011 and fans eagerly kept up with their on-and-off relationship. In August 2016, the two however went their separate ways. At first, it seemed like the spark simply fizzled out. Later, someone close to the couple shared a more dramatic story about why they broke up.

Initially, it was believed that Smart's absence from a charity event in the Hamptons was the catalyst, which seemed oddly trivial for ending a five-year relationship. As it turns out, there was much more to the story. A source close to the former couple dropped a bombshell. Speaking to People magazine, they revealed, "She kicked him out because he cheated on her and he got caught."

From the looks of it, trust issues had plagued the relationship for some time. The insider elaborated, "It happened two years ago, and he promised he would never do it again and once he did, she was done." For Lopez, this was the final straw. In the aftermath of the breakup, Smart's behavior raised eyebrows. At the time, the source noted, "He's been doing everything he can to get back together, working on himself and posting on his Instagram saying that 'Life is Good' and showing off his new leg tattoo that says 'You must embrace the darkness to see the light,'" as per the Daily Mail. 

However, they remained skeptical of Smart's apparent attempts at self-improvement. They reasoned, "He says he’s changed and that he is a new man but recently, on a video shoot for Wisin in Mexico, he was posting videos with bikini-clad dancers and not acting like a guy trying to remedy old habits. He was kicked to the curb not because he did not attend a party with JLo but because he was caught having parties of his own." 

It's worth noting that when news of the split first broke in August, a different source had characterized it as amicable. "Wasn’t anything dramatic and they were on good terms – it just came to a natural end. They will remain friends and they see each other, but they are not together. It was very amiable.” Smart was only 24 when they started dating, while Lopez was 42 with two children. In an interview with Univision, three years later, Smart reflected on their split, "I was very young...But in the moment, everything just clicked. We spent every day together for a year...I was very young and selfish. I thought I was ready for a relationship with a woman with kids and everything. I consider marriage with every girl I know, I’m a romantic."