Ben Affleck Grabs Ice Cream With Kids Days After JLo Split Confirmed

A sweet treat makes everything better. Just a couple of days after Jennifer Lopez filed for divorce, Ben Affleck spent some quality time with his two younger kids, with the trio spotted grabbing ice cream in Los Angeles.

Ben Affleck spotted with his kids amid Jennifer Lopez divorce drama 

Rumors that Affleck and Lopez’s marriage was on the rocks had been swirling for months. On August 20, Lopez confirmed that things were over for her and the Justice League actor when she filed for divorce. 

The couple had been separated for months, according to JLo’s filing. But she chose a significant day to officially move to end the marriage. Exactly two years earlier, she and Affleck had celebrated their union in a lavish wedding ceremony in Georgia. 

Affleck has not commented on the split from Lopez, whom he first dated in the early 2000s after they met while filming the movie Gigli. Instead, it seems he’s been focused on his kids. (He has three children with his first wife, Jennifer Garner.) 

On Thursday evening, two days after the divorce bombshell, Affleck took his daughter Seraphina, 15, and her friends to the movies in LA, the New York Post reported. The next day, he stepped out again with Seraphina and her younger brother Samuel, 12. (Affleck and Garner also have an older daughter, Violet, 18.) In a photo, Affleck can be seen indulging in a large cone while his kids chat in the background. 

JLo was close to Affleck’s kids

While Affleck and Lopez were only married for two years, she developed a close relationship with his kids during that time. So far, that bond seems to have persisted despite the breakup. Though Affleck and Lopez separated in late April, the singer took the time to attend Violet’s high school graduation ceremony in May. In July, Violet joined her stepmom on her summer vacation in the Hamptons. 

Lopez has two kids of her own from her marriage to Marc Anthony, 16-year-old twins Max and Emme. Reportedly, Affleck does not have as strong a relationship with them as she does with his children. 

Affleck “has not been in touch with her kids,” a source told People. 

“The fact that he has not seen her kids in a long time, it’s like he left, but she is especially close to his kids,” the insider added. 

Why did Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez split up?

Neither Affleck nor Lopez has opened up about the specific reason for their breakup. In her filing, Lopez cited “irreconcilable differences” as the reason for the divorce. However, insiders have said that Affleck’s dramatic mood swings were one thing that drove the two apart. 

“The truth is there was a great deal of love but also unfortunately what became clear were Ben’s erratic mood swings that he couldn’t hide from the press, as much as he tried to,” a source told People.

“You could see the erratic behavior, the giant mood swings,” the said, adding that the Argo director could go from “being incredibly happy and warm — the best light that emanated from him” to “the deepest, darkest behavior.”

Lopez and Affleck did try to address their issues, the source said. But ultimately, they were not able to make things work. 

“They were trying to work through it, but when the mood swings and the big highs and big lows informed a toxicity that was pervasive, no one can help you — you have to help yourself,” the source said.

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