Site last updated: Friday, July 26, 2024

Log In

Reset Password
MENU
Butler County's great daily newspaper

Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck reportedly put mansion up for sale, likely headed for divorce

Ben Affleck, left, and Jennifer Lopez attend the ELLE Women in Hollywood celebration, Tuesday, Dec. 5, 2023, in Los Angeles. Invision via AP

Love and divorce cost a pretty penny — and the latter appears to be right around the corner for Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck, who insiders say have put their $60 million marital mansion on the market.

The news comes just weeks after reports broke that not only are the couple “having issues,” but they’ve been living under separate roofs.

The “Love Don’t Cost a Thing” singer, 54, and Oscar winner, 51, are reportedly working with realtor Santiago Arana of the Agency to sell the Beverly Hills home they spent the better part of two years searching for and only moved into last year, sources told TMZ on Saturday.

Insiders told the outlet that the A-listers’ home — which is going for “around $65 million” — has been shown to potential buyers for about two weeks.

News broke in mid-May that Affleck had recently moved out of the mansion and into a rental home in nearby Brentwood, where he’s been spotted multiple times.

Insiders at the time said the couple was working to resolve their issues and had no intentions of splitting up for good, but tensions have reportedly only gotten worse in the past few weeks.

Amid their marital woes, Lopez’s professional life has also taken a hit.

The pop star last week canceled her “This Is Me... Live” tour, which was set to kick off June 26 and run through mid-August.

Though the tour had already been shortened amid disappointing ticket sales, the “completely heartsick and devastated” Lopez attributed the decision to wanting to take “time off to be with her children, family and close friends,” according to promoter LiveNation.

Lopez and Affleck, who were previously engaged in the early 2000s, reunited in the spring of 2021 and tied the knot the following year.

———

Prince collaborator Sheila E. says she’s ‘heartbroken’ at being turned away from Paisley Park

MINNEAPOLIS — Sheila E. figured she’d be welcome if she showed up unannounced to record some video at Paisley Park where the Grammy-nominated percussionist once collaborated with her mentor and one-time fiancée, the late rock superstar Prince. She was wrong.

She said in an Instagram video that she was hurt when she went there to pay her respects on Friday, which would have been his 66th birthday, but was not let into a studio. She said that it “won’t take away the joy that he and I had together” at the studio in suburban Minneapolis, which is now a museum in his memory.

“I went in to celebrate him, and I wanted to go into the studio and do a live video, take a picture, and they said, ‘No.’ “ Sheila said. ”My heart’s broke. I can’t even walk into Paisley. That’s kind of messed up. ... Not a nice way to celebrate his birthday.”

In a follow-up statement released through her publicist on Monday, Sheila said she now wants the museum to return her old drum kit, which she said Prince personally asked to “borrow” to display there. She said she even heard a tour guide say, “My idol, Sheila E. even has her drums setup in the studio!”

Paisley Park posted on its own Instagram account that it just needed some advance warning.

“Hello Sheila — We love and respect you, and we did offer for you to come in and film in the soundstage or other areas, but we couldn’t allow filming in the studios without prior knowledge and planning, especially with tours going on at the time. We hope to have you back to Paisley Park in the future — just give us a heads-up! Happy Prince Day,” the message read, ended by a purple heart emoji.

Sheila was in Minnesota for a concert with Morris Day & the Time on Saturday in the northern town of Walker. In her statement Monday, she said she was the first artist to record at Paisley Park with Prince and walked the grounds with him when “the foundation was mere dirt and rope.” So she thinks her history should count for something.

Prince had no will when he died in 2016 of an accidental fentanyl overdose, so his estate, including Paisley Park, went to his siblings, who later sold most of their shares. His estate is now owned by two corporations, the music management company Primary Wave and Prince Legacy LLC, with a 2% share still held by his sister, Tyka Nelson.

———

Princess Diana’s brother hires King Charles’ divorce lawyer, report says

Charles Spencer, the younger brother of Princess Diana, has hired the divorce lawyer who represented now-King Charles three decades ago when he split from Diana.

Spencer, 60, has retained well-known divorce attorney Fiona Shackleton, the Times of London reported Sunday.

Shackleton, 68, has made her name representing several British celebrities and members of the royal family in divorce proceedings. But perhaps her highest profile case was representing Charles, then-Prince of Wales, in his separation from Diana, then-Princess of Wales, which was finalized in August 1996.

Charles Spencer, the 9th Earl Spencer, reportedly retained Shackleton for his divorce from Karen Spencer. He announced their separation on June 8 in a piece published by The Mail on Sunday.

“It is immensely sad,” he told the outlet. “I just want to devote myself to all my children and to my grandchildren, and I wish Karen every happiness in the future.”

Spencer, an author and historian, married Karen Gordon in June 2011. They have a 12-year-old daughter, Charlotte Diana, named in honor of her late aunt. Both have been married previously as well.

In addition to Charles, Shackleton also represented Prince Andrew in his divorce from Sarah Ferguson and Paul McCartney in his split from Heather Mills. She was also retained by Claire Merry in her separation from soccer star Thierry Henry.

In 2010, Queen Elizabeth II made Shackleton a life peer and gave her the title Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia. She represents the U.K.’s Conservative Party in the House of Lords.

Shackleton is also related through marriage to famed Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.

From combined wire services

More in People

Subscribe to our Daily Newsletter

* indicates required
TODAY'S PHOTOS