bitchy | Ben Affleck gave Jennifer Lopez a signed Marlon Brando book for Christmas

For the past five months or so, Ben Affleck and his publicist give monthly updates on how well he’s doing. The updates always feel so utterly random too, they’re always variations of “Ben Affleck is doing great these days, he’s looking forward to spending time with his kids for [insert holiday].” Well, People Magazine got another update just before Christmas – Ben wants us to know that he is “healthy, single and enjoying life,” according to a source, who also said that Ben “is spending the holiday with his children and is excited to have Violet home for break.” Ben keeps insisting that he’s single and that he spends his free time with his kids, and I simply don’t believe it. I still wonder what went down with Kick Kennedy and whether they’re still dealing with each other, and whether that was one of the bigger reasons why Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce. Speaking of J.Lo, Ben apparently gave her a book for Christmas.

Ben Affleck put some thought into his Christmas gift for Jennifer Lopez this year despite their ongoing divorce. The “Batman” star, 52, “purchased an autographed Marlon Brando book” for the “Let’s Get Loud” singer, 55, before the estranged couple exchanged presents Sunday, Page Six can exclusively reveal.

Mystery Pier Books owner Louis Jason tells us Affleck bought “a few books” from his West Hollywood, Calif., store located on Sunset Blvd. The Oscar winner picked up the meaningful item before heading to meet the “Hustlers” actress for lunch at the members-only Soho House.

“Ben gifted Jennifer with the book because she’s a fan, plus her Super Bowl bodysuit was inspired by Marlon Brando,” a source tells Page Six. “The gifts were mostly for each other’s kids, but they did exchange a few small things for each other as well. It was nothing over the top, but more so a gesture to celebrate the holidays. Ben and Jennifer have remained amicable despite the ongoing divorce proceedings.”

As we previously reported, Affleck and Lopez have every intention of continuing to be in each other’s lives despite not being romantically involved.

“Ben and Jennifer are still connected, and they do communicate when it involves their kids,” a source recently shared with us.

[From Page Six]

I actually looked up the Marlon Brando-inspired costume for her Halftime performance, and it’s real. Jennifer really did base one of her Halftime costumes on a 1991 Vogue photoshoot with Brando. The more you know! Yeah, I didn’t realize that J.Lo enjoys Brando that much. It feels a bit weird to me that Ben and J.Lo met one-on-one to exchange gifts, but he didn’t personally give his gifts to Emme & Max? He was their stepfather, he spent a lot of time with them and now he didn’t even see them for the holidays? Hm. Also: J.Lo and her kids were in Aspen for Christmas (photos below), so that explains why she and Ben met days before Christmas.

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.