What once was. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner had one of Hollywood’s longest enduring love stories before they eventually called it quits after 10 years of marriage.
The Argo director and the 13 Going on 30 star met in 2001, sparking a romance after Affleck and then-fiancée Jennifer Lopez ended their engagement. After a whirlwind relationship, Affleck and the West Virginia native wed in June 2005, six months before welcoming daughter Violet. Daughter Seraphina and son Samuel arrived in 2009 and 2012, respectively, and the actors announced their separation in June 2015.
“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the now-exes explained in a statement at the time. “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to coparenting 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.”
The duo, whose divorce was finalized in October 2018, have since been candid about their emotional split.
“The truth was, we took our time, we made a decision, we grew apart,” Affleck revealed on The Howard Stern Show in December 2021. “We had a marriage that did not work. This happens. It is someboɗy I love and respect, but to whom I should not be married any longer. And then we said, ‘You know what? We tried. We tried because we had kids.’”
The Good Will Hunting star told host Howard Stern that he believed the former couple “would have ended up at each other’s throats” had they stayed married, noting at the time, “Both of us felt like, ‘We don’t want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage.’”
Five years prior, the Alias alum shared her perspective on adjusting to life as coparents instead of partners.
“I didn’t marry the big, fat movie star. I married him and I would go back and remake that decision,” Garner told Vanity Fair in March 2016. “I ran down the beach to him and I would again. You can’t have three babies and so much of what we had. He’s the love of my life. He’s the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous. He’s just a complicated guy. I always say, ‘When his sun shines on you, you feel it.’ But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold. He can cast quite a shadow. … It’s not Ben’s job to make me happy. The main thing is these kids — and we’re completely in line with what we hope for them.”
Following their split, the Massachusetts native dated Lindsay Shookus from 2017 to 2019, moving on with his Deep Water costar Ana de Armas from March 2020 to January 2021. Months later, he rekindled his romance with Lopez — whom he was previously engaged to between 2002 and 2004.
Garner, for her part, was first linked to businessman John Miller in 2018. Us Weekly broke the news in May 2021 that the pair reconciled after splitting the previous August.
“Jen and John are serious,” a source exclusively revealed five months later. “They are totally set on a long-term future together. They’ve taken their time to get this committed. John and Jen are in similar places in their lives and can relate to raising kids after a divorce. They’re on the same page and understand where things stand.”
Scroll below to relive Affleck and Garner’s romance journey:
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February 2003
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner first met on the set of 2001’s Pearl Harbor and later fell in love as costars in the 2003 comic-book movie Daredevil. At the time, the actress was married to actor Scott Foley, but the couple divorced in March 2004 after four years of marriage. Affleck called off his engagement to Jennifer Lopez in 2004 after being engaged for two years.
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October 2004
The costars made their first public appearance as a couple at the Boston Red Sox’s opening World Series game. When talking about how they met, Garner told Parade in 2010 that Affleck is “a very good writer” and wooed her with emails, explaining, “He’s a very persuasive writer.”
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November 2004
Garner visited Affleck in Vancouver while he was filming the comedy Man About Town. The couple went for a romantic stroll together, but ended up getting caught in the rain. “Well, it helped that we were both single at the time,” Garner told Parade magazine in January 2010 of how they fell in love.
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October 2005
Affleck proposed to Garner on her 33rd birthday in April 2005. The actors married in a private ceremony in the Caribbean on June 29, 2005, which was officiated by Garner’s Alias costar Victor Garber. The actress was also expecting their first child, daughter Violet, at the time, who was born on Dec. 1, 2005. She proudly showed off her baby bump at a Boston Red Sox game.
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January 2007
The Hollywood stars enjoyed a glamorous night out at the 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards. “Ben is not only my husband, he has helped me in every way,” Garner told The Sun in February 2012. “He is the base of my life. He is an incredibly loving and generous man.”
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October 2008
The couple made a construction stop at their future Brentwood home and seemed pleased with the progress. Garner, who was expecting their daughter Seraphina at the time, exchanged a cute kiss with her husband after their visit.
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May 2009
That action! Garner and Affleck enjoyed an affectionate (and nail-biting!) outing at Game 7 of the of the Eastern Conference semifinals during the NBA Playoffs in Boston, Massachusettes, in spring 2009. While the actor seemed focused on the court, the cuddly pair couldn’t keep their distance from each other.
