Everything to Know About Ben Affleck’s Relationships Through the Years

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Ben Affleck found acting success through film roles, including 2014’s Gone Girl, 2017’s Justice League, and more. As of December 2024, he remains the youngest person to win an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay, after winning it alongside co-star and friend Matt Damon for 1997’s Good Will Hunting. He also won for Best Picture after directing 2012’s Argo.

Even with all of Affleck’s acclaim, his love life has continued to make headlines over the years. With rollercoaster marriages and several famous flings, there is a lot to discuss when it comes to the Gigli actor’s relationships.

Gwyneth Paltrow

Affleck met Gwyneth Paltrow in 1997, as they were both cast in Shakespeare in Love. In 1998, they went public with their relationship but would break up later that year, according to People Magazine.

However, they were co-stars in 2000’s Bounce, so they reconciled and were spotted in Paris in October 1999. They split up for good in October 2000.

“I think [my parents] appreciated how he’s super intelligent and he’s really, really talented and so funny, but he was not in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend,” Paltrow told Howard Stern in 2018. “I think they were okay with the two of us not being together.”

Jennifer Garner

Ben Affleck began dating actress Jennifer Garner in 2004. The two got married in June 2005, and had three children together: daughter Violet Anne Affleck in December 2005, Fin Affleck in 2009, and son Samuel Garner Affleck in 2012.

After announcing their separation in 2015, Affleck and Garner officially filed for divorce in 2017.

“I’d be lying if I said divorce wasn’t a painful experience,” Affleck told the Sydney Morning Herald in 2020. “For a lot of people divorce is the most painful thing that happens to them in life. Even if you’re on the best possible terms and you agree it’s the best choice … It was very, very painful for me.”

Despite Affleck having a tough time with their separation, the two have remained close and cordial. For Thanksgiving in 2024, Garner and Affleck went to help Midnight Mission and serve free meals to the homeless.

Lindsay Shookus

Following Affleck’s divorce from Garner, he began dating Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus in 2017.

Rumors about the two had swirled after Affleck hosted the show in 2013, but they had both been married at the time, per People Magazine. Although things seemed to be going strong, as they attended the Emmy Awards together and vacationed in Hawaii, they broke up in August 2018.

“It’s strange to me,” Shookus told Elle in May 2018. “My entire career has been behind the camera, and that’s definitely where I’m most comfortable. I’m a producer, I’m a mom, a friend. Being considered a public figure honestly makes me laugh.”

Ana de Armas

Ben Affleck began dating actress Ana de Armas after the two filmed Deep Water together in 2020.

That year, they traveled together to Cuba and Costa Rica and ultimately moved in together, according to People Magazine. However, the co-stars broke up in January 2021.

The split resulted in viral photos of Affleck’s brother, Casey, tossing a giant cardboard cutout of de Armas in the trash.

Jennifer Lopez

As it turns out, Affleck has had several relationships with his various co-stars. He first met pop star Jennifer Lopez on the set of Gigli.

The two started dating shortly after in 2002, earning them the ship name of “Bennifer.” By November 2002, they were engaged.

However, after a postponed wedding in September 2003 due to stresses of media attention, their split was announced in January 2004.

Several years later, Affleck and Lopez eventually gave their relationship another shot and began dating again in 2021. They got married this time in Las Vegas in July 2022.

Yet, things once again did not work out, with Lopez filing for divorce in August 2024.