Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s Relationship Timeline: Marriage, Kids

Hollywood A-listers Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner made headlines in 2004 when they showed off their romance to the world. The couple quickly made their relationship official when Ben, 47, proposed to the actress, 47, in 2005. Later on, they welcomed three kids — Violet, 14, Seraphina, 11, and Samuel, 7 — into their lives and remained happily married for 10 years.

Unfortunately, the pair called it quits in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018. Since then, the former flames have remained friendly and are often spotted with their children at church or soccer practice.

The Good Will Hunting alum recently revealed to The New York Times his “biggest regret” is divorcing the brunette beauty. The producer got candid about how he relied on alcohol when his marriage “was falling apart” from 2015 to 2016. “My drinking, of course, created more martial problems,” he told the outlet in an interview published on February 18.

After Ben’s comment, Jen “was surprised,” a source told In Touch exclusively. She “is touched by his honesty. She’s impressed he’s taken ownership of his mistakes and sees it as a sign that he’s made huge progress.”

The mom of three has been by her ex’s side whenever he has relapsed — he admitted he had a sobriety slip in October 2019 — and is “proud of Ben for cleaning up his act,” the insider added. “It’s been a long hard process, but he’s finally on the straight and narrow, and she’s proud of him for staying strong.”

Jennifer was Ben’s “tower of strength” before and “even after” their split, a second insider admitted. “When he hit rock bottom, she was always there for him no matter what. If he could turn back time and change certain things, he would. … Ben’s had time to reflect on life since the split and regrets the way he treated Jen.”

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Ultimately, the California native is in a better headspace these days and is focusing on the future. “I took the last half of the year off, and I just got to be dad,” he told Diane Sawyer during an appearance on Good Morning America on February 20. “Drive them to school, pick them up, go to the swim meet — that is where parenting happens.”

Ben said he is “doing my very, very best” and doesn’t “have any more room for failure.” We love that Ben and Jen can coparent seamlessly these days.

Scroll through the gallery below to see Ben and Jen’s relationship timeline.

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2000

Ben and Jen met in 2000, but she was married to Scott Foley at the time. Ben and Jen got close on the set of Daredevil but each stayed with their significant other — Jen with Scott while Ben was with Jennifer Lopez. “We met on Pearl Harbor, which people hate, but we fell in love on Daredevil,” he told Playboy magazine.

January 2010

“Ben is sexy and kind, but he’s also a riot,” Jen gushed to Parade about their relationship. “We can be very goofy together. You steal a date, you steal a kiss, you steal a whisper. You sit next to each other on the couch with computers on your laps. After the kids are asleep you … well, you know. Whatever it is. You slip away for the night, which we’ve only just now done for the first time.”

December 2011

“We both know we couldn’t do what we do without each other,” she told InStyle magazine. “Ben always says, ‘If you love it, we can make it happen.’ He knows when to swoop in with the gesture. He’s sweet that way. Honestly, I would do anything for that man, because I know it’s not taken for granted.”

October 2012

“She truly is kind,” he told The Hollywood Reporter about Jen. “She means no one any harm. She doesn’t have ill will for any person … It’s one of those things where it becomes almost aggravating at times. Every time I go, ‘F–k him!’ I see in her face that she just thinks that’s petty and small.”

March 2016

“We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny. She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation. Bad judgment? Yes. It’s not great for your kids for [a nanny] to disappear from their lives,” she explained to Vanity Fair. “It was a real marriage. It wasn’t for the cameras. And it was a huge priority for me to stay in it. And that did not work.”

March 2016

“Jen’s great,” Ben told The New York Times in response to Jen’s Vanity Fair comments. “She’s a great person. We’re on great terms. I just saw her this morning, so that’s the reality that I live in. She felt like she wanted to discuss it and get it out there and get it over with, so she could say, ‘Look, I already talked about it—I don’t want to do it again.’”

February 2020

“I never thought I was going to get divorced. 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, and it upset me because it meant it wasn’t who I thought I was and that was so painful and so disappointing,” he said on GMA.