S Poddar
Ben Affleck beamed with a smile as he reunited with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, over the weekend to send their daughter, Violet, off to college. The family moment took place without his current wife, Jennifer Lopez, amid ongoing rumors of marital discord.
The 52-year-old was in New Haven, Conn., where he, Garner, and kids Violet, 18, and Fin, 15, had dinner at the local restaurant South Bay. The sighting comes amid rumors that Violet is attending Yale University in the same town.
The dinner looked to be a light, laid-back one, with Affleck relaxed next to Garner, casually dressed in a striped top and jeans, as well as their two children. Continuing further, the family was spotted taking a stroll across the town where Affleck shared a warm embrace with Fin, capturing a touching father-child moment.
The family outing comes amid rumors swirling that his marriage to Jennifer Lopez is on shaky ground. Notably, during the outing, Affleck wasn’t wearing a wedding ring, and Lopez did not appear at the important milestone in the family—in fact, pretty close to Violet. The absence of Lopez, 55, has added further fuel to the speculation swirling around the state of their relationship.
The two were married from 2005 until their divorce in 2018 and share three kids: Violet, Fin, and Samuel, 12. Violet, who graduated from high school earlier this year, was shown wearing a Yale sweatshirt in a photo shared by her high school’s Instagram page, in a nod to where she’s chosen to attend college.
Garner, who has remained close to Affleck despite their divorce, marked Violet’s high school graduation with an emotional Instagram post of photos where she is seen crying at multiple moments, including what appeared to be the graduation ceremony itself. Garner captioned the post, “Tell me you have a graduate without telling me you have a graduate.”
The family’s outing in New Haven is in remarkable contrast to what is being rumored concerning the marriage of Affleck and Lopez. Sources have said that the two are already heading for a split. The reports reveal they have been living separately. The divorce papers have been ready, according to insiders, but they have not yet been filed.
On Affleck’s actual birthday, Lopez was spotted popping by his house before meeting up with friends to attend a Bruno Mars concert in Inglewood, California, that evening. The very low-key encounter, along with the fact that they aren’t even living together—Lopez staying at their Beverly Hills mansion, which is on the market for $68 million, and Affleck recently buying a home in the Pacific Palisades for $20.5 million—has only furthered speculation on the state of their marriage.
This comes as the 55-year-old Lopez, who spent her milestone birthday last month without Affleck, has remained unusually tight-lipped on social media when it comes to her husband. On Sunday, she was spotted out and about in Los Angeles, on a solo outing well away from Affleck and their blended family.
This explains that as the couple goes through these challenges, Affleck’s reunion with Garner in Violet’s sendoff to college mirrors the strong bond between the ex-lovers and parents in raising their children. While it is pretty uncertain where the marriage between Affleck and Lopez is headed, for the actor, finding solace in those moments with his children and the ex-wife, who has been so steadfast in his life amidst all the ups and downs, seemed meaningful.
The very fact that Affleck and Garner can come together to be there for their daughter on her big day underlines how strong their relationship has been as co-parents while the former spouses continue their journeys. As Affleck moves forward in his new life, the pictures of him laughing and hugging his children are those of hope and resilience from the ruins of chaos.
