Ben Affleck relapse fears: J-Lo enlists Jennifer Garner’s help to save marriage, report says

Ben Affleck may reportedly have “come to his senses,” according to a source, about his unrealistic “fever dream” of a marriage to Jennifer Lopez, but the force-of-nature mega-star reportedly isn’t ready to give up on what she’s publicized for her upcoming tour as “the greatest love story never told.”

To save her nearly two-year marriage, the Daily Mail reports, Lopez has enlisted the help of Affleck’s ex-wife Jennifer Garner, with the always sensible-seeming Garner agreeing with Lopez that a divorce could prove disastrous for the actor/director and even send him into a downward spiral with his alcohol addiction, spurring a relapse.

“J-Lo was told several times by (Garner) how valued she is in all their lives,” a source told the Daily Mail. Garner believes that Lopez has been a stabilizing influence for Affleck, the source said, while Lopez looks to Garner as the “only woman” who truly understands the way that the “Argo” star can resort to certain patterns of behavior during personal crises.

“The biggest fear right now is that he will start drinking again, and part of the reason Jen has been keeping tabs on him is to make sure this doesn’t happen,” the source told the Daily Mail. This concern prompted Garner to pay a visit to the Brentwood home in Los Angeles, where Affleck has been staying since his reported separation from Lopez.

“(Garner) has been through it with the same man herself,” the source said, referring to Garner’s 13-year marriage to Affleck, which ended amid his decades-long struggles with alcohol. Garner herself drove Affleck to rehab in September 2018, even though they were separated at the time. She filed for divorce soon after.

On Monday, Garner posted multiple photos of herself breaking down in tears — but not over Affleck. She explained that she was crying with pride and happiness, as she attended the high school graduation of Violet, the oldest of her three children with Affleck. It’s not clear if Affleck also attended the graduation, Fox News reported. But it’s hard to imagine that he would miss this major milestone event, given that he’s been an active co-parent in his children’s lives since he and Garner divorced.

Meanwhile, Lopez also made a splashy public appearance Monday, beaming as she walked the red carpet solo for the Los Angeles premiere of her new sci-fi film, “Atlas.”

Dressed in a white and black gown and diamonds, Lopez made some cryptic remarks about the importance of family in an interview with Entertainment Tonight. She said, “One thing you can always trust in (is) family.”

Lopez didn’t specify if “family” included Affleck, but she shares two children, twins Max and Emme, 16, with ex-husband Marc Anthony. During her nearly two-year marriage to Affleck, she also appeared to make an effort at creating a modern blended family with her kids and his three children.

To add to the confusion about the status of the marriage, Lopez also was seen wearing her wedding ring at the premiere, TMZ said. 

Meanwhile, Lopez and Affleck reunited during an outing in Santa Monica to show support for Emme at a school event, TMZ reported. Afterward, she and Affleck got into a vehicle and drove around Los Angeles, before grabbing dinner at a West Hollywood steakhouse that’s known as a celebrity hangout, TMZ said.

Rumors that the marriage was in trouble began about two weeks ago, when Affleck didn’t accompany Lopez to the Met Gala, even though she was a co-chair.

A week later, TMZ reported that the pair were living separately. Affleck was reportedly staying at a home in the Brentwood neighborhood of LA — less than 30 minutes from his and Lopez’s $60 million Beverly Hills mansion. Page Six subsequently learned that Affleck has been quietly house-hunting around the LA area.

On Monday, Page Six reported that Affleck has “come to his senses” about his failing marriage and knows they are headed for a divorce.

“If there was a way to divorce on grounds of temporary insanity, he would,” a source told Page Six. “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.”

Affleck and Lopez first dated in a high-profile romance from 2002 and 2004, but called off their engagement just before they were about to get married. They reunited in 2021 and  married in a lavish, Instagram-perfect ceremony in 2022.

In the autobiographical documentary Lopez released in February, with the self-important title, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told,” she tried to portray Affleck as the soul mate she’s been looking for all her life, after her previous engagements and three marriages fell apart. With Affleck and the romance, Lopez said she had found a way to tell her fans, “I just want people to believe that love exists.”