Ben Affleck Seen With His Arm Around Ex-Wife Jennifer Garner During Son’s Birthday Party

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were spotted getting cozy with one another over the weekend. The exes, who were married from June 2005 to October 2018, reunited to celebrate their youngest son Samuel’s milestone 13th birthday on Sunday, and were photographed enjoying each other’s company outside of a paintball park in Los Angeles.

For the outing, both Garner and Affleck opted for casual fits, both wearing jeans and sweatshirts. In photographs published by TMZ and Page Six, they could also be seen holding paintball gear, including camouflage vests and face masks, as they chatted and laughed outside. In several photos, Affleck could be seen with his arm wrapped around Affleck’s back, possibly in a side embrace. In others, the pair hid together behind a structure in the midst of a paintball game.

The outing marked the latest for the exes, who have been seen spending more time together following Affleck’s split from Jennifer Lopez. After the actor and the singer married in 2022, Lopez filed for divorce from the Oscar winner in August 2024, citing irreconcilable differences. They finalized their divorce on January 6.

A source told Page Six in January that Affleck and Garner “have grown closer “particularly since Ben’s divorce from [Lopez] and with the LA fires and everything going on” and have “found themselves leaning on each other more than ever.” The source added that the exes have a “close bond” and are “very grateful that they have such an amazing relationship.”

The 13 Going on 30 actress and the Argo star tied the knot in June 2005 and separated in 2015 after 10 years of marriage. They divorced in 2018. In the years since their separation, they have continued to amicably co-parent their three children – Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel, 13 – and have frequently been spotted together. Prior to Sunday’s family outing, Affleck and Garner were seen sitting courtside with Samuel at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena to watch the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Golden State Warriors on Feb. 6. Prior to that, the former couple also celebrated Thanksgiving together.

Although their recent outings together have sparked rumors that they’ve reignited their romance, a source even recently telling Page Six that Affleck “would love another chance” with Garner and “would definitely be open to giving things another shot,” it seems romance is off the table for now. That same source admitted that “Ben knows it’s just not realistic at this time in their lives,” and a source told Us Weekly that Garner is still happily dating businessman John Miller, whom she has been seeing since 2018.

A separate source told PEOPLE that Affleck, meanwhile, has been “casually dating” in recent weeks, though finding romance isn’t at the front of his mind. Rather, Affleck is “very focused on work. If he’s not filming, he spends long days at his office.”