Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner continue to set a high standard for co-parenting. Recently, the former couple reunited to support their son Samuel at his basketball game in Santa Monica. Despite ongoing rumors about Affleck’s marriage to Jennifer Lopez, he seemed at ease in the company of his ex-wife, as they focused on their shared parenting responsibilities.
Affleck and Garner, both celebrated actors, have long been praised for their dedication to maintaining a positive relationship for their children. The couple, who divorced in 2018 after 13 years of marriage, share three children: Violet, Fin, and Samuel. Their united front at family events continues to exemplify amicable co-parenting in Hollywood.
During the game, Affleck and Garner were seen engaging in friendly conversation and cheering on Samuel. Their shared focus on their son’s activities was a clear demonstration of their strong co-parenting bond. Their shared smiles and occasional laughter added a touch of warmth, showing that even in the midst of divorce, they can still enjoy each other’s company.
This recent appearance comes amid rumors of marital tension between Affleck and his current wife, Jennifer Lopez. The Hollywood power couple, who rekindled their romance in 2021 and married in 2022, have been the subject of tabloid speculation regarding the state of their relationship. However, Affleck’s demeanor at the basketball game indicated that his primary concern remains his children and their well-being.
Since their reunion, Affleck’s relationship with Lopez has been under the spotlight, with fans and media alike scrutinizing their every move. Despite the pressures of public life and the complexities of blending families, Affleck and Lopez have been open about their efforts to create a harmonious environment for all involved.
From costars to spouses to co-parents, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have been through a lot together. The former couple first met on the set of Pearl Harbor, but their relationship did not begin until four years later. After starring in 2003’s Daredevil together, Affleck and Garner became close friends and by the summer of 2004, their friendship had turned romantic. Following their wedding in June 2005, the pair welcomed three children: daughters Violet Anne and Seraphina Rose Elizabeth and son Samuel Garner.
While they shared plenty of sweet moments over the course of their decade-long marriage, they ultimately decided to go their separate ways in 2015, finalizing their divorce in 2018. Nevertheless, the exes and co-parents have continued to speak highly of one another over the years.
“She’s just a fabulous person,” Affleck said of Garner in 2016. “She’s a great mother. She’s a real talent … She’s somebody that I admire and respect and remain excellent friends with.”
From early dates at Boston Red Sox games to their divorce, here is a look back at Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s relationship. Affleck and Garner first met on the set of Pearl Harbor in 2000. Garner had a small part in the film as a nurse named Sandra, while Affleck starred as Captain Rafe McCawley, a U.S. Army Corps pilot and one of the love interests of Kate Beckinsale’s character. At the time, Garner was married to her Felicity costar Scott Foley.
The pair reunited on-screen in 2003’s Daredevil. Though they were both in relationships at the time — Garner was still married to Foley and Affleck was engaged to Jennifer Lopez — they became close friends. “He’s your basic tall, dark and handsome. He’s it,” Garner told PEOPLE of her costar in 2003. “I can’t imagine anyone in the world I would rather see swoop in and save the day than Ben.”
Affleck and Garner made their first public appearance as a couple when they attended Game 1 of the 2004 World Series together — supporting Affleck’s home team, the Boston Red Sox. They were spotted again at game 2, hugging and stealing a kiss as the Red Sox played. Affleck and Garner’s romance came shortly after their respective relationships ended. Affleck and Lopez ended their engagement in January 2004, while Garner filed for divorce from Foley in April 2003.
In a later interview with Parade magazine, Garner revealed that their romance began over email. “Well, it helped that we were both single at the time,” she said. “He’s a very good writer … He’s a very persuasive writer.” When asked if she kept the emails, the 13 Going on 30 star answered, “Of course!”
After nine months of dating, Affleck and Garner got engaged while celebrating Garner’s 33rd birthday. The majority of the couple’s relationship to this point had been private — save for some appearances at Boston Red Sox games and other low-key events — and their engagement was no exception. Neither Affleck nor Garner confirmed their engagement, but a close friend told PEOPLE that the pair would be tying the knot.
“[They’re] like high school sweethearts,” the source said. “They’re very lovey-dovey.” The couple quietly wed in Turks and Caicos in June 2009. Reps for both Affleck and Garner confirmed the nuptials and the news that Garner was pregnant. “They’re married and they’re expecting their first child,” their reps said in a statement. Garner later told InStyle, “We were able to have a beautiful, private wedding and I couldn’t be happier.”
Affleck and Garner became first-time parents when the Alias star gave birth to a baby girl, Violet Anne Affleck, in Los Angeles. Reps for both Affleck and Garner kept the details of the birth private, only revealing in a statement that the three were “doing great.” Garner had previously let it slip during an appearance on The Tonight Show in late September 2005 that they were expecting a girl.
“You can just start to feel really pregnant, like you are the hugest person on the face of the planet,” the actress told host Jay Leno. “I felt bigger and bigger, like she … ” Garner then quickly covered her mouth with her hands, and the crowd cheered. Both Garner and Affleck quickly settled into parenthood. “You took two of the best people, who have the most love and affection for each other, and just when you think the ultimate is the two of them finding each other, this little girl came into their lives,” a friend of the couple told PEOPLE.
After a few months of speculation, Garner confirmed that she and Affleck were expecting a second child. “We’re so excited, obviously,” she told Access Hollywood. Garner credited her growing baby bump to “carbs for breakfast,” and shared how she felt about becoming a mother of two. “Yeah, been through it,” she said. “It’s all good, it’s great. I’m really excited.”
