Believe it or not, it’s been 20 months since Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck separated, and in that time, the couple has estranged couple has experienced more ups and downs than Affleck’s film career.
Rumors about Ben and Jen getting back together seemed to surface every few weeks, but this wasn’t the usual baseless tabloid speculation.
The couple gave people real reason to believe that they were working to save their marriage.
We saw Ben and Jen attend marriage counseling, and go on frequent outings with their kids.
Jen even got Ben to go to church with her, and we like to imagine him slumped in a pool, vaping, with his signature Sad Affleck look on his face.
Through it all, there were reports that Garner and Affleck were doing their best to stay together for the kids, but despite their best efforts, the romantic spark had been permanently extinguished.
Now, however, it seems that at least one party is willing to acknowledge that those efforts were in vain.
According to US Weekly, Garner is planning to file for divorce as early as next week.
A source tells the magazine that Affleck has already moved out of the Brentwood home he once shared with Garner and their two children.
A second source – who sounds suspiciously like someone who’s speaking on the couple’s behalf – had this to say:
“No matter what happens, Ben and Jen are committed to raising their family as one unit and will continue to do so as it has worked for them.
“They are both committed to their family.”
The “official” tone of that statement leads us to believe the divorce is really happening this time.
Rumors about Ben and Jen breaking up circulated for several years before their actual separation.
“They were going to divorce when Sam was born, but you know how it is — baby comes and solves the issues for a bit, but it’s just a Band-Aid. It hasn’t been working for ages,” a source tells Us.
“Ben truly wanted his idea of family life and the idea of family he had growing up in Boston, so he stayed in it longer than he wanted to because of the kids and the idea of family. But he couldn’t save it.”
Insiders say the relationship had been strained for quite some time when Garner caught wind of news about Affleck’s affair with Christine Ouzounian.
Garner kicked Affleck out, but reportedly welcomed him back into the home after he promised to change.
Now, nearly two years later, it seems the actress is finally ready to call it quits on her marriage of more thana decade.