Ben Affleck is addressing multiple reports stating that he was miserable at this year's Grammy Awards and that he argued with his wife Jennifer Lopez.
The actor's presence at the event made headlines after photos emerged of him looking bored and annoyed. Video footage also started doing the rounds showing him and Lopez having what appeared to have been a tense conversation. But in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck said all the buzz around his demeanor at the Grammys was taken out of context.
"I had a good time at the Grammys," he told the outlet. "My wife was going, and I thought, 'Well, there'll be good music. It might be fun.' At movie award shows, it's speeches and, like, sound-mixing webinars. But I thought this would be fun."
Affleck said that the reports were a result of bad timing. The claims that there was tension between him and Lopez were based on footage of him whispering something to her, and her stating something back. But according to Affleck, they were actually joking with one another.
"I saw [Grammy host Trevor Noah approach] and I was like, 'Oh, God,' " he said. "They were framing us in this shot, but I didn't know they were rolling. I leaned into her and I was like, 'As soon they start rolling, I'm going to slide away from you and leave you sitting next to Trevor.' She goes, 'You better f------ not leave.' That's a husband-and-wife thing."
Shortly after the February event, Lopez seemingly responded to the criticism over Affleck's less-than-enthusiastic appearance. Taking to Instagram, the singer, who was on hand to present the award for best pop vocal album to Harry Styles, shared a video showing glimpses of herself, and Affleck, at the event.
"Always the best time with my love, my husband," she captioned the video montage.
A source speaking with Entertainment Tonight later revealed that Affleck wanted to be at the event but the couple were both feeling tired.
"Jen and Ben had a fun date night out at the Grammys, but they have both been very busy working on several projects, and Ben was feeling tired," the source said. "He wanted to go and support Jen, but he wasn't his usual self."