Just a few hours after Jennifer Garner and ex-husband Ben Affleck met up for son Samuel’s basketball game in Santa Monica on May 19, the Family Switch star, 52, saw her ex once again. But this time, their three children — Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12 — were nowhere in sight as Jen showed up at the $100,000-a-month Brentwood mansion where Ben, 51, has reportedly been staying amid relationship troubles with spouse Jennifer Lopez.
It’s a scene J. Lo, 54, is all too familiar with. “Everyone knows that Ben and Jen remained very close after their divorce. He confides in Jen about everything, even his issues with J. Lo,” says an exclusive In Touch source. “J. Lo hates that Ben goes back to his sensible, down-to-earth ex-wife for advice and emotional support. She doesn’t want Jen’s input.”
The “On the Floor” singer hasn’t been quiet about her opposition, either. “J. Lo didn’t come right out and tell Jen to back off — both women have been down this road before and know their boundaries — but she did tell Ben that his ex needs to stay away from him and butt out of their personal drama,” shares the source. “Ben then relayed the message to Jen.”
Ben Affleck Comes First for Jennifer Garner
The Argo star and J. Lo first fell in love in the early aughts, but broke up in 2004, in part because of the intense media scrutiny of their romance. Two decades later, they reconnected and tied the knot in July 2022. Many of their old issues have resurfaced, though, as low-key Ben has been thrust back into the spotlight, where he’s often appeared visibly uncomfortable at his wife’s side. Despite Jen and Ben ending their marriage nearly a decade ago, in 2015, she still hates to see him suffering. “Jen would never tell Ben, ‘I told you it wouldn’t work out,’ but she does blame J. Lo for the pressure she’s put Ben under,” notes the source. “She sees how Ben struggles with keeping up with J. Lo’s very public lifestyle.”
And while Jen, initially, tried to keep out of her ex-husband’s relationship issues, claims the source, she doesn’t want to see Ben fall back into destructive behaviors, like substance abuse and gambling, as he has in the past. As Jen sees it, adds the source, Ben’s well-being is more important than how J. Lo feels about him talking to her.
“Jen can’t stand by and do nothing. That’s not in her nature,” says the source. “She has dropped everything to make sure Ben doesn’t spiral out of control again. At the end of the day, Ben is still the father of their children, and she will help him however she can.”
Read More: World News | Entertainment News | Celeb News
InTouch
