While the rest of Hollywood suited up to dazzle at the Oscars on March 2, 2025, two notable stars skipped the ceremony and it got people taking. It seems that exes Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner dedicated their Sunday to celebrating their son Samuel’s birthday and, while Garner and Affleck have remained close since their divorce, they were spotted getting just a little too close for comfort. Per TMZ, during a game of paintball, Affleck was caught wrapping his arms around Garner in a hug.
Considering the buzz around Affleck’s most recent divorce and what it could mean for Garner, it has us concerned that the “Daredevil” actors want to have a marital reunion. Affleck himself has even stated that leaving Garner is his biggest regret. In fact, leading up to and in the wake of his divorce from on-again-off-again partner Jennifer Lopez, Affleck has been seen latching onto Garner for support. As things started to settle in his personal life, the Los Angeles fires forced Affleck to evacuate and he was seen heading to Garner’s home.
Having him reappear in her life has got to be a bit of a wild ride for Garner, and though we’re sure she won’t fall for any flirtatious gestures, it still felt important to round up a list of reasons why the two should absolutely not get back together.
First of all, Jennifer Garner has a boyfriend
While it’s clear that Jennifer Garner is overly willing to help out her ex Ben Affleck whenever he’s in need, it also makes it easy to forget that she has another man in her life. John Miller, CEO of Cali Group, has been in the “Alias” actress’ life since 2018 and he certainly has some thoughts on Affleck’s needy behavior. Not only has Miller noticed just how involved Garner seems to be in Affleck’s life, but he’s also brought it to her attention — causing her to have to put up firmer boundaries. However, after Affleck and Garner were seen embracing at Samuel Affleck’s birthday party, it might be time for Miller to revisit the conversation.
For her part, Garner does not appear interested in treading back down any romantic paths with Ben. A source close to the “13 Going On 30” actress told Page Six that Garner is “happy” with Miller and any potential romance with Ben is “just not where her head is at.” Besides, as much as sources divulged that Ben “would be open to giving things another shot,” it appears Ben’s confidants have a different perspective. One insider admitted, “Ben respects Jen’s relationship with John and would never come between them.” This sounds reasonable, but still has us worried.
Ben Affleck already felt ‘trapped’ by Garner
There are some tragic truths to all of Ben Affleck’s failed marriages, but there’s only one common denominator — Affleck himself. While the “Batman” star has since admitted some of his shortcomings, his self-realization often came at the expense of his exes. In a no-holds-barred interview with Howard Stern, Affleck admitted that his marriage to Jennifer Garner had him feeling “trapped.” Ultimately his unhappiness led him to dabble a bit too hard in complicated coping mechanisms, such as alcohol, and the marriage ended up dissolving. And, once again, Garner was there to help Affleck through it all.
During his highs and lows of struggling with sobriety, Garner was there to take him to rehab and look after him. Even knowing why Affleck and Garner got divorced makes it touching that they didn’t turn their backs on each other. In a lovely sentiment, the “Mallrats” actor posted to Facebook how fortunate he is to have Garner in his life. “I’m lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I’ve done the work I set out to do,” he wrote.
While having the support needed to create a better foundation for self-care is wonderful, it certainly does not mean the couple needs to become romantically involved all over again. In fact, it certainly sounds like Garner already has enough Affleck on her plate — and he’s maybe not quite over his other ex, either.
Ben Affleck and J. Lo still have intense feelings about each other
The story Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez is a sprawling love story that spans several decades. Unfortunately, it ended in divorce. When Lopez surprised the world by being the one to file for divorce, it sent shockwaves through Hollywood. After dumping so much of her own funds and personal life story into “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” a film dedicated to private moments Affleck never wanted to reveal, many thought Affleck would be the one to file the paperwork. In addition, he and Lopez never signed a prenup, though they surprisingly finalized the divorce relatively quickly in January 2025.
Besides the muck of having to move on from each other, it also seems like feelings might be lingering between the “Let’s Get Loud” singer and Affleck. A body language expert even noticed that Lopez was having to work extra hard to bury feelings about Affleck on the red carpet in late 2024, and since the “Argo” star wasn’t the one to call it quits, there’s a chance he’s not over it either. This could explain why he’s sidled up so closely with his other ex Jennifer Garner — the man may be a creature of want and habits. However, he’s also a man firmly hitting middle-aged distress.
Ben Affleck appears to be in the throes of a midlife crisis that Garner should avoid
After his divorce from Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck was up to some strange yet eternally familiar behavior. Giving himself a shabby post-divorce makeover, Affleck proved he was back to being his old self. However, the age at which the “Hypnotic” actor finds himself — he turned 52 in 2024 — is around the time when many have a midlife crisis. In August 2024, he was spotted rocking a faux hawk and leather jacket while tooling around Los Angeles on a motorcycle.
Furthermore, not only did his sneaky behavior after his split from Lopez give off some red flags in this arena, but regressing to a wilder style coupled with his inability to move on all by himself is also incredibly telling. Being stuck in a pattern is a classic case of arrested development, and while it’s applaudable that Affleck is choosing to spend so much time with Jennifer Garner instead of dating someone half his age, he should still try to move on.
Ben and Jen should focus on the children they co-parent
Instead of throwing everyone into a “will they or won’t they” scenario, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner should step back and return to what they both admit to doing well: raising their three children together. While co-parenting is never easy, it does appear to be something that the duo does fairly comfortably. Lest we forget, all this nonsense about Affleck possibly wanting to rekindle anything with Garner is because they were spotted spending time together at a birthday party for their son.
With Affleck’s divorce from Jennifer Lopez still unfurling, J. Lo’s sister Lynda Lopez has made it clear that she sees Affleck’s kids as forever family. In fact, J. Lo was largely responsible for helping raise Violet Affleck, the oldest daughter of Ben and Garner. While some of Violet’s life has been hard due to the several divorces of her father, it seems like many people want to help raise her and her siblings. In fact, maybe J. Lo’s family can remind Ben what should really be the most important thing in his life right now — his children. It would suit him well to put his childish flirtations away and make sure his kids are okay. Perhaps this could even be something he and Garner do together instead of trying to date again.