Garner gave birth to the couple’s second daughter on Jan. 6, 2009, in L.A., her rep confirmed. “Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck gave birth to a healthy baby girl,” the statement to PEOPLE read. The couple later revealed their baby girl’s name to PEOPLE: Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck. The actress also opened up about watching Affleck become a father for the second time.
“There’s nothing more emotional than seeing your partner — the man you love — with your baby at any time: the first time, the second, yesterday, today. There’s nothing more beautiful,” Garner said. Appearing on the January 2010 cover of Parade, Garner spoke about how she and Affleck kept the romance alive in their nearly five-year marriage — while also parenting their two young children.
“You steal the time. You steal a date, you steal a kiss, you steal a whisper,” she said. “After the kids are asleep you well, you know. Whatever it is. You slip away for a night.” Garner also shared that balancing marriage, motherhood and her career was not always easy.
“I hate to miss even one bedtime with my girls,” she told Parade. “I understand that being an actress as well as being at home isn’t some heroic thing. That doesn’t mean it isn’t confusing or difficult — especially that question of how you find a balance.” During an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Affleck joked about being the sole male in his household, which included Garner and daughters Violet and Seraphina.
“I have three women in the house. I get to be wrong three times a day,” he joked to DeGeneres. But despite being outnumbered, Affleck shared that he wouldn’t change a thing. “I am madly in love,” he said. “I have the best family … I could not be luckier. I really have come right to the place where I was supposed to be. You’ve got to knock wood. I’ve gone around and I’ve taken some rights and lefts and found myself at a place that is really wonderful, and that I’m really grateful for.”
Affleck and Garner revealed baby number three was on the way in August 2011. The couple told the Associated Press they were “thrilled” to be expecting their third child. Garner previously spoke about the challenges of being a working mom in April 2009. “I fake it like any working mom,” she told PEOPLE. “[I] feel like half my brain is somewhere else all the time, but when the camera’s rolling, I pull it together and focus for two minutes and then I kind of turn back to a ditz again. I have a split personality.”
After seven years of marriage, and with baby number three on the way, Garner spoke about her relationship with Affleck to InStyle. “We both know we couldn’t do what we do without each other,” she said in the January cover story. “He knows when to swoop in with the gesture. He’s sweet that way. Honestly, I would do anything for that man, because I know it’s not to be taken for granted.”
Affleck and Garner welcomed their third child, a son named Samuel Garner Affleck. “We are happy to announce on February 27, Jennifer gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Samuel Garner Affleck,” Affleck shared on his Facebook page. Garner had previously said during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in September 2011 that “it would be so weird to have a boy” after growing up as one of three sisters and being a mom to two daughters.
But Garner did acknowledge that the experience of being a boy mom would be “cool and different” and that it would be “fun” for Affleck. In an interview with Playboy, Affleck credited his career success to Garner’s support and stability. “She is by leaps and bounds the most important person to me in that respect,” the Oscar winner said of his wife. “Over the past 10 years she has allowed me to have a stable home life while accomplishing my professional goals.”
Garner spoke to InStyle magazine about how her relationship with Affleck had evolved over the course of their nine-year marriage. “You can’t expect to be courted all the time, and I don’t want to court him right now — I don’t have the energy!” she said in the October 2014 cover story. “But we’re definitely in a very mindful place where we’re making an effort to be together, do things at the same time, and be loving.”
The actress also spoke about how having children changed the dynamic in their relationship. “When we had our first [child] we had only been together a year. We were babies. It happened so fast, I hardly remember what we were like before the kids got here,” Garner said. “Now we’re just starting to go away for a night here and there.”
Days after their 10-year wedding anniversary, Affleck and Garner revealed they were getting a divorce. “After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the couple said in a joint statement. “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding.”
A source told PEOPLE that the couple intended to seek mediation. The former couple spent some family time in the Bahamas immediately following the announcement of their split. During the vacation, Garner and Affleck were photographed enjoying activities with their three children, both together and separately.
A close friend revealed to PEOPLE that the vacation was planned with their children in mind. “[Garner] is an amazing and attentive mother and everything she does is with the kids in mind,” the source said, adding, “they had a lot of great activities they were able to do together with the family and separately that [Affleck] really appreciated.”
Affleck and Garner were spotted smiling as they left a family counseling center in L.A. It marked the couple’s first visit to the center since announcing their divorce in June 2015. Before their decision to separate, they had attended weekly counseling sessions at the center but stopped going in the months leading up to their split.
The sighting of the amicable exes fueled reconciliation rumors. The month prior, the couple celebrated Affleck’s 43rd birthday with their kids in Georgia and Affleck had been seen wearing his wedding ring. In her first major interview since announcing their plans to divorce, Garner spoke candidly to Vanity Fair about her relationship with Affleck and their decision to split. Despite taking an “oath” following their breakup to avoid the media, she did not hold back in the interview, addressing everything from Affleck’s alleged affair with their nanny to how the couple is coping with their separation.
“I didn’t marry the big fat movie star; I married him,” she said in the cover story. “And I would go back and remake that decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again. You can’t have these three babies and so much of what we had. He’s the love of my life.”
As the couple continued to navigate their divorce, Garner revealed they were still each other’s support system. “We still have to help each other get through this,” she said. “He’s still the only person who really knows the truth about things. And I’m still the only person that knows some of his truths.”
In 2017, Affleck revealed that he completed treatment for alcohol addiction with the support of Garner. It was his second time attending rehab, the first being in 2001. “I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I’ve dealt with in the past and will continue to confront,” he wrote on Facebook. “I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step. I’m lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen,
