The Seat Filler Next to Ben Affleck Says Jennifer Lopez Told Him He Was Becoming a Meme at the Grammys

Ben Affleck knew his Grammys 2023 misery was going viral, and he didn’t care. At least that’s what the seat filler next to him and Jennifer Lopez shared on her TikTok.

The user, @almostannna, posted a two-minute video where she discussed her experience being seated next to them for part of the show. “I was next to them for a good bit of it; that was my favorite seat. I was right in front of Beyoncé,” she started. “So I didn’t know the meme of Ben Affleck being upset at award shows, like I didn’t know that was a thing, but…”

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck alongside the seat filler.

She also decided not to talk to Affleck because “[he] didn’t look happy so I didn’t want to talk to him and be like, ‘Oh my god, Good Will Hunting is one of my favorite movies. You’re my hero.’ Because I didn’t feel like doing that and I didn’t want to be embarrassed. So don’t judge me for that. It was scary. I was just so lucky to be right next to them.”

“The whole time, they were cute and shit,” she continued, going on to say that Lopez alerted Affleck to his burgeoning Grammys meme status. “J.Lo showed Ben Affleck the phone and was like, ‘Oh my god, honey, look at this meme circulating about you,’ and he was like, ‘Oh god, this again.’ Like, he knew during the performance that he was a meme. Like he knew, and he also chose just not to change his expression. I love how unbothered that is. So, I know that she was like on her phone and saw it and was like, ‘Honey this is so funny, look at this,’ and he was like ‘Jesus Christ.’”

They were very smitten though, she said: “They were super lovey dove-y, like their hands were always intertwined. Like, I don’t know how to describe it but they just were, so it wasn’t like, ‘Oh my god, this is going to lead to divorce,’ like, they were cute.”

She revealed the couple left early, “and Ben, like, took the skirt of her dress and lifted it up too much and J.Lo was like, ‘Honey!’ It was really silly!” Watch her full video above.

Senior News and Strategy Editor

Alyssa Bailey is the senior news and strategy editor at ELLE.com, where she oversees coverage of celebrities and royals (particularly Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton). She previously held positions at InStyle and Cosmopolitan. When she’s not working, she loves running around Central Park, making people take #ootd pics of her, and exploring New York City.