The ‘Bennifer’ reunion between Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez in 2021 took the internet by storm, and for a while it looked like one of Hollywood’s most romantic love stories. However, now it appears that the other ‘Bennifer’— Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner— are now making their own comeback, and it’s all because of some newly released pictures.

At their son Samuel’s birthday party, paparazzi pictures show the parents-of-three cuddling as they  played paintball, laughing and smiling with one another while dressed in camouflage attire. In one shot, Ben has his arms around Jen, with fans pointing out that they appear much more intimate than their usual co-parenting outings together.

A source told People Magazine, ‘They’re on great terms. Jen’s very happy with Ben. He spends a lot of time with the kids.’

Jennifer has been dating businessman John Miller on and off since 2018, and neither party has commented on the dating rumours. 

Ben first crossed paths with his future wife in 2000 while filming Pearl Harbour. The pair reconnected when they co-starred as Matt Murdock and Elektra in 2003’s Daredevil and began officially dating in 2004.

In between the two films, Ben had another very high-profile relationship. The Batman star began dating pop star Jennifer Lopez in 2001 after meeting on the set of their widely panned comedy/crime film, Gigli.

In November 2002, Ben proposed to the pop star with a custom Harry Winston pink-diamond solitaire ring, and she happily accepted. The proposal sparked a media frenzy, and the pair officially became the early 2000s’s ‘It Couple,’ but it was nothing compared to what came ten months later. The following September the pair called the wedding off just days before J-Lo was due to walk down the aisle.

The pair released a joint statement that read, ‘Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date. When we found ourselves seriously contemplating hiring three separate “decoy brides” at three different locations, we realised that something was awry. We began to feel that the spirit of what should have been the happiest day of our lives could be compromised. We felt what should have been a joyful and sacred day could be spoiled for us, our families and our friends.’ In January 2004, they called off their engagement for good— that is until they reconnected in 2021 and tied the knot in Las Vegas a year later. However, the marriage turned out to be short-lived, and by August 2024 J-Lo had filed for divorce from Affleck.

Ben’s track record of getting back with exes has only sparked even more hope in fans that he and Jennifer Garner will rekindle their flame.

Ben and Jen Garner got engaged in April 2005 while celebrating her 33rd birthday. As a couple, they were very private and quietly tied the knot in Turks and Caicos in June 2009. Just six months later, they welcomed their first child, Violet, now 19-years-old. Their second, Seraphina, was born January 6th 2009, and the couple became parents for the third time on February 27th 2012 when they welcomed son, Samuel.

However, nothing good lasts forever, and the pair announced that they were separating on June 30th, 2015 after a decade of marriage. In a joint statement, they said, ‘After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding.’

Despite splitting up ten years ago, the couple have remained close friends and co-parents, with fans often speculating that something more could be on the cards in the future— especially given the way they praise each other in the media.

In 2016, Jen revealed that Ben was the love of her life, telling Vanity Fair, ‘I didn’t marry the big fat movie star; I married him. And I would go back and remake that decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again. You can’t have these three babies and so much of what we had. He’s the love of my life. What am I going to do about that? He’s the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous. He’s just a complicated guy. I always say, “When his sun shines on you, you feel it.” But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold. He can cast quite a shadow.’

The following year, Ben revealed that he had completed his second stint in rehab for alcohol addiction— his first being in 2001— and he thanked Jennifer in a public statement for her support. He wrote, ‘I’m lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I’ve done the work I set out to do. This was the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery.’

In 2020, Ben told The New York Times that his divorce from the 13 Going On 30 star was the biggest regret of his life and touched on how his alcohol problems led to the split. He said, ‘I drank relatively normally for a long time. What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems.’

He continued, ‘The biggest regret of my life is this divorce. Shame is really toxic. There is no positive by-product of shame. It’s just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing.’

On Good Morning America, Ben said, ‘I didn’t want to get divorced; I didn’t want to be a divorced person, I really didn’t want to be a split family with my children. It upset me because it meant I wasn’t who I thought I was and that was so painful and so disappointing.’

Over the years the pair have continued to speak highly of each other and frequently reunite with each other for trick-or-treating, family dinners, or volunteering to help the less fortunate.

So, whether they’re co-parents or something more, it seems they’re a positive influence in each other’s lives and that’s something you don’t see every day in Hollywood.