Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini’s respective divorces have one silver lining: it’s created a way for the former BFFs to revive their friendship.
“J.Lo and Leah reconnected recently,” an insider exclusively reveals in the latest issue of Us Weekly, explaining the reunion took place after Lopez, 55, filed for divorce from Ben Affleck last month. Remini, 54, also split from her husband, Angelo Pagán, in August.
The actresses had a “long heart-to-heart,” the source says, noting Lopez and Remini “couldn’t believe they were both in the middle of a divorce.”
“Leah and J.Lo bonded over the shared experience,” the insider tells Us, “And are in the beginning of rekindling their friendship.”
Remini and Lopez met in 2004 on the red carpet when Lopez was dating Marc Anthony. “So, we went to the premiere hoping she was gonna be ugly in real life,” Remini confessed to Entertainment Tonight in 2018. “And then, when I was approaching her, I was like, ‘I hope it’s the lighting. Maybe she just looks good in here,’ and as I got closer I was like, ‘Oh damn, there’s a lot of light right here and she looks really pretty.’”
Remini recalled asking Lopez about her stunning features right then. “I said, ‘Why the f—k? Why are you so f—king pretty?’ And she laughed,” Remini remembered. “Then I was like, ‘Ugh, I hope she’s dumb,’ ya know? I was like, ‘She could be dumb!’ I wanted to find something [wrong with her] and I didn’t.”
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Ultimately the pair became friends over their sense of humor. “The fact that I could bust her balls and she wasn’t caught up on herself, said something to me,” Remini explained.
Lopez told the outlet it was “one of those instant chemistry things” that sealed the deal for her. “She’s cool and we also have very similar upbringings. That’s why we work well together,” the musician said of Remini at the time.
Remini and Lopez remained close for decades — and through multiple relationships on Lopez’s side. The “Jenny From the Block” separated from Anthony, 55, in 2011 after seven years of marriage. The exes, who share twins Max and Emme, 16, finalized their divorce in 2014.
Lopez was later engaged to Alex Rodriguez before reconnecting with former fiancé Affleck, 52, in 2021. (Lopez and Affleck’s romance first began after meeting on the set of Gigli. They were engaged from 2002 to 2004 before calling it quits.)
When Lopez married Affleck in August 2022 — the pair quietly wed in July 2022 in Las Vegas prior to hosting friends and family — Remini was not in attendance, causing some to think they’d had a falling out.
Remini was reportedly unable to make the nuptials because she was moving her and Pagán’s daughter, Sofia, into college, according to TMZ. The King of Queens alum raised even more eyebrows in January 2023 when she attended Anthony’s wedding to Nadia Ferreira.
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In September 2023, Remini’s friend Michelle Visage hinted at the friendship breakup between the duo. After “Las Culturistas” podcast hosts Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang asked Visage, 55, if Remini and Lopez “are best buds,” Visage replied, “No comment.” Yang, for his part, burst into laughter.
Neither Lopez nor Remini publicly addressed the rumors about their friendship. However, they had similar approaches to their respective divorces.
Us confirmed on August 20 that Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck, listing their date of separation as April 26. She did not use a lawyer when submitting the paperwork to the courthouse.
Remini did the same, filing for divorce from Pagán on August 29 after 21 years of marriage. According to court documents obtained by Us, Remini chose not to have an attorney file on her behalf. Remini has requested that neither she nor her estranged husband receive spousal support and there was no mention of child support as their only child is 20 years old.
While Remini publicly announced her divorce on social media, Lopez hasn’t addressed her split. Instead, she’s trying to keep her divorce on track and out of the public eye when possible. “[She wants] to move forward with dignity,” the source says of Lopez.
Watch the exclusive video above for more on Lopez and Remini’s friendship — and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now.
