Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck remain friends despite their divorce. The exes separated in 2015 and officially divorced in 2018, but they remained friendly for the good of their three kids: Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12. In August 2024, a source told Fox News Digital that Garner and Affleck traveled with their kids to Japan for a family trip.
“They’re best friend exes and the epitome of good co-parenting,” the source close to Affleck said.
Garner shared photos of the Japan trip on Instagram. She included a “dream trip to Japan” to-do list in the caption. The list included, “always find a boat,” “visit every temple and shrine, bow clap pray. But first: purify, and “honor the life forces that feed us,” among 13 other bullet points of advice.
Garner’s post included 15 pictures and clips. The first shows her smiling while holding a glass of wine on a boat. The following clip shows her washing her hands before entering a temple. Additional pictures and clips show the bustling city of Tokyo, local oyster farmers, delicious ramen, and Garner trying other regional foods. She also includes a photo of the Deadpool & Wolverine movie poster.
While Affleck was allegedly on the trip with Garner, he doesn’t appear in her 15 photos or clips.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner pose during the 16th annual Critics’ Choice Movie Awards at the Hollywood Palladium on Jan. 14, 2011 | Christopher Polk/Getty Images for VH1
Ben Affleck celebrated his 52nd birthday on Aug. 15, 2024, with a quiet celebration at home with his kids. The actor prefers to stay out of the spotlight, though his marital issues with Jennifer Lopez have been displayed in the media for many months. A source told People that Lopez stopped by Affleck’s place in Los Angeles to wish her husband a happy birthday.
“It’s exactly what he wanted,” the source said. “He didn’t want to go out to celebrate. The kids had gifts for him, and it was cute. Jennifer [Lopez] stopped by to congratulate him.”
Before Lopez arrived, Jennifer Garner visited Affleck for his birthday celebration. Affleck and Garner have been spotted together multiple times in the last few months. Insiders alleged that Affleck confided in Garner over his issues with Lopez.
An insider said that Garner had to establish a boundary with Affleck regarding talks of Jennifer Lopez. While Garner helped Affleck for awhile, the source said that helping her ex became “too painful” for her to endure.
“Jen eventually got to a place where she was like, ‘Sorry, figure this out yourself,’” an insider told DailyMail.com. “It was beginning to become too painful for her because it was bringing back so many memories of their divorce.”
Another source told DailyMail.com that Garner’s boyfriend, John Miller, doesn’t want Garner to “hyper-focus” on her ex.
“Of course, it bothers John that Jen is so hyper-focused on her ex-husband,” the source said. “He cares deeply for Ben and sympathizes with what he is going through with Jennifer. But that doesn’t mean Jen should be the one to fix her ex-husband’s issues with his current wife. That makes no sense to anyone.”
