Matt Damon finds Ben Affleck's behavior toward Jennifer Lopez amid divorce 'cruel and unwarranted'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matt Damon appears to be picking sides in the divorce battle between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.

The 53-year-old Oscar-winning star's long-standing friendship with the 'Gone Girl' actor does not deter him from criticizing his friend if necessary. 

Sources close to the trio recently spilled that the 'Martian' star has not only criticized Affleck for his apparent behavior with Lopez but is also siding with the 'Jenny From the Block' singer.

Matt Damon doesn't condone Ben Affleck's 'cruel' behavior toward Jennifer Lopez

Insiders close to the stars recently told In Touch that Matt Damon has an unfavorable opinion about how the 'Argo' star is handling his entire divorce situation.

After Damon and Lopez were seen having a deep conversation for over 20 minutes during an afterparty of the premiere of their film 'Unstoppable' in Toronto earlier this month, the source revealed that the 'Maid in Manhattan' actress has been confiding in Damon quite a lot.

Damon and Affleck’s Artists Equity produced the film 'Unstoppable', which is based on the inspiring story of wrestler Anthony Robles. Lopez, who plays Robles' mother in the film, reportedly hopes to work with the 'Jason Bourne' actor in the future as well. 

"JLo has been confiding a lot in Matt, not just in Toronto but during recent weeks as well," shared a source before explaining, "She’s found him to be a calming influence and is hopeful their friendship will last beyond the marriage, plus she’d like to work with him down the line, too."

The source further said, "It’s been very difficult for Matt to sit by and condone or even forgive Ben’s behavior, which he finds cruel and totally unwarranted. He’s not trying to butt in for the sake of it and can see very well that life with JLo was likely a challenge, but not to a point where she deserved to be humiliated and degraded."

They added that 'The Martian' actor does not condone Affleck’s behavior as he is "big on manners." The tipster noted, "His wife, Luciana [Barroso], also agrees that Ben’s handled this situation with a serious lack of empathy or class. And they’ve not been shy letting him know that."

After months of speculation of marital discord, Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck on August 20, the second anniversary of their traditional wedding in Georgia.

In the divorce filing, which Lopez submitted on her own, she cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for their split and marked the date of separation as April 26.

Following the 'Unstoppable' premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, an insider shared with People, “Jen and Matt began talking and had a long, deep conversation."

They added, "The two friends laughed and spoke more seriously, and for several minutes, they clasped hands as they spoke." 

Matt Damon had advised Ben Affleck to focus on his work

While Matt Damon is currently apprehensive of his friend’s way of handling his divorce, 'The Talented Mr Ripley' star allegedly shared his concerns about Bennifer’s compatibility beforehand.

A source recently told Daily Mail that Damon advised the ‘Gone Girl’ star to "focus on his work" and not lose sight of his career objectives amid his marital troubles.  

"Matt tried to warn Ben when he got back together with JLo that this could happen," remarked the tipster.

Referencing Affleck and Lopez’s first break up over two decades ago, the source added, "Matt was there to help Ben get it together after their first split and he felt like this would happen again.”

They noted that the father of three has been in awe of Damon’s successful marriage with his wife of 18 years, saying, "Matt has had a successful marriage for years and Ben has always been in awe of this."

"As things started falling apart, Matt told Ben that he supports whatever choice he makes but wants him to jump in and focus on his work," further shared the tipster, adding, "Ben spent so much time focusing on JLo's projects just like he did the first time around. He told Ben, 'What has she ever done for your career?'"