Bennifer: Ben 'Reached Out' First to J.Lo 'as a Friend'

Before their reunion in Montana, it was Ben Affleck who first "reached out" to Jennifer Lopez, a source tells People magazine.

People reports a source confirms, "Ben reached out to Jennifer as a friend. He was basically checking up on her."

While he may have been acting as a friend, "He was single and thought she might be single, too."

Turns out she wasn't — the 51-year-old icon was still with Alex Rodriguez, and engaged to be married to him. Still, they'd announced they were "working through some things," and within weeks, their split became public.

As for Ben's intentions, the source defends him, saying, "It was in no way disrespectful, because he really thought she wasn't with Alex anymore."

A source had earlier told People magazine of Bennifer 2.0, “[Jennifer] is in touch with Ben every day."

“They are making plans to see each other," the insider added. "Jennifer is still very excited about how things are going with Ben."

Lopez is working in Miami, where she was recently spotted doing promo for Coach.

Lopez is back in the same city as her ex-fiancé Alex Rodriguez, but she’s “spending time with her kids in Miami.”