Ben Affleck Reveals He Split From Jennifer Garner 2 Years Before Announcing Divorce In 2015
His marriage license with JLo contradicts the public timeline.
Kathy Hutchins | s_bukley | Shutterstock Ben Affleck has revealed that he and Jennifer Garner actually split in 2013 after writing the date on an affidavit of application for a marriage license with Jennifer Lopez.
According to US Weekly, Affleck, who exchanged vows with Lopez in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022, wrote on the application for his marriage license with the singer that he and Garner had divorced on the same day, nine years ago.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck didn't announce their split until 2015.
A Reddit user pointed out the timeline of Affleck and Garner's split and eventual divorce, writing: "On his marriage license application to Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck put that he and Jennifer Garner divorced 9 years earlier in 2013."
"Divorced meaning when they split, not when the divorce was finalized. They announced they were separating in 2015, filed for divorce in 2017, and their divorce was finalized in 2018."
Under the Reddit post, users pointed out clues that Affleck and Garner were separated before announcing it to the public.
"I just remembered that 2013 was the year Ben Affleck won his Best Picture Oscar for Argo and awkwardly thanked Jennifer Garner for "working on our marriage." I remember at the time I thought that was a very strange way to thank your wife during your Oscar speech," one user commented.
A second user pointed out that "marriages are usually over LONG before the actual divorce announcement. So they officially announced their separation in 2015, but actually split in 2013. Makes sense."
A third user brought up Affleck's 2015 cheating scandal with the nanny that had looked after his and Garner's three children.
At the time of the incident, Affleck and Garner had been in the midst of a secret 10-month trial separation, according to US Weekly.
Garner later addressed the nanny situation, telling Vanity Fair that the two "had been separated for months" before she "ever heard about the nanny."
"She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation. Bad judgment? Yes. It’s not great for your kids for [a nanny] to disappear from their lives," Garner added.
Another user pointed out that in Las Vegas, to obtain a marriage license, “If you were divorced, had an annulment, or are widowed and do not know the exact date, enter a date that is closest to your recollection.”
"It sounds like he put the closest day of separation (not sure why he wouldn’t just put the actual divorce date)," the user pointed out. "A date of separation can be earlier than when you file for divorce or even when you are granted a divorce."
As for Jennifer Lopez, she reportedly listed her date of divorce from her ex-husband, Marc Anthony, as July 1, 2011, though the two did not finalize their divorce until June 2014.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.