Ben Affleck Reportedly Has A 'Secret Crush' On One Of Brad Pitt's Famous Exes

Ben Affleck has reportedly developed a "secret crush" on one of Brad Pitt's former partners after his recent divorce settlement from Jennifer Lopez.

The actor previously dated Gwyneth Paltrow after she split from Pitt in 1997. He's now said to be interested in Pitt's ex-wife, Angelina Jolie, as sources say he thinks she was "very hot."

Ben Affleck has also opened up about his divorce from Jennifer Lopez, saying there was "no scandal" that resulted in their split.

Affleck may be looking to kick off a new Hollywood romance after he recently settled his divorce from Lopez.

According to the Daily Mail, one of Affleck's close pals asked him who his ultimate movie star crush was, and the answer was reportedly Pitt's ex-wife, Jolie.

Like Affleck, Jolie is single and has said she'd like to concentrate on raising her six children.

However, the pair have warmly met each other's acquaintances in the past, including the 2001 Vanity Fair Oscar party where the "Accountant 2" actor was caught whispering in Jolie's ear.

"Ben said that he always thought that she was very hot and has admired how she has navigated her career, he has called her smart," the source said. "He also thinks it's pretty cool that she has directed films too, something he has done many times with 'The Town' and 'Argo.'"

"They would certainly have a lot to talk about over dinner," the insider shared, adding that Affleck also thinks it's a good thing they're around the same age.

Affleck's alleged "crush" on Jolie comes after he dated Gwyneth Paltrow, who was also previously in a relationship with Brad Pitt.

The father-of-three dated her for three years, from 1997 until 2000, while Pitt was actually engaged to the GOOP founder from 1994 until 1997. Pitt is now in a romance with jeweler Ines de Ramon following his acrimonious split from Jolie.

Another reason Affleck is reportedly smitten with the "Maleficent" star is because she's family-oriented, per the Daily Mail.

Affleck has three children with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner: Violet, Fin, and Samuel. On the other hand, Jolie has six kids with her ex-husband Pitt: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne.

The "crush" rumors come after Affleck settled his divorce from Lopez. In a chat with GQ Magazine, the Oscar winner discussed their split.

He also addressed reports that Lopez's "Greatest Love Story Never Told" documentary about their life "caused some fractures" in their marriage.

Although admitting that his "temperament is to be a little bit more reserved and private" than his ex-wife's, Affleck added that he went forward with it because he loves and supports her.

"And I think it's important to say that wasn't the cause of some major fracture. It's not like you can watch that documentary and go, 'Oh, now I understand the issues that these two had,'" Affleck explained.

The actor told the news outlet that "there's no scandal, no soap opera, no intrigue" behind their breakup, but he wouldn't share details about it because it was "just sort of embarrassing."

"The truth is, when you talk to somebody, 'Hey, what happened?' Well, there is no, 'This is what happened,'" he told the news outlet. "It's just a story about people trying to figure out their lives and relationships in ways that we all sort of normally do."

He went on to say that he has noticed, as he "gets older," that "there is no 'So-and-so did this' or 'This was the big event.'" Instead, "It sounds more like a couple's therapy session, which — you would tune out of someone else's couple's therapy after a while."

"For one thing, you start going, 'Okay, clearly this person has got these issues. Clearly, they have these issues.' And the reason I don't want to share that is just sort of embarrassing. It feels vulnerable," Affleck explained.

Despite their broken marriage, Affleck explained that he has "nothing but respect" for Lopez.

"There's a tendency to look at breakups and want to identify root causes or something," he said. "But honestly ... the truth is much more quotidian than probably people would believe or would be interesting."

Lopez and Affleck initially dated in 2002 and even got engaged, but called off their wedding two years later following heavy media scrutiny. They rekindled their romance in 2022 before she filed for divorce in 2024.

In an October conversation with Nikki Glaser for Interview Magazine, Lopez said she doesn't regret her split from the "Good Will Hunting" star.

"Not one second," the actress declared. "That doesn't mean it didn't almost take me out for good. It almost did. But now, on the other side of it, I think to myself, 'F-ck, that is exactly what I needed. Thank you, God. I'm sorry it took me so long. I'm sorry that you had to do this to me so many times.'"