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January 2011
Leaving the kids at home, Affleck and Garner shared a few laughs at the 16th Annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards in Los Angeles. Garner described her husband to Parade in 2010 as “sεxʏ and kind, but he’s also a riot. We can be very goofy together.”
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October 2011
Affleck walked hand in hand with his pregnant wife in Los Angeles. “I don’t know how or why it works as well as it does,” Garner told InStyle in January 2011 of their marriage. “Honestly, I would do anything for that man, because I know it’s not taken for granted.”
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November 2011
Rugged man! A pregnant Garner enjoyed a sunny date with her bearded and scruffed husband who was shooting Argo at the time. Garner, meanwhile, was eagerly anticipating the arrival of their third child, Samuel, who was born in February 2012.
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July 2012
Jenny and Benny! The stars enjoyed a day out in Santa Monica, Calif., where Affleck affectionately wrapped one arm around Garner.
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January 2013
Back on the scene. Garner and Affleck put their camera-shy tendencies aside for the Golden Globes on Jan. 13, stepping out on the red carpet together for the first time since the 2007 Golden Globes. Garner stunned in a strapless red dress, while Affleck looked dapper with his distinguished beard and a black bow tie.
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January 2013
Even after all these years, she’s still the one! Affleck couldn’t help gushing about Garner to Access Hollywood at the 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards in L.A. on Jan. 27. “She’s the most beautiful woman out there,” the Argo director raved of his wife and the mother of his three children.
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February 2013
Affleck, who took home the Best Picture win at the Oscars for his film Argo on Feb. 24 — his second after winning an award for co-writing Good Will Hunting — told reporters that his marriage to Garner requires just as much work and persistence as any of his film projects. “All marriages, all relationships to a certain extent, require your work,” he said at the time. “Noboɗy’s perfect. I would be lying to you if I said that either she or I were.”
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March 2013
They only have eyes for each other! Garner and Affleck left the kids at home to attend the John Varvatos 10th Annual Stuart House Benefit in Los Angeles. The doting husband opened up to Access Hollywood about their marriage just one month earlier, after taking home the Oscar for Best Picture. “She’s more perfect than I am, I can tell you that,” he said.
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February 2014
The parents to three children bundled up for a sweet winter stroll together in Los Angeles. “She is by leaps and bounds the most important person to me,” Affleck said of his wife.
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March 2014
The happy couple had a movie star moment at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter in West Hollywood. Though neither star was up for any awards at the show, Garner presented during the telecast, and both looked stunning in their formal wear.
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November 2014
Love and marriage! Affleck and Garner attended the Save the Children Illumination Gala in NYC, where they spoke to Us Weekly about their relationship. “We’re boring parents, so we just play with the girls,” Garner joked of date nights. “I’ll usually cook a meal for everyone, help them with homework, that’s usually our date night. Otherwise, he’s an amazing husband.”
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March 2015
With Violet, too! Ben Affleck gave a nod to his famous wife at a March 2015 Senate hearing. “In our family, my wife does extraordinary work with early childhood education in the United States,” Affleck noted. “She’s extremely effective at it. And we’re all very very proud of her and impressed.”
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April 2015
Affleck and Garner were spotted walking together in L.A.’s Brentwood area as rumors continued to swirl that their marriage was in trouble.
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June 2015
The couple stepped out looking tired in L.A.’s Brentwood nabe. Just two weeks later, they announced their split after 10 years of marriage.
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November 2016
The pair were vocal about continuing to coparent despite their marriage fizzling out. In November 2016, months after their June 2016 split, the exes were spotted attending church together with their three kids.
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November 2016
The estranged couple were spotted leaving a therapist’s office in Los Angeles, California, on November 19, 2016. The duo had been going to therapy together even before they called it quits on their marriage. “They were in couples therapy for years,” a source previously told Us. “They were going to divorce when Sam was born but you know how it is — baby comes and solves the issues for a bit but it’s just a Band-Aid. It hasn’t been working for ages.”
