Jennifer Lopez and Leah Remini seemed inseparable for years, but behind the scenes, their longtime friendship was quietly beginning to change.
“Jennifer ended up feeling like she needed to distance herself more from the friendship. Leah’s feelings were definitely hurt, because she really valued how close they used to be,” a source exclusively told Page Six.
According to our source, some of the tension started when Lopez, 56, and Remini, 55, co-starred in the 2018 romantic comedy “The Second Act.”
“As they were filming and promoting a movie together, Jennifer started to feel that their friendship was a little too strong,” a source said. “We spent so much time together during filming and press tours that Jennifer became overwhelmed and began to withdraw.”
Fans speculated that there was tension between the longtime friends, especially after Remini didn’t attend Lopez and Affleck’s 2022 wedding in Georgia. Instead, sources revealed that the “King of Queens” star dined with his daughter at the Front Yard in North Hollywood, California.
“Leah and Ben never hit it off, and that definitely created a bit of a rift between Jennifer and Leah for a while,” the source said. “It wasn’t a big dramatic falling out or anything, but over time Jennifer took a step back from their friendship.”
Still, the source claimed that there are no bad relations between the women today.
“Jennifer still loves Leah and there’s no big drama, but their friendship isn’t what it used to be,” the source said. “They don’t text often or hang out together anymore. In recent years, Jennifer has stepped back a bit and their lives aren’t as intertwined as they used to be.”
“Leah definitely misses the close relationship they once had and would have always been open to getting close again. But Jennifer is just in a different place right now. They still care about each other. It’s more of a distant friendship these days than the strong bond that people used to see.”
Representatives for Lopez, Remini and Affleck did not immediately respond to Page Six’s requests for comment.
As previously reported, the comedian shared that she and the “Hustlers” actress began communicating again in August 2024, when they filed for divorce from their respective spouses.
“We were texting each other loving messages of support,” Remini told Us Weekly in a June 2025 interview.
The “Kevin Can Wait” actress also insisted that she had no feud with Lopez, explaining, “Sometimes I don’t talk to people every day like I used to, but that doesn’t mean the love is gone.”
He added: “Friendships ebb and flow. That doesn’t mean we’re at odds.”
Remini, 54, filed for divorce from Angelo Pagan on August 29, 2024 after 21 years of marriage.
