Ben Affleck DENIES Emma Hernan's claim that he DMed her on Raya

Ben Affleck DENIES Selling Sunset star Emma Hernan’s claim that he DMed her on Raya as he hasn’t been an ‘active member’ on the A-list dating app for YEARS

Ben Affleck is shutting down rumors that he’s been active on dating apps. 

The actor, 49, denied the claim that he matched with Selling Sunset star Emma Hernan, 30, on A-list app Raya, prior to rekindling his romance with Jennifer Lopez, 52, in April 2021.

A rep for Affleck told PEOPLE: ‘Raya has confirmed that he has not been an active member for several years.’

False: Ben Affleck shut down rumors that he matched with Emma Hernan on dating app Raya, with his rep saying he has ‘not been an active member for several years’; Pictured in 2021

Emma Hernan claimed she connected with the Deep Water actor on the app during a conversation with Selling Sunset costar Chrishell Stause on the fifth episode of their hit Netflix reality series’ fifth season.

The real estate agent alleged the two-time Oscar winner asked her ‘to grab … coffee a few times.’

‘He may or may not have been texting me,’ she said coyly, before revealing he used a ‘very sweet’ ‘opening pickup line’ to get her attention.   

What could have been: Hernan, 30, claimed she connected with Affleck, 49, on the elite dating app before he rekindled with fiancee Jennifer Lopez, 52, in April 2021; Seen on April 16, 2022

The reality star, who made it clear their messages happened ‘right before’ he reconnected with Lopez gushed: ‘We have the Boston connection.’ 

The women initially began talking about the Gone Girl star after Stause mentioned he went ‘viral because he sent’ something to another woman on the app, which has been dubbed as ‘celebrity Tinder.’

They were referring to a TikTok, made by actress Nivine Jay, who shared a video of herself recalling the time she unmatched with Affleck because she thought his profile was fake last May. 

During a conversation with pal Selling Sunset costar Chrishell Stause on the fifth episode of their hit Netflix reality series, the real estate agent alleged the two-time Oscar winner asked her ‘to grab … coffee a few times’ (Affleck pictured earlier this month)

So in love! Affleck and fiancee Jennifer Lopez recently announced their their second engagement, after getting back together nearly 18 years after they called off their wedding; pictured in February

‘Thinking of the time I matched with Ben Affleck on Raya and thought it was fake so I unmatched him and he send me a video on Instagram,’ Jay captioned the video of her looking upset. 

Footage then panned to a recording the father-of-three sent her, in which he said: ‘Nivine, why did you unmatch me? It’s me!’

Raya is often described as the celebrity version of Tinder, as the dating app requires a membership and a vetting process, which is enticing to big movie stars like Affleck.

The app – which launched in 2015 – describes itself as being ‘an exclusive dating and networking platform for people in creative industries.’ 

Happiness: The couple’s relationship came as a shock to fans, heating up again nearly 17 years after their failed engagement; seen September 2021 in NYC

Making a splash! Lopez revealed she was naked in the bathtub when Affleck proposed to her for the second time with a emerald-cut green diamond

Jay, the woman who posted the video of Affleck, later clarified that she didn’t believe Affleck was being a ‘creep’ when he reached out to her on Instagram after she unmatched the star on Raya, thinking he was an imposter.

‘I’m seeing a lot of comments calling him a creep and l don’t think that’s fair. l wasn’t making fun of him in the video,’ Jay claimed to E! News in an interview. ‘l was making fun of myself for thinking he was a catfish and it was just supposed to be funny.’

The video sparked a feverish response from his fans, while helping to launch her to five minutes of stardom, as she became the subject of much speculation in the hours after she posted her TikTok video.

Affleck has since become engaged to Lopez for the second time, nearly 18 years after they called off their first wedding. 


Click and tell: Nivine Jay went viral on Monday when she posted a TikTok video about the experience

Membership in Raya costs $7.99 per month, but to join you must be referred by an existing member, and then their application is voted on by a ‘membership committee’.

The acceptance rate for Raya membership applications is approximately eight percent. In addition to subscription fees, the company also charges for sponsored placement of user requests.

In 2021, Drew Barrymore revealed she saw ‘a lot’ of other celebrities on the app, saying: ‘It was like looking through an Us Weekly.’

Drew, 46, even revealed how she ‘got stood up by a guy who owned a restaurant’ admitting that she ‘did terribly’ on the app.

Other stars rumored to have used the service include Moby, Lily Allen, Cara Delevingne, Raven-Symoné, Tommy Lee, Chelsea Handler and Whitney Cummings.

Raya: The VERY exclusive dating app which approves only 8% of applications

Raya is often described as the celebrity version of Tinder, as the dating app requires a membership and a vetting process, which is enticing to big movie stars.

The app – which launched in 2015 by Mike McGuiness, who at the time was a partner at Los Angeles PR company the Co-Op Agency – describes itself as being ‘an exclusive dating and networking platform for people in creative industries.’ 

Users must be referred by an existing member and their application will then be voted on by a membership committee. 

Only about 8% of applicants are reportedly approved.

In addition to subscription fees of $9.99 a month, the company also charges for sponsored placement of user requests. 

Little is known about Raya, but in late 2016 it acquired video messaging startup Chime led by Jared Morgenstern, who was part of Facebook in the early days. 

Morgenstern, who was Raya’s first investor, told TechCrunch: ‘Raya is a utility for introducing you to people who can change your life. Soho House uses physical space, we’re trying to use software.’

Other stars rumored to have used the service include Moby, Lily Allen, Cara Delevingne, Raven-Symoné, Tommy Lee, Whitney Cummings and Chelsea Handler. 

Source: Read Full Article