Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony\’s divorce announcement came as a shock to the public. The couple has been married for seven years and have 2 children—3 year old twins, Emme and Max. J.Lo and Marc Anthony were painted as a loving, Latino power couple. There were no media worthy signs of troubles in the relationship. Of course, with their recent announcement, the rumor mill has begun and the press has been flooded with news of everything from Marc Anthony begging for Jennifer to stay, Anthony\’s affair with a stewardess, his jealousy over Jennifer\’s successful career, and even J.Lo\’s alleged romance with William Levy—her co-star in the “I\’m Into You†music video!
The question remains, was Jennifer as surprised as the rest of us? Were there warning signs that she overlooked in her marriage to the Latin pop star? Now that the couple\’s baggage is being aired, many of Marc Anthony\’s flaws are coming to join him in the limelight.
Marc Anthony\’s first “red flag†should have been his previous marriages. The Latino star has been married twice. Before Jennifer, he was married to former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres; the couple had two children together. Of course, Jennifer Lopez was no stranger to the wedding march; the singer-actress had also been married twice, and engaged to be married before Marc. However, Marc and Jennifer were married in a secret ceremony only days after his divorce to Torres was finalized! Was Marc on the rebound? Had Jennifer played the role of the other women during his marriage? Certainly his ability to fall from one marriage to another so quickly would have been the first sign that Jennifer should proceed with caution.
The couple was also faced with financial problems. When Jennifer and Marc were first married, Jennifer discovered that not only did her husband owe a few dollars of back-taxes on his estate in Long Island—he owed millions of dollars to the government! Money issues are a common problem in many marriages, and likely was not a breaking point for the Anthony-Lopez union. However, even with the power couple\’s celebrity income, this major debt was an unpleasant surprise. It didn\’t help that this was seemingly the first major secret of their relationship.
Sources close to the couple have not been shy in telling the press that Marc Anthony has control issues. The husband felt that he had a say in everything from where the couple should live (he chose New York while J.Lo\’s career was based in L.A.), to her career! Sources close to the female star report that she felt that her career had hit its lowest point during her marriage with Marc. Jennifer\’s stylist admits that sometimes, Marc would even attempt to sway her wardrobe choices! Her stylist told the press, “Marc is very controlling. In the beginning she liked that because he stood up to her and in the early days he was very much in love with her and she was with him.†Like many aspects of their marriage, this dominating act appears much less welcome these days.
Of course, these warning signs are not the “red flag†that the media favors. Marc Anthony has been earning plenty of negative press due to the details of a 2009 affair. Sources close to the couple claim that Jennifer knew about her husband\’s affair with the stewardess. She had planned to leave her husband after the incident, but reconsidered when he begged her to stay. The couple had even gone to counseling over the incident! It\’s very likely that Jennifer still feels that pain of this infidelity; Marc\’s wandering eye and the time that he has spent with his ex-wife, Miss Universe Torres, probably haven\’t helped her feel more secure in their union.
As a final sign, Marc Anthony made it very apparent throughout his relationship that he did not trust his wife. One person close to the couple admits, “[Anthony] couldn\’t stand her working around men who were remotely attractive unless he was there supervising.†As a successful actress, this could easily pose a problem in her career and her freedom. Finally, with their divorce on the horizon, Marc Anthony claimed the Jennifer Lopez even cheated on him with her music video co-star. Both J.Lo and co-star William Levy deny the accusation. Could this be Anthony projecting his own behavior on his soon to be ex-wife?
Whether Jennifer didn\’t see the warning signs, or simply chose to ignore them are anyone\’s guess. Luckily, the Hollywood star appears firm in her decision to separate with her husband. She admits that she did love Marc, but also told Vanity Fair, “Sometimes we don\’t realize that we are compromising ourselves. To understand that a person is not good for you, or that that person is not treating you in the right way, or that he is not doing the right thing for himself—if I stay, then I\’m not doing the right thing for me.â€
