by In what had been a recent and positive development in Hollywood’s star-studded list of celebrity divorces, Pearl Harbour actor, Ben Affleck, and his ex-wife, and 13 going on 30 actress Jennifer Garner were spotted spending the Halloween together with their kids and Affleck’s current love interest, Jenifer Lopez. Affleck and Lopez were spending Halloween together with their kids from previous marriages and planning on going for the traditional trick-or-treating when Garner joined them. Garner and Affleck have three kids from their marriage, Violet, 15; Seraphina, 12; and Samuel, 9. According to reports, the international singer, actress, and businesswoman Jenifer Lopez, 52, and Academy Award winner Ben Affleck, 49, were in Malibu with the family when at one point actress Jennifer Garner, who has previously starred in movies alongside her ex-husband but has taken a sabbatical from films ever since her divorce “to focus on her kids and family”, joined them. The three seemed to get along together just fine.
As per an insider report to the People magazine, “Everyone gets along and the focus is always on the kids. Jennifer, Ben, and Jen Garner all wanted the kids to have an amazing Halloween.” The duo wanted to maintain a healthy relationship and easy camaraderie with each other as well as their recent love interests, for the sake of their children after the divorce and make lives for them as easy as possible just like older times. It made sense that they went trick-or-treating together, with Affleck acknowledging Garner’s presence in the scene saying “Both of us really believe that it’s important for kids to see their parents respect one another and get along, whether they’re together or not” even though their marriage fell apart.
The couple met on the sets of the 2000 academy award-winning movie, Pearl Harbor and once again while filming for Daredevil. Though both of them were dating other people then, (Affleck himself was dating current girlfriend JLo) they fell in love on the set.
“By the way, she won most of the fights in the movie, which was a pretty good predictor of what would happen down the road — my wife, holding swords and beating the living s— out of me,” said Affleck in an interview with Playboy magazine.
A few months later in the fall, they got married, around 2004, and then became one of the power couples of Hollywood, sharing three kids, a mansion, and several public appearances. However, their trip to paradise was short-lived when rumors spread about Affleck leaving a family vacation with the kids’ nanny for some charity event. Amid much speculation and vehement bashing of “shameful journalism” by the actor, the two got a divorce in 2015. They came out with an official statement regarding their decision to co-parent and maintain a strong friendship even outside of marriage for the sake of their kids and each other. And by the looks of it, they have stuck to their side of the bargain. Affleck soon started dating, first producer Lindsay Shookus and then model turned actress Ana De Armas, when reports about his alcohol addiction started making rounds. Even under such turmoil, the actor has always been gratuitous about the presence of Garner in his life, as a friend and as a mother of his kids, and often added in public interviews how divorcing her was his biggest regret in life. The two were still spotted hanging out together and enjoying quality time with their kids, be it at the kids’ sports meet or elsewhere. On mother’s day, Affleck shared a heartfelt post on Instagram that captioned, “So happy to share these kids with you. Luckiest parents in the world. Thanks for all the good you do. Happy Mother’s Day. Love, their Dad,” with throwback photos of Garner with their children, including a family photo from a past Halloween holiday for which he dressed as the Tin Man.
Jenifer Lopez on the other hand has two kids from her previous marriage to singer Marc Anthony. She had dated Ben Affleck in the past, for almost two years, having met on the set of Gigi (2001) and even got engaged but then broke up due to excessive “public and media attention”. She later described the break-up as her “first real heartbreak” and her quick marriage to Anthony as “a Band-Aid on the cut”. Bennifer however made their public appearance again, some 16 years later with Lopez publicly confirming their rekindled relationship that July.
Despite having such a tumultuous run in their personal lives, this time things seem to be looking up for both Affleck and Lopez and Garner has played the role of being the ever-supportive ex-partner/ friend and a doting mother to her kids. Hopefully, this would be one for the long run!
