As you may know, women named Jennifer have been somewhat of a recurring theme in Ben Affeck’s love life over the past 20-something years.
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Our story starts in 2002, when Ben first began dating Jennifer Lopez after meeting on the set of their movie, Lilies. They got engaged but ultimately called off their wedding, leading to their eventual split in January 2004.
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Fortunately for Ben, he soon found another famous Jennifer to keep him company — his Pearl Harbor costar, Jennifer Garner.
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Ben and Jen tied the knot in 2005 and stayed together for a decade, welcoming three children: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
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After Ben and Jen separated in 2015, the actor strayed from Jennifers for a while and began dating Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus, followed by a highly publicized relationship with Ana De Armas.
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However, it wasn’t long before he returned to his roots, bringing us to 2021 when Ben and J.Lo rekindled their relationship — this time, actually making it down the aisle.
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Unfortunately, that marriage didn’t work out either, with J.Lo filing for divorce from Ben in July after two years of marriage. And now, with Ben back on the market, a reunion between him and Jen Garner recently had fans convinced that history may be about to repeat itself.
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In case you missed it, Ben and Jen were seen enjoying time together on Thanksgiving as they attended a charity event in LA with their kids.
The exes were photographed standing close by one another as they helped serve food at Midnight Mission’s annual Thanksgiving brunch.
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It’s worth noting that Ben and Jen have always maintained a close co-parenting relationship and are often seen together. Although the timing of their Thanksgiving reunion off the back of Ben’s divorce led fans to speculate that a romantic comeback could be on the cards.
“Sometimes you gotta divorce the love of your life to marry the love of your life, just so you can divorce them and get back with the love of your life,” one user wrote on X, commenting on a viral report about Ben and Jen’s outing.
“no one is more successful at getting an ex back like a bostonian man,” joked someone else.
Hilariously, one post with over 361,000 likes read: “He just stands in the street shouting JENNIFER until one shows up.”
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But now, an anonymous source has spoken out to set the record straight, clarifying that Ben and Jen’s relationship is strictly “platonic.”
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This week, an insider told Entertainment Tonight that the Gone Girl actor is “leaning on” his ex amid his divorce from J.Lo, emphasizing that he and Jen Garner “have always been close and always will be.”
The source said that Jen is attempting to support Ben without overstepping or giving too much advice, adding that she “knows him better than anyone, and he respects her.”
“She is the mother of his kids and has been there for him through the worst and best times,” the insider continued.
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As for what J.Lo thinks of all of this, the source told ET that the singer is fully aware that Jen and Ben’s relationship is platonic, and that both Jennifers are friendly with one another.
Jennifer smiles at a Baby2Baby event, wearing a stylish black dress and statement earrings
Person in an elegant, embellished halter gown on a red carpet, with long hair styled smoothly
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Well, if anyone out there recently placed bets on a romantic rekindling between Ben and Jen Garner, I’m sorry to have ruined your Friday. With that in mind, who could you see Ben dating next? LMK in the comments.
BuzzFeed has reached out to representatives for Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner for comment.