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February 2017
Affleck and Garner were photographed heading to church before the big game on Super Bowl Sunday on February 5, 2017, nearly two years after Us Weekly confirmed their split. The outing marked one of the last times the exes would be photographed together before Us confirmed on February 17, 2017, that Garner was moving forward and plans to file for divorce from her ex.
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February 2017
Garner is officially ready to move on with her romantic life: sources confirmed to Us Weekly on February 17, 2017, that the actress was moving forward with filing for divorce from her ex. “No matter what happens, Ben and Jen are committed to raising their family as one unit and will continue to do so as it has worked for them,” a source close to the couple told Us at the time in regards to Garner’s plans to officially split from the actor. “They are both committed to their family.” A second source added that Affleck had finally moved out of their shared Pacific Palisades home.
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March 2017
The amicable exes, who have co-parented their three children since the split, shared a laugh after the family attended church in Los Angeles. Less than a month later, on April 14, Garner filed for divorce, almost two years after the actors announced they were ending their 10-year marriage. Both Affleck and Garner are seeking joint custody of their kids.
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April 2017
The exes were spotted leaving church on Easter in Pacific Palisades, California. Two months later, they took a Caribbean vacation with their three kids.
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November 2018
Garner grinned ear-to-ear as she and Affleck reunited for a church outing, just weeks after finalizing their divorce. The Batman actor greeted his ex-wife with a tender touch on her shoulder.
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October 2018
Us broke the news that the Peppermint actress began dating businessman John Miller six months prior.
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January 2019
The former couple reunited for a family church outing with their three children.
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February 2019
Garner opened up about how she and Affleck have worked together to raise their kids in the public eye. “Something Ben and I used to say to each other all the time is, ‘We have to adapt.’ We were surrounded by paparazzi,” Garner wrote for WSJ Magazine’s March Women’s Style Issue. “There were so many things you wouldn’t expect. We’d be left alone at Disneyland and then we would be at a park in Santa Monica. But if you love something, you’ll do whatever you need to do.”
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March 2019
The Triple Frontier star called Garner a “great mom” during a Today show appearance, adding: “She helps out a great deal with making sure we coparent in as good a way as possible.”
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May 2019
Affleck and Garner appeared to be in good spirits when they attended their kids’ soccer game together. The former pair were joined by Affleck’s mom, Christine Anne Boldt.
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October 2019
After Affleck broke his sobriety while attending a Halloween party, a source told Us exclusively that Garner was “upset but always supportive.” The duo were photographed days later while dropping off their son Samuel at school.
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February 2020
Affleck candidly revealed his mistakes during his marriage to Garner. “The biggest regret of my life is this divorce,” he explained to The New York Times. “Shame is really toxic. There is no positive by-product of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing. … It’s not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures — the relapses — and beat myself up. I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret. But you’ve got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward.”
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November 2021
The exes were spotted taking their children trick-or-treating on Halloween alongside the “Jenny From the Block” songstress and her twins, Max and Emme.
“Everyone’s focus was on all of the kids having a great holiday,” a source exclusively told Us at the time. “All the parents were very civil with each other, everyone was happy that they could bring the kids together because all the kids get along so well with each other.”
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December 2021
During the Justice League actor’s interview with Stern, he candidly admitted that his tumultuous marriage impacted his sobriety. “That was part of why I started drinking alcohol — I was trapped,” Affleck revealed. “I was like, ‘I can’t leave because of my kids, but I am not happy. What do I do?’ What I did was drink a bottle of scotch on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.”
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December 2021
After receiving backlash for seemingly blaming Garner for his alcoholism during a previous interview with Howard Stern, Affleck clarified his comments about his former spouse. “I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first and went through our stuff,” the director said on Jimmy Kimmel Live! of his initial statements. “They said that [I] blamed my ex-wife for my alcoholism and that I was trapped in this marriage and just made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid awful guy.”
Affleck insisted that he in no way thought his ex-wife was at fault for his own struggles. “That’s not true. I don’t believe that. It’s the exact opposite of who I am, what I believe and I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom,” he told Jimmy Kimmel. “It hurts my feelings.”
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April 2022
After Affleck got engaged to Lopez for the second time, a source exclusively told Us that Garner had a heads-up about the relationship milestone. “His whole family knew a little before [the announcement],” the insider noted, adding that Affleck and Garner’s three children were also told “ahead of time.”
