It was business as usual for Jennifer Garner on Sunday as her ex-husband Ben Affleck made headlines amid reported marital strife with his wife, Jennifer Lopez.
Garner, 51, donned a casual outfit during the weekend outing to watch her son Samuel, 12, play in a youth basketball game in Santa Monica, California, for the second consecutive day.
Garner, who shares children Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12, with Affleck, 51, wore a beige sweater, blue jeans, and brown loafers. The Emmy-nominated Alias actress, who was also seen at LAX over the weekend, accessorized with dangling earrings and a brown hat with a southwestern band, letting her straight brown hair flow down.
The 13 Going on 30 star was seen helping her youngest child into the front seat of a waiting vehicle at the sporting event, where Affleck and Lopez, 54, were also present both Saturday and Sunday. Garner was photographed holding a car door open for Affleck’s mother, Christine Boldt.
Garner and Lopez have been in regular contact amid Lopez’s marital troubles with Affleck, an insider told DailyMail.com last month.
Lopez “has been confiding in Jen because she knows that she is one of the only people in the world who would understand what she is going through,” a source told DailyMail.com. The insider noted that Garner, who was married to Affleck from 2005 until announcing their separation in 2015, “has been through it with the same man herself.”
The source added that “although the circumstances were quite different” in Affleck’s split with Garner, he “is still the same man and they both dealt with some of the same issues.”
Garner, who is currently in a relationship with businessman John Miller, “really does care about” Lopez and wants to help them salvage their relationship for the greater good of Affleck and the extended family.
“Jen does not want Ben to pull the plug on this marriage,” the source said. “She did go to his house to talk to him about this and to try and keep the two of them together.”
Lopez “was told several times by Jen how valued she is in all their lives,” the source noted, adding, “She is one of the only wоmen who can get through to Ben and keep him from jumping off the deep end with his addiction.” A “frustrated” Affleck is running away “because he does not have any escape from his problems,” which aligns with his past decisions, the source said.
“The biggest fеar right now is that he will start drinking again, and part of the reason Jen has been keeping tabs on him is to make sure this doesn’t happen,” the source added.
Garner previously shared the screen with Affleck in 2003’s Daredevil, which premiered six months before Affleck and Lopez’s box office bоmb Gigli was released. Affleck has been busy recently working on the sequel to The Accountant. He was seen wearing his wedding ring while filming the thriller in Los Angeles on Friday.
Lopez made headlines last week after canceling an upcoming music tour. “Representatives for Live Nation announced today that the Jennifer Lopez US Summer 2024 Tour THIS IS ME…LIVE is canceled,” the touring company said in a statement. “Jennifer is taking time off to be with her children, family, and close friends.”