Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck have hired one of the world’s most renowned motivational speakers and life coaches, Jay Shetty, to preside over their upcoming wedding in Georgia.
Page Six exclusively learned Thursday that the “Let’s Get Loud” singer, 53, handpicked the British-born former monk, 34, to marry her and the Oscar winner, 50, this weekend.
Here is some information about Shetty that may explain why he was given the honor following the on-again couple‘s secret Las Vegas wedding in July.
What does he do for a living?
Shetty, who is of Indian descent, went to business school in the United Kingdom, and during his time there, het met a monk who encouraged him to spend four summers in living a Vedic monk lifestyle at an ashram, which is a monastery in Mumbai.
After returning to the business world, he eventually caught the eye of media mogul Arianna Huffington, who hired him to produce videos about relationships, wellness, mental health and purpose for the Huffington Post in New York.
In February 2019, he launched his own podcast called “On Purpose with Jay Shetty,” in which he interviews celebrities and other successful people on what they believe is their purpose in life.
“I wanted to create a conversation that went beyond the athlete, beyond the celebrity, beyond the personality, the profile, the persona, and to me, that essence that everyone has, that truth that everyone has is their purpose,” he said on “The Build Series” in May 2019. “It’s what we’re ready to die for and what we live for.”
In 2020, Shetty released a New York Times-best-selling book called “Think Like a Monk: Train Your Mind for Peace and Purpose Every Day.” He also has more than 11 million followers on Instagram and is the chief purpose officer of the Calm app, according to his Instagram bio.
Is he married?
Shetty is no stranger to tying the knot, as he is married himself and has been for more than six years. He wed his wife, Radhi Devlukia-Shetty, in April 2016.
The vegan chef, 32, regularly makes appearances on her husband’s podcast, and the couple also created their own line of tea called Sama Tea.
In an anniversary post written in April 2020, Shetty praised his spouse for her support throughout his career.
“When I met you 7 years ago, I had no plan, money or ideas about what I was going to do, just lots of passion,” he captioned a photo on Facebook from their wedding day.
“You believed in me, stuck by me and have helped me become a better man through your love, support and kindness. We’ve done SO much in the last 4 years, so much change and so much uncertainty but you’ve never made me feel that you don’t trust me or believe in me!”
He added, “Thank you for always staying grounded in every circumstance. Thank you for reminding me of what’s truly important. Thank you for always being sincere, genuine and authentic in everything you do!”
How does he know Lopez and Affleck?
In January 2021, Lopez and Shetty collaborated together on an episode of “Coach Conversations,” which is a YouTube series that pairs people together to talk culture, community and creativity.
The “Jenny From the Block” singer then appeared as a guest on Shetty’s “On Purpose” podcast in March 2021. She said in the episode, “Everything I do, I want it to have a purpose to it. I want to remind people to own their power. Be your best self at every moment, even when the cameras are not on.”
It seems the pair continued a friendship since. When Lopez was on a press tour for her Hulu movie “Marry Me,” she asked Shetty to officiate four couples’ weddings for promo.
The author wrote on Instagram at the time, “It was seeing 4 beautiful couples take their vows and having Jennifer Lopez and @maluma as their wedding singers! Their stories and journeys brought tears to everyone’s eyes and I’m so grateful I got to be a part of it.”
Bennifer 2.0’s nuptials is not the first high-profile wedding Shetty has officiated, however. He also married Lily Collins and director Charlie McDowell in Colorado last September.