Just a week after Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce, finally making the long-rumored end of Bennifer 2.0 public, Ben Affleck is suddenly a little busier than expected!
Per surprising reports over the weekend, the Accountant star has been spotted hanging out with Kick Kennedy! Yes, that’s Kathleen of THE Kennedy family. She’s RFK Jr‘s daughter. Everyone wants to know what’s going on between them. Everyone is apparently asking the wrong question. The question is, what already happened??
According to a source spilling to DailyMail.com, Ben and Kick didn’t just meet — they go way back!
“Ben and Kick had a fling before he got back together with JLo.”
WHOA! Whoa whoa whoa…
Related: J.Lo ‘Didn’t Want A Divorce’ — And Is NOT Doing As Well As Ben
You’re telling us Ben left Jen… and as soon as she made it official, he went and looked up an old hookup?! Damn! That says a lot! But more on that later, let’s hear about this “fling”! The insider says it was years ago:
“They met because Ben is from Boston and when you live in Boston, the Kennedy family is royalty.”
As a Boston liberal, Ben does idolize the Kennedys. Even Oscar-winning writers can’t avoid every cliché! Ha! The source explained for a bit he wondered if he might join the famous fam:
“So when he started hanging out with Kick, he legit thought that he had landed into the Kennedy family. But she was too young and not ready for anything serious.”
BTW, Kick is 36 now. Definitely an age when people start to get ready for something serious. Hmm.
The insider wants to make it very clear, this casual thing they had was NOT during his relationship with J.Lo. No crossover whatsoever, THEY say:
“They didn’t have any affair during his marriage, but it is interesting to Kick’s friends that as soon as this divorce happened all of a sudden Ben is hanging out with an old hookup whose family he sees as royalty.”
Uh, yeah! It’s intriguing to us, too!
And while Kick likes Ben — and has reportedly had a crush on him for some time — she’d rather this whole relationship, whatever it ends up being, stay on the DL a bit longer. Why? Obvious reasons:
“She thinks that he is intelligent and very much her style but is being incredibly tight-lipped because she does not want to be seen as a mistress. She is not a mistress. She is nothing like J.Lo and likes to keep her private life private.”
But to be clear, this is about protecting her own reputation, not Jen’s feelings. That, says the source, is not her problem:
“Kick is fond of Ben, and she does not care what JLo thinks honestly.”
Damn, alright!
So… to be clear… They hooked up before he got back with Jen. But how long have they been sneaking around Hollywood hotels together this time? Just a bit. The insider assures, once again, no overlap:
“When they started hanging out, he and JLo were separated. He made this very clear with her. JLo listing their separation as April only confirmed this.”
OK, then we’re back to the original question then! What’s going on between them?
“They are both taking it day by day but so far, she is enjoying spending time with him. They hang out at Beverly Hills Hotel because it offers a level of privacy to celebs that nowhere else does.”
Huh. That doesn’t really answer the question though, does it? Are they hanging out as old pals? Or in a romantic way?
Kick is clearly Ben’s type. We mean, fans noticed she has a beautiful, brunette, girl-next-door thing that’s very much Jennifer Garner‘s appeal. And the last time he and J.Lo broke up, that’s where he went. Hmm. The comparisons have not escaped her notice either, says the source:
“The fact that people say she looks like Jen Garner is flattering to her as she thinks Jen is beautiful.”
OK, so are they getting romantic or not? That first source sure seems to be implying it. But another insider told the outlet it’s just chill for now.
“Ben has been spending time with Kick but there is nothing there yet. They are friends and enjoy hanging with each other and it is true that she really doesn’t have any thoughts about what JLo would think of her spending time with Ben. He’s a great guy and they are getting to know each other.”
Sounds like there’s potential there for sure!
What do YOU think of Ben and Kick’s maybe-romance now, with the knowledge they had a hookup in the past? Do you believe there was never any overlap??
[Image via Patricia Schlein/MEGA/WENN/Avalon.]