Tragic Details About Ben Affleck's Two Marriages

Ben Affleck's marriages may both have been with famous women named Jennifer but otherwise they could not have been more different on paper. The Oscar winner had us all convinced that he had finally found his forever in Jennifer Garner. The actors struck up a romantic connection after sharing the screen in "Daredevil," in 2003, and tied the knot in a low-key ceremony in 2005. As the years went by, their relationship appeared to be rock solid. Affleck and Garner welcomed three children and continued to gush about each other whenever they had the opportunity. As a result, their 2015 split announcement took us all by surprise. However, there was some solace in knowing that the former spouses remained on good terms. On the other hand, we had the "Argo" director's marriage to Jennifer Lopez. 

Affleck and the "Let's Get Loud" songstress first tried their hand at a relationship back in 2002 and even got engaged before sadly splitting up prior to their planned nuptials in 2004. But Bennifer found their way back to each other in 2021 and married the following year. However, their marriage didn't appear quite as strong as Affleck's union with Garner. In fact, the "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" star became a meme because of just how miserable he looked around his wife. Additionally, their union was plagued by rumors about constant arguing, and they didn't help by appearing to be at odds in public. 

About two years into their marriage, several different outlets began suggesting they were parting ways, and sadly the stories were proven true in August 2024 when TMZ confirmed that Lopez had indeed filed for divorce. Ultimately, though, we learned that Affleck's two high-profile marriages shared a major similarity: They were both plagued by tragedy.

Speaking to the New York Times in 2020, Ben Affleck confessed that he started to rely on alcohol heavily when his marriage to Jennifer Garner was on the rocks, and his drinking habits only strained their relationship further. Likewise, when the actor appeared on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2021, he admitted to feeling "trapped" in their marriage, explaining, "I was like 'I can't leave 'cause of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?'" per NBC News. The "Gone Girl" star continued, "What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution." Affleck ultimately believed that he would like still be heavily reliant on alcohol if he was married to Garner. 

But the actor's comments weren't well-received because some people felt he was unfairly blaming his ex-wife for his alcohol dependency. However, Affleck appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" a few days later to express his disappointment in news outlets for creating clickbait articles that painted him out to be a terrible person by taking his interview quotes out of context. 

The "Justice League" star also clarified that the notion that Garner fueled his addiction issues was "the exact opposite of who I am and what I believe." He also made it abundantly clear that he never wanted his kids to think he would speak negatively about their mother. On the contrary, Affleck shared a Facebook post in 2017 thanking Garner for supporting him through rehab. 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Shortly after Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announced their split, Us Weekly reported that he was romantically involved with their nanny, Christine Ouzounian, whose services the celebrity couple had notably enlisted during a 10-month trial separation. Meanwhile, several insiders informed People that the "Town" star's alleged romance with their nanny had started as an affair. A confidant also claimed that Ouzounian had completely fallen for her former boss, while the "Elektra" star learned of their tryst around the time she was in the Bahamas making their split announcement and was understandably furious about it. However, a friend of Affleck's denied the affair rumors and asserted that he had only ever shared a professional relationship with Ouzounian. Interestingly, their former nanny was photographed handing a bottle of champagne to the "Good Will Hunting" co-writer late at night about a month after his divorce announcement. 

Meanwhile, Garner insisted that cheating hadn't led to her divorce from Affleck. Speaking to Vanity Fair in 2016, the "Deadpool & Wolverine" actor pointed out, "We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny." Garner also reiterated, "She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation. Bad judgment? Yes." The actor also noted that their children were gravely affected by Affleck's decision because they couldn't see their nanny anymore as a result of it. Regardless of what really happened, it's evident that the media negativity also made its way to their kids because Garner had to sit down and explain "the meaning of 'scandal'" to them.

Jennifer Garner reportedly knew that Ben Affleck had feelings for Jennifer Lopez during their marriage. During J.Lo's documentary "The Greatest Love Story Never Told," she shared that Affleck had compiled the love letters they had written to each other over the years into a book and gifted it to her for Christmas. As Fox News reported at the time, one of these letters featured the words, "The Greatest Love Story Never Told by Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck 2001-2010...and counting." That seemingly sweet note reads a bit awkwardly considering that the "Dogma" star was already married to Garner by 2005. 

To most, it may seem a bit strange to publicly reveal that you kept love letters from your ex throughout your nearly decade-long marriage. However, an insider told the Daily Mail that the "Daredevil" star was well aware that her then-husband had some unresolved feelings for his former fiancée. They offered another reason why Garner may not have lost sleep over the letters too: "Ben keeps his memories, whether it is from movies he worked on or family and relationship moments, he always has what the kids call 'receipts.'" 

The confidant added, "No one is surprised by this at all. Jennifer [Garner] is OK with it, J.Lo obviously loves it and everyone notices that all this was meant to be." Despite everything, there were still rumors of some tension between Garner and Lopez regardless. 

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner remained friendly after their split predominantly because they still had three young children to co-parent. However, a source disclosed to Life & Style magazine that Jennifer Lopez felt "threatened" by her then-husband's relationship with his ex-wife. They further professed that the "Jenny From The Block" hitmaker and Affleck had even got into a screaming match over it, during which she apparently yelled, "She's your ex-wife for a reason!" The "Air" star also felt Lopez's wrath when he told her that he still held Garner's advice in high regard. 

Meanwhile, another confidant detailed to The Mirror how Affleck had attempted to ease the tension between the women by urging his then-wife to join him on a double date with Garner and her long-term beau, John Miller. However, Lopez turned the offer down without a second thought because she believed it was just too bizarre of a proposition to seriously consider. "The situation touches a raw nerve for him because it's J.Lo telling him who he can and can't be friends with," the source revealed. "He hates how they come across as anti-social when they turn down invites." 

Additionally, Lopez herself admitted that she wasn't afraid to tell other women to back off from Affleck. When the possibility of someone flirting with him was floated during the Grammy nominee's interview on "Today," her response was: "First of all, I'm a lover, not a fighter. But [...] I will let them know, in a very elegant and ladylike way, to step all the way off," (via X, formerly known as Twitter).

While the Internet was overrun with rumors about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's marriage being on the rocks, an insider divulged to Life & Style magazine that things were actually far worse behind the scenes. "A few weeks ago, something shifted," the source stated. "Ben got colder and he's since ghosted her. They only talk through lawyers at this point, and J.Lo's finding it humiliating." Another source had a similar story to share with People, noting, "Ben began moving his things out of their shared home while Jennifer was in New York in April, effectively blindsiding her." Likewise, Affleck hadn't responded to any of his soon-to-be ex-wife's attempts to get in touch with him. Additionally, the Life & Style source claimed that the "Ain't Your Mama" hitmaker's inner circle reckoned Affleck was "gaslighting her." 

The "Deep Water" star convinced her they needed space for Lopez's emotional benefit and then proceeded to hurt her by refusing to celebrate milestones like their second wedding anniversary and even her birthday. The insider posited that Affleck was having an equally frustrating experience because he felt that Lopez simply couldn't accept the fact that their marriage was over. 

Then, after TMZ learned that the Grammy winner had filed for divorce, a source confirmed to People that Affleck's "mood swings" and his lack of empathy for how they impacted his loved ones had greatly strained their relationship. The confidant also let slip that there was a disparaging gap between the real Affleck and the person he made himself out to be initially in the relationship.