Jennifer Lopez is leaning on Leah Remini in the wake of her divorce and a source exclusively tells In Touch the anti-Scientology crusader is giving her old friend tons of advice about rebuilding her life top to bottom – AND grinding Ben Affleck’s nose into the dirt.
“Leah is an extremely tough character, she’s had to be after all the stress she’s endured at the hands of Scientology,” a source exclusively tells In Touch. “Her no-nonsense, don’t take any crap kind of attitude is music to J. Lo’s ears right now because she spent so many months being tortured by Ben over the prospect of a potential reunion.”
Jennifer, 55, and Leah, 54, were close for decades, first meeting on a red carpet when the “Jenny From the Block” artist was dating Marc Anthony. The insider said that the King of Queens actress was against J. Lo “marrying Ben [Affleck]” and it “pretty much ruined their friendship the last couple years.”
“But they’re back on great terms again and closer than ever and she’s now assumed being J. Lo’s de facto divorce coach,” the insider dishes. “She’s more than happy to take it on and give her all the support she needs. All of J. Lo’s friends are disgusted by Ben right now and Leah is no exception.”
In Touch confirmed Jennifer filed for divorce from the Batman actor, 52, after two years of marriage on August 20. The “On the Floor” artist submitted the paperwork to the Los Angeles Superior Court on the second anniversary of their lavish second wedding ceremony at Ben’s Georgia estate. Meanwhile, only a week later, Leah filed for divorce from her husband, Angelo Pagán, on August 29, after 21 years of marriage.
“Leah isn’t a vengeful person, but she’s also never afraid to speak her mind, so Ben would be smart not to do anything more to upset J. Lo,” the source concludes. “Leah’s going through her own break-up right now, although it’s very amicable by all accounts, but still the timing is good because she can be by J. Lo’s side non-stop and they can help each other with their new normal.”
Jennifer and Leah stopped speaking during J. Lo’s relationship with Ben — with Leah noticeably missing from the couple’s August 2022 Georgia wedding. A separate source told In Touch that Leah reached out to Jen when she heard that she was having marriage problems.
“Jennifer wanted her friend’s support. However, Leah saw the writing on the wall and straight out told her marrying Ben was a bad idea,” an insider said on September 11. “Ironically, the timing couldn’t have been better. Now they have each other to lean on.”
Leah may be the best person for the “divorce coach” job as she plans on airing out the details of her split for viewers to see in Leah Remini: It’s All Relative, in hopes people learn something.
“We are sharing this unknown territory with you all as we take our first steps into this next stage of our lives publicly,” she stated in her August 29 divorce announcement. “We would love for everyone to have more access to different kinds of relationship stories and not feel so isolated in navigating the changes that millions of couples make every year.”
