A family catch up might be in order, because Ben Affleck’s dad has “no idea” what’s going on with his son’s love life, especially as it relates to Jennifer Lopez.
Since practically everybody else has weighed in on the Bennifer 2.0 discourse ― except, of course, for the two stars who comprise the portmanteau ― someone asked the actor’s 78-year-old father, Timothy Affleck, about his son’s rekindled romance.
“Of course I’ve heard of her. But I’d no idea about any of this,” he told The Sun in an interview published Friday. “I talk to my kids about their lives when I see them, and they share with me what they want to share.”
Timothy Affleck, who is also father to actor Casey Affleck, noted that he hasn’t “seen my kids in so long” due to COVID-19 and their busy work schedules.
When asked whether his son had been “pining” for Lopez since the two called off their engagement nearly 20 years ago, he replied, “I’ve never heard of all that nonsense.”
Perhaps he’s picked up a few interview tips from his A-list offspring, as he then pivoted the conversation away from tabloid fodder and to his son’s long-standing philanthropic efforts in Africa.
“I just wish people would focus on the good work my son does in Congo – the women he helps there,” he continued. “There are important stories the media should be reporting like that, not this nonsense [about Jennifer].”
But if recent reports are any indication, Affleck and Lopez might be getting to the introduce-each-other-to-your-parents phase of their relationship, weeks after news of their reunion first made headlines.
The two have recently been spotted out and about in Montana and Miami, fueling speculation that Bennifer is indeed back on and stronger than ever. Earlier this week, they were photographed holding hands while grabbing dinner with friends in Los Angeles.
“They will continue to travel back and forth between Los Angeles and Miami,” an unnamed source told People. “They are very happy together. This is not a casual relationship. They are taking it seriously and want it to be long-lasting.”
Ben Affleck has previously addressed his fractured relationship with his father, who is now sober but struggled with alcoholism throughout the actor’s childhood.
“My father has thirty years of sobriety and I have a tremendous amount of respect for what that takes and what that means,” Affleck told People last year. “Part of being an adult is learning that your parents are just people. They’re not perfect. They were just doing their best. As a child, we expect perfection out of our parents.”
Affleck’s mother, Christine, meanwhile, has seemingly been kept in the loop when it comes to her son’s personal life. She was photographed with the actor’s quarantine girlfriend Ana De Armas last year and regularly joined his ex-wife Jennifer Garner on family outings over the course former couple’s decade-long marriage.