I've never been married or divorced myself, so I'm not an expert. But based on what I know of the tradition, there's an A-List couple that doesn't seem to be following the exact steps I'd expect to see for a traditional divorce. So what's the deal? Are Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck back together? They haven't made any official statements, but I think there's a pretty good chance. Usually, I'd say a relationship starts with the hanging out a lot and getting photographed together. Then comes marriage, and, if divorce follows behind that, it's typically a reversal of that process. You know, the two people are seen together less, and then their divorce is finalized and their marriage is over and everyone goes on with their lives. And that... hasn't precisely happened with Garner and Affleck.
They first went public as a couple in October 2004, and were married just eight months later in June 2005. Three children and 10 years to the month later, they announced in June 2015 that they were divorcing, and a lot of people assumed that would be that.
But in the months since that first announcement, the news items haven't been the ones you might predict. Instead of milestones like the A-List pair signing divorce papers, hammering out a custody agreement, arguing over their prenup, or having their separation finalized, it's been a steady stream of pieces documenting their continued interactions.
According to Us Magazine, a year after their announcement, in July of 2016, Affleck and Garner had yet to even file for divorce. Other outlets have taken rumors even further: OK! Magazine claims Garner is pregnant with Affleck's fourth child, Radar Online claims a vow renewal, and Hollywood Life alleges that the couple is planning to adopt. It's a whirlwind out there, and I have to believe that most of the stories are just that: wind.
One rumor that does seem a bit more viable to me is that the couple, whether estranged or otherwise, spent the holidays together, both Thanksgiving and Christmas, visiting each side of the family "as a unit". According to, People, they still live together.
And that's the part of this that feels the most believable to me. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck don't just have a family, they are a family. They've been together for over a decade, and that sort of relationship isn't easy to throw away, especially when it also involves Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. I don't have any idea how things are going to turn out, but it doesn't surprise me at all to see Affleck and Garner in this sort of limbo of complication. This is a time for them to focus on each other and their family. No one needs to make a decision right away.
There's a lot to fight for here, so I hope they take as much time as they need before moving forward — as a couple or otherwise — or making any kind of official statement. I trust that they'll give their fans all the informations that it's appropriate for us to have, at the very moment that it's appropriate for us to have it.
