LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck officially became divorced and single Friday.
A Los Angeles Superior Court judge approved their divorce settlement on Jan. 6, and declared that it would take effect on Feb. 21, after California's required six months passed since Lopez filed to dissolve their two-year-old marriage. The document said they settled through mediation in September, avoiding the kind of drawn-out court fight that other celebrity couples have gone through.
Lopez now drops the Affleck from her legal name. Most of the financial details were kept private, but neither star will pay the other spousal support, and they have no children together so custody is not an issue.
The superstar pairing married in July 2022. Lopez filed for divorce in August 2024. The filing said they had separated more than a year earlier.
It was their second stint as a couple. In the early 2000s, they met, fell in love, got engaged and starred together in the infamous “Gigli” and “Jersey Girl” in 2004. They split up that same year, blaming in part the pressure of the public eye.
But to the joy of many fans and perhaps the doubt of others, they got back together two decades later and got married.
Affleck divorced Jennifer Garner, with whom he has three children, in 2018. Lopez has been married four times and has twins with singer Marc Anthony.
FILE - Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck arrive at the world premiere of "Air" on Monday, March 27, 2023, at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — WTA Tour chairman Steve Simon has informed the organization's board of directors he plans to retire in December, the women’s tennis circuit announced Thursday.
Simon was tournament director of the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, for 13 years before he was hired as chief executive of the WTA in 2015.
Under his watch, the women’s circuit committed to a $400 million increase in player compensation over the next 10 years, created a foundation to elevate its social impact in communities around the world and entered a partnership with CVC Capital Partners to accelerate commercial growth and drive reinvestment in the sport.
Last year, the WTA restructured its leadership, with NBA G League executive Portia Archer taking over as CEO and Simon focusing on strategic development and governance as chairman.
Simon has been a target for criticism. Last year, he and the tour were sued by Ukrainian tennis player Lesia Tsurenko because of the way it has handled Russian and Belarusian players amid the war in Ukraine.
In 2023, Hall of Famers Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova questioned how he could sign off on a lucrative three-year deal with Saudi Arabia to host the WTA Finals despite questions about LGBTQ+ and women’s rights there.
Simon also led a WTA boycott of China from 2021-23 over concerns about Grand Slam doubles champion Peng Shuai’s well-being. Peng dropped out of public view after she accused a Chinese government official of sexual assault. China was allowed to host tournaments again after the WTA received assurances from people close to Peng that she was safe and living with her family in Beijing.
AP tennis: https://apnews.com/hub/tennis
FILE - WTA Chairman and CEO Steve Simon sits for an interview during the WTA Finals tennis tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, on Nov. 1, 2022. (AP Photo/Tim Heitman, File)
