When Jane Fonda Predicted Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck's Eventual Divorce in This Awkward Video

Who could've foreseen 'Bennifer 2.0' would end up divorcing? Well, it seems film icon Jane Fonda, apparently predicted Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck might not work this time in a throwback video amid the couple's recent divorce filing news. JLo miraculously reunited in 2021 with Affleck after calling off their engagement in January 2004 but called it quits after two years. 

A video from the documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told recently resurfaced where Fonda, who developed a mentor-like relationship with JLo while filming the 2005 romantic comedy Monster-in-Law, spoke candidly with the songstress about public display of her relationship with Affleck along with her fears of a possible fallout, per E! News.

"I want you to know that—I don't entirely know why—but I feel invested in you and Ben and I really, really, really want this to work. However, this is my concern. Like, it feels too much like you're trying to prove something instead of just living it. You know, every other photograph is the two of you kissing and the two of you hugging," voicing her reservations to Lopez. 

However, JLo laughed off her observation and told Fonda, "That's just us living our life." But, at the same time, she acknowledged her friend's worries for her, "She's very protective of me and she felt like 'You're putting yourself out there to get beat up again.'" Regardless of Lopez's reassurance, the actress and activist further revealed which behavior of Affleck fueled her concerns, "I get real scared, you know, with all that s--t about the Grammys and he looked unhappy and I'm like, 'Oh, my God, what's happening?'" The Atlas star again noted, "He was like, 'It's like I've become the symbol of the beleaguered man.'" 

After months of speculation, Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck on August 20, 2024, after two years of marriage. The couple was going through a tough time in their marriage as multiple sources cited problems related to their different personalities. She filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court and listed April 26, 2024, as the date of separation, and some sources claim there is no prenuptial agreement involved. "She tried really hard to make things work, and is heartbroken," an insider told PEOPLE. "The kids are a top priority, as they always have been." 

Bennifer rekindled their past romance in 2021 nearly two decades later after they postponed their planned September 2003 wedding. In the years that followed, they both moved on with other partners but somehow found their way back. Their fans were certain this reunion was JLo and Affleck's happily ever after but as fate would have it, they weren't meant to be. 

A source told Page Six Lopez tried to save the marriage but "Ben has a darkness to him that no other person can fix. [His actress ex-wife] Jen Garner couldn't fix it, all the success in the world couldn't fix it." On the contrary, "[Lopez] gave this everything she had; her whole heart. She would have done anything to make this work."