On June 29, 2005, Jennifer Garner married Ben Affleck, who would soon become a central figure in her life, and not always for the better.
Despite their split in 2015 and eventual divorce three years later, Garner, now 52, has continually supported her ex-husband through a rollercoaster of personal struggles: addiction, rehab stints, relapses, and a series of tumultuous relationships, including one scandalous affair with the family nanny.
It often seems like it’s “The Ben Show,” with Garner perpetually cast as the clean-up crew.
In 2018, before taking Affleck to rehab, she was seen driving her disheveled and sweaty ex through a Jack in the Box drive-thru for some food.
While he was in rehab, Garner worked behind the scenes to ensure the completion of “The Way Back,” the basketball movie Affleck was set to star in.
“His ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, called me up and told me that when he went to rehab, he took a basketball with him,” director Gavin O’Connor revealed in 2020. “She said, ‘Gavin, he’s asking you, please don’t pull the plug on the movie, he really wants to do this.’”
Garner has consistently acted as Affleck’s personal first responder, providing unconditional support and care despite the personal embarrassment he has caused her.
For instance, in 2021, Affleck claimed his marriage to Garner contributed to his drinking problem.
“Part of why I started drinking was because I felt trapped,” he told Howard Stern. “I was like, ‘I can’t leave because of my kids, but I’m not happy. What do I do?’ And what I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.”
Affleck sought solace in rekindling his early 2000s romance with Jennifer Lopez, leading to a highly publicized reunion and two weddings: one in Vegas and another at his expansive Georgia estate, with Lopez’s three gowns designed by Ralph Lauren and the event featured in Vogue.
However, the renewed romance proved fleeting, with sources close to Affleck describing it as “temporary insanity.”
“He feels like the last two years was just a fever dream, and he’s come to his senses now and understands there is just no way this is going to work,” a source disclosed.
Amid the collapse of another marriage, Affleck found comfort in a familiar place: his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner.
Recently, he was seen looking distressed with Garner on the street, and he spent Father’s Day with her instead of Lopez.
However, Garner’s frequent interventions haven’t sat well with her longtime boyfriend, John Miller.
“Of course it bothers John that Jen is so hyper-focused on her ex-husband,” a source told the Daily Mail, adding that Miller sympathizes with Affleck’s issues but believes Garner shouldn’t be the one to fix them.
Despite all this, Garner continues to offer a safe haven for Affleck, presumably for the sake of their three children.
“I didn’t marry the big fat movie star; I married him,” she told Vanity Fair in a candid 2016 interview. “And I would go back and remake that same decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again.”
Affleck, like many troubled individuals, struggles to embrace the good in his life, and Garner remains the best thing that ever happened to him.
