Ben Affleck was left disappointed by Mindy Kaling’s decision to joke about his divorce from Jennifer Lopez during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday, insiders claim.
The 52-year-old actor and his estranged wife, 55, have officially called time on their marriage, with the singer filing for divorce on Tuesday night following months of speculation.
Just one day later, Kaling, 45, made a cheeky nod to the marriage breakdown, while she gave a ‘shout out to the amazing delegation’ of her home state of Massachusetts.
As she began to list off sports teams and famous names from the state such as the Boston Red Sox and Jason Tatum, The Mindy Project star then stated, ‘Ben Affleck, hang in there!’ followed by loud cheers from the crowd.
‘Though it was in the moment, though it was said in jest, when Ben found out that he was brought up at the DNC by Mindy, it was a full-face palm moment,’ a source exclusively revealed to DailyMail.com.
Ben Affleck was left disappointed by Mindy Kaling’s decision to joke about his divorce from Jennifer Lopez during the Democratic National Convention in Chicago on Wednesday
Kaling was listing of sports teams and famous names from her home state when she stated, ‘Ben Affleck, hang in there!’
The insider explained how the Argo star had been shocked to learn that his personal life had been mentioned at a political convention.
‘The last place he would have ever expected and wanted to be talked about, especially about his divorce, would be at a political convention,’ the source continued.
‘He isn’t going to call out Mindy, but this was just a moment where he would love for people to know, especially ones that are meant to be his peers in Hollywood, to just not talk about his personal life.’
Ultimately, the Daredevil star knows the quip will fast become old news, but the mere mention of his divorce on such a public platform only highlights one of the key issues that caused problems during the marriage.
The insider explained: ‘This will go away, and people will forget about it, but it’s just the constant talk about his relationship with JLo that is a main reason it didn’t work out this second time around.
‘Ben values his privacy and to deal with adversity in the public eye is a stress filled situation for him and when people bring it up who are in his community, so to speak, is just frustrating. Even though Mindy wasn’t looking to cause a headache for Ben, she did provide one.’
The Good Will Hunting star is not expecting Kaling to apologize about the joke in the future and instead want to move forward with his life as he closes this current chapter.
The source confirmed: ‘He doesn’t want an apology, an excuse or anything, what was said is what was said, time to move on. He just wishes that he didn’t have to move on from anything at all.
‘He just wants to be known for his work and being a great father, not from any mistakes or misfortune that happens in his life.’
The actor and his estranged wife, 55, have officially called time on their marriage when the singer filed for divorce on Tuesday night following months of speculation
The insider concluded: ‘Mindy did her thing, and he is refusing to make it a thing, it was a brief inconvenient moment to deal with, time to turn his attention to more important things in life.’
DailyMail.com has contacted representatives for Affleck and Kaling.
Kaling’s viral shout out came after Lopez filed papers on Tuesday without an attorney, just hours before what would have been the couple’s second wedding anniversary.
In legal documents obtained by DailyMail.com, the On The Floor songstress cited the date of separation April 26, 2024, and it was confirmed that the pair did not sign a prenuptial agreement before saying ‘I do.’
Lopez and Affleck first started dating in 2002 after bonding on set of the film Gigli, and they quickly got engaged.
But they called it quits in 2004, just before they were set to become husband and wife.
They both went on to wed other people – she exchanged vows with Marc Anthony in 2004, while Affleck walked down the aisle with Jennifer Garner in 2005 – but after splitting from their respective partners, they eventually got back together.
A source stated: ‘Ben values his privacy and to deal with adversity in the public eye is a stress filled situation for him and when people bring it up who are in his community, so to speak, is just frustrating’
The superstar couple first tied the knot at a chapel in Las Vegas in July 2022, followed by a larger and lavish ceremony the next month at his Georgia estate on August 20.
Divorce rumors first arose a few months earlier in May when the pair had not been seen together for more than a month, but issues reportedly arose in the marriage during their 2022 honeymoon in Italy.
How the pair approached fame appeared to cause problems in the marriage.
Indeed, Affleck previously spoke about wanting to keep their relationship ‘private’ in JLo’s documentary The Greatest Love Story Never Told.
The film followed the making of her latest album, This Is Me… Now, most of which was inspired by her romance with Affleck.
During one part of the movie, Affleck admitted that he was ‘taken aback’ when he found her musicians rifling through his private love letters which Lopez had given them to look at as inspiration for her next album.
Lopez and Affleck, 52, first got engaged at the end of 2002 but broke it off a year later before calling quits on their relationship for good in 2004
The couple rekindled in 2021 and married in a Las Vegas ceremony the following July, before throwing a lavish wedding at his Georgia estate in August 2022 (pictured)
The actor had clung onto his correspondence with the singer during his 13-year marriage to Garner – and later had the letters and emails bound into a book to gift her when they reunited in 2021.
He told the camera: ‘Things that are private I always felt are sacred and special because, in part, they’re private.’
Lopez reportedly ‘will keep the $5 million green diamond engagement ring’ amid the divorce.
Meanwhile, the pair will also make a possible appearance together due to being ‘pushed to reunite’ in two weeks at the premiere of their film, Unstoppable.