You’ve probably seen the photos from ten years ago. Leah Remini and Jennifer Lopez, arm in arm, laughing on a red carpet or huddled together in a blurry Instagram selfie long before every celeb post was a high-production marketing campaign. They were the ultimate "ride or die" duo. Then, things got quiet. Really quiet.
People started noticing Leah was missing from the big stuff. The 2022 wedding to Ben Affleck? No Leah. The big parties? Radio silence. Honestly, in a world where celebrity friendships usually last about as long as a press tour, this one felt different because it was rooted in something real: the Bronx, a shared history, and Leah’s messy, brave exit from Scientology.
But as we sit here in 2026, the air has finally cleared. It wasn't a "feud" in the way the tabloids wanted it to be—there were no thrown drinks or public shade. It was something much more human and, frankly, much more relatable.
The Ben Affleck Factor: Why Leah Remini and Jennifer Lopez Hit a Wall
The biggest rumor—and the one that turned out to have some actual teeth—was that Leah wasn't exactly a member of the "Bennifer 2.0" fan club. When Jennifer reconnected with Ben Affleck in 2021, Leah reportedly expressed some concerns. She wasn't being a "hater"; she was being a best friend.
According to insiders and subsequent reports that surfaced during Jennifer and Ben’s 2024 divorce, Leah had allegedly warned Jennifer about Ben’s "selfishness" and historical lack of commitment. She basically told her friend to remember why they broke up the first time. Jennifer, caught in the whirlwind of a second-chance romance, didn't want to hear it.
Why the 2022 Wedding Was the Turning Point
When the invitations for the Georgia wedding went out in 2022, Leah Remini was notably absent. The "official" word back then was that Leah was busy moving her daughter, Sofia, into college. While that was true—the timing did overlap—it served as a convenient cover for a friendship that had cooled significantly.
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Imagine telling your best friend her fiancé isn't the right guy, and then she marries him anyway. That's a recipe for an awkward brunch. Jennifer reportedly wanted only "100 percent supporters" at that ceremony. Leah, being Leah, couldn't fake it.
So, they drifted.
The Scientology Connection: A Bond That Didn't Break
To understand why they eventually found their way back, you have to look at 2013. When Leah Remini made the terrifying decision to leave the Church of Scientology, she expected to lose everyone. That’s how the policy of "disconnection" works.
Jennifer Lopez, whose father David was a long-time Scientologist, should have been pressured to cut Leah off. She didn't. In her memoir Troublemaker, Leah recalls Jennifer telling her, "I don't ever want to talk about this bulls— again," before handing her a chocolate chip cookie. Jennifer chose her friend over the "church" rules.
That kind of loyalty doesn't just evaporate because of a disagreement over a guy. It stays in the marrow. Even when they weren't talking every day, that history was a safety net.
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2024: Two Divorces and a Reconnection
Life has a funny way of leveling the playing field. In August 2024, the world watched as Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce from Ben Affleck. In a wild twist of timing, Leah Remini announced her own divorce from Angelo Pagán that same month, after 21 years of marriage.
Nothing brings two old friends back together like shared heartbreak. Leah recently admitted in an interview with Us Weekly that the two reached out to each other almost immediately. "Right after the divorce, we'd text each other loving messages of support," she said.
The "Ebb and Flow" of Celebrity Friendships
Leah’s take on the whole situation is refreshingly honest. She’s 55 now, and she’s not interested in the drama. She explained that friendships "ebb and flow." Sometimes you grow out of the person you were when you were constantly together.
For Leah, she’s "retreated" a bit from the Hollywood scene, preferring to stay home and focus on her life after the high-stress years of fighting Scientology. Jennifer is still Jennifer—constantly working, constantly in the spotlight. They are in different places, but they aren't "at odds."
The reality of leah remini jlo is that they are two women who have seen each other through the absolute worst parts of life.
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- 2004: Met at a red carpet (introduced by Marc Anthony).
- 2008: Leah becomes godmother to Jennifer’s twins, Max and Emme.
- 2013: Jennifer supports Leah during her Scientology exit.
- 2018: They star together in Second Act.
- 2022-2023: The "Dark Period" where they grew apart during the Ben Affleck era.
- 2024-2026: Reconciliation through shared life changes and mutual support.
What Most People Get Wrong About Them
The internet loves a villain. People wanted Leah to be the "jealous friend" or Jennifer to be the "diva who dumped her pal." Neither is true.
It’s actually much more boring, which makes it more real. They had a disagreement about a partner, they took some space, and when life got hard again, they remembered who had their back ten years ago. They aren't "reconciled" in the sense that they are back to posting selfies every Tuesday. They are reconciled in the sense that the love is still there, even if the daily proximity isn't.
Lessons from the Leah and JLo Playbook
If you're looking at your own friendships and wondering why you don't talk to your "bestie" like you used to, take a page from Leah Remini.
- Don't mistake distance for a feud. Sometimes people just need to go through their own stuff.
- Speak your truth, but accept the consequences. Leah was right about Ben (at least in terms of the marriage not lasting), but she had to accept that being right meant being excluded for a while.
- Check in during the big shifts. A simple text during a crisis can bridge a two-year gap in an instant.
The bond between Leah Remini and Jennifer Lopez is proof that you can survive a fallout. You can survive a disagreement over a spouse. You can even survive a decade-long religious battle. As of 2026, they are the gold standard for "complicated but permanent" Hollywood friendships.
Actionable Insight for Your Own Friendships
If you have a "Leah" or a "Jen" in your life you haven't spoken to because of a past disagreement, remember that life is short and divorces (or mid-life crises) are hard. A low-pressure text message—just a "thinking of you"—is often all it takes to restart the clock. Don't wait for an apology that might never come; focus on the history that already exists.