COPARENTING HAS BROUGHT BEN AFFLECK AND JENNIFER GARNER CLOSER THAN EVER , BUT FRIENDS WORRY A REUNION WOULD MEAN DISASTER .
A Second Chance for
Jen
COPARENTING HAS BROUGHT BEN AFFLECK AND JENNIFER GARNER CLOSER THAN EVER , BUT FRIENDS WORRY A REUNION WOULD MEAN DISASTER .
Ben &
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HE went for it . As Jennifer Garner adjusted her stance and aimed her paintball gun on the grounds of Combat Paintball Park in Castaic , Calif . — where her family gathered on March 2 to celebrate son Samuel ’ s 13th birthday — Ben Affleck moved in . Sliding an arm low around his former wife ’ s waist , the Oscar winner angled his pelvis against her hip and pulled her in . It was a surprisingly charged embrace for the longtime friendly exes . An observer tells Star it was clear there were “ sparks ” flying , adding that the two were “ giggling and joking and having a great time with each other .”
Nearly 10 years after announcing their split following a decade of marriage , the 52-year-old Hollywood A-listers appear to have taken their amicable coparenting of Samuel , Violet , 19 , and 16-year-old Finn to a whole new and unexpected level . “ It ’ s no secret Ben ’ s been leaning on Jen more and more since he split from Jennifer Lopez last year ,” a source tells Star . “ It ’ s hard not to notice how close they ’ ve gotten .” With this new PDA , however , says the source , “ there ’ s been a lot of buzz that they could be rekindling the romance , judging by all the time they ’ ve been spending together and their cozy behavior at the paintball park .” Notably , the rendezvous came barely a week after Ben ’ s divorce from J . Lo , 55 , was finalized .
MIXED MESSAGES The pair ’ s giggly encounter made their connection clear ; but experts tell Star even more truth is in the details . The Air star ’ s pelvis-first posture , for instance , “ communicates his desire to be sexually intimate or a familiarity with her based on their old relationship ,” body language pro Patti Wood , author of Snap : Making the Most of First Impressions , Body Language and Charisma , confirms . “ His hug is not something you do with an ex ,” she continues . “ Wrapping his arm all the way around the front of her body , with the position of his pelvis and ventral front and heart window in contact with her body , it all infers a familiarity and desire for sexual ownership .”
That ’ s rich , considering what Ben has put Jen through . Five years after the pair announced their split amid rumors of infidelity as well as his struggles with gambling and alcohol addiction , Ben admitted to The New York Times that their divorce , finalized
MARCH 24 , 2025 Star 29