Keith Girard
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, one of Hollywood’s reigning power couples, shot down tabloid divorce rumors, until today, when they confirmed their split.
The couple issued a brief statement in which they said they had “made the difficult decision to divorce.”
They vowed to remain friends and to co-parent their three children, Violet, nine, Seraphina, six, and Samuel, three.
This isn’t a marriage that broke down in scandal, but seemingly crashed under its own weight, perhaps due to work schedules, or a simple mid-life crisis. Affleck is 42 and Garner is 43.
Affleck is also a die-hard high-stakes gambler and a recovering alcoholic. In 2012, he also revealed that he was a workaholic who devoted little time to his family.
Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner Joint Statement “After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding.”
They married in 2005. Affleck was rebounding from a tumultuous relationship with singer Jennifer Lopez, and Garner was also coming off a divorce from actor Scott Foley. They were married from 2000 to 2004.
Jennifer was pregnant with their daughter Violet when she married Ben.
Affleck has been particularly busy since he made his directorial debut in 2012’s acclaimed movie “Argo,” about a secret plot to extract U.S. diplomats hiding out in revolutionary Iran. The film won Oscars for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Affleck was passed over for the Best Director Oscar, but won the Golden Globe Award.
He appeared in two films in 2013, “To the Wonder” and “Runner Runner” and was acclaimed for his role in the 2014 thriller “Gone Girl.” He has two films in the pipeline “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Suicide Squad.” Both are due in 2016.
Garner has been almost as busy. She appeared in the 2013 film “Dallas Buyers Club” and appeared in three films last year, “Draft Day,{ with Kevin Kostner, “Me, Women and Children” and a voice role in “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”
She has one film this year, “Danny Collins,” a comedy-drama based on the life of folksinger Steve Tilston and another, “Nine Lives” due in 2016.
Oddly they waited until one day after their 10th anniversary to announce their divorce, which should cement any claims Garner has to the family assets. One tabloid pegs the divorce at $150 million.
Although tabloids have been speculating for weeks about the pending collapse of their marriage, the couple had been subject to divorce rumors almost from the day they were married.
In late May, both OK! Magazine and National Enquirer reported that the pair’s relationship was on the brink of collapse. This time around the clues were more evident.
Affleck was spotted in Las Vegas last month at a high-stakes poker game, while his wife was in New York City. It’s unknown who was watching the kids, presumably a nanny.
Affleck was also spotted in Canada in April alone and without his wedding ring. They were last seen together June 14 on a family trip to a farmer’s market in Pacific Palisades.
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