Watch the painfully awkward moment Ben Affleck asks his ‘darling’ ex-wife Jennifer Lopez to join him for a photo

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez showed there’s no bad blood between them as they reunited on Monday night at the premiere of Kiss of the Spider Woman, just seven months after finalizing their divorce.

Despite the potential for awkwardness, the Gone Girl star, 53, appeared calm and collected as his ex-wife, 56, arrived in style for the event. 

Rather than avoiding her, Affleck confidently called Lopez over for a photo as she chatted with Access Hollywood on the red carpet.

‘You’re here!’ Lopez exclaimed, looking momentarily surprised as she noticed her ex posing nearby with actor Tonatiuh.

Affleck gestured toward Tonatiuh and asked, ‘Picture?’ prompting Lopez to respond with a smile, ‘I’ll get in the picture right now.’ 

She quickly told the outlet she was ‘gonna do a photo right now’ before walking over to join him.

The On the Floor hitmaker received a warm greeting from her ex-husband, who affectionately called her ‘darling’ and asked how she was doing before they posed together.

The former couple shared a few smiles for the cameras alongside Tonatiuh, 30, marking their first joint appearance since their split.

At one point, the stars smiled as they looked into each other’s eyes at the event and Affleck wrapped his arm around her waist. 

During separate interviews, both stars spoke highly of one another, with Affleck telling Extra that Lopez is an ‘amazing actress’ who ‘really does it all.’

‘She’s amazing in the movie,’ he said. ‘I just can’t wait for you, the audience, to see the movie. I’m as proud of this movie as any that I’ve ever been involved with. I’m really excited to be here tonight.’

He also reflected on her tireless work ethic, which began ‘early on’ with the project.

‘She just was going to give it her all and she did,’ the father-of-three noted. ‘She worked enormously hard. You get to see all of her many gifts. She’s somebody that grew up watching classic musicals.’

The Gone Girl star also stressed that the Grammy nominee was ‘born to play’ the title role in his adaptation of the 1976 novel of the same name by Manuel Puig. 

When pressed about the Oscar buzz surrounding Lopez’s performance in Kiss of the Spider Woman, Affleck explained he was just aiming to produce something ‘great.’

‘I like to try to develop my own standard for what I really like,’ he said. ‘I’m enormously proud of the movie. I always will be. I love this movie.’

Meanwhile, ahead of the screening, Lopez thanked Affleck while introducing the film.

‘Thank you, Ben, this movie wouldn’t have been made without Ben and without Artist Equity,’ she said, according to People. 

Lopez and Affleck were married for two years, until to the singer filed for divorce in August 2024.

They had previously been in a relationship back in the early 2000s and rekindled their romance in 2021 before tying the knot a year later.