In Awkward Break-Up News, A-Rod Has Elected To Rent Place Down The Road From JLo

screenshot jennifer lopez and alex rodriguez
(Image credit: Vanity Fair)

Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez, formerly Mom and Dad to the Internet, called off their two-year engagement back in April. Allegedly, A-Rod was DMing with a certain Southern Charm star and the rumor was enough to drive a wedge in their relationship. Well, it sounds like things are now about to get super awkward – what with Rodriguez electing to get a new place down the road from Lopez post-split.

In fact, the former MLB player nearly moved right into Jennifer Lopez's backyard. (Think Mare of Easttown and that crazy scenario of Kate Winslet’s character living in relative harmony right across from her ex-husband.) Page Six reported that Alex Rodriguez decided to rent a $5 million Bridgehampton mansion, which is supposedly just a mile and three minutes away from JLo's Water Hill mansion. Apparently, A-Rod is familiar with the area precisely because he and all their kids (from previous relationships) vacationed there at JLo's home before. Yikes.

Being a light jog away from one’s ex sounds not just awkward but downright dreadful. But it’s becoming a thing amongst celebrities to be spotted in proximity of their exes. Alex Rodriguez's closeness supposedly has nothing to do with JLo, though. A source for TMZ claims that A-Rod was only renting in the Hamptons as a way to shorten his work commute to a studio in Bristol, Connecticut.

Alas, being down the road from his ex's house shouldn't be too bad for Alex Rodriguez, given that Jennifer Lopez is reportedly across the country in Los Angeles at the moment. What does remain more than a little awkward, however, is JLo's reignited romance with another former fiancé, Ben Affleck, only a few weeks after her breakup with A-Rod.

Supposedly, A-Rod is totally fine and doesn't really care about JLo's romance with an ex. Meanwhile, the world over loves the reemergence of Bennifer, which first ended back in 2004. Everyone's talking about it – from Ben Affleck’s dad to his best friend Matt Damon, Jennifer Lopez’s old publicist, and even their former Jersey Girl director. (I still think I have a better claim to naming the “Bennifer” moniker than you, Kevin Smith.)

Yet, there are other public layers of awkwardness to the Alex Rodriguez/Jennifer Lopez/Ben Affleck triangle. A-Rod denied reaching out after his breakup to the woman he was accused of cheating with, Madison LeCroy. She, in turn, recently quipped that Bennifer is in large thanks to her but with a “sike!” at the end. Along with the recent news of A-Rod moving down the street from JLo, he had also posted a gym pic with his ex-wife a few weeks ago. Many saw it as a calculated move in the frenzy over Bennifer.

I can see this predicament of houses playing like a scene in a movie. Jennifer Lopez heads back to the Hamptons for the summer, goes on a light jog, and like a true meet-cute (or in this case, meet-again-cute), she runs right into A-Rod. But it's more likely that Batman himself would show up in that scenario.

Lauren Vanderveen
Movies and TV News Writer

Freelance writer. Favs: film history, reality TV, astronomy, French fries.