Last month, sources claimed that Ben Affleck was finding his oldest child, Violet Affleck’s, close relationship with Jennifer Lopez “tricky” amid their rumored split.
For context, Ben shares 18-year-old Violet with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, as well as 15-year-old Fin, and 12-year-old Samuel.
In 2021, Ben rekindled his infamous 2000s romance with J.Lo, but it has been widely reported that the two are now headed for divorce.
Ben and Jen first sparked split speculation in early May when Ben didn’t attend the Met Gala despite his wife being a co-chair of the event, and by May 17, People had reported that the stars were living separately amid their strained marriage.
But while the couple haven’t been seen together for several weeks now, Violet has been spotted with her stepmom on more than one occasion.
On July 13, J.Lo posted a video to her Instagram story that showed her, Violet, and a friend driving around in a car. The following day, the pair were spotted walking arm in arm as they headed to a restaurant together.
Speaking to Entertainment Tonight shortly after the photos emerged online, an insider said that Violet had “gotten close” to Jennifer over the years, and that “maintaining that closeness is important to everyone” amid Jen and Ben’s marriage breakdown.
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“Ben certainly doesn’t want to cause any strain between Jen and Violet, and he is in support of them spending time together,” the source claimed. “It’s a little tricky for him, but both Jen and Ben want all their kids to be happy, regardless of the issues they are facing in their marriage.”
They also noted that Ben and Jennifer are “trying to make this transition as easy as possible and be gentle on their children,” and that they “don’t want to make things more upsetting than they already have to be.”
And Jennifer’s incredibly close relationship with her stepdaughter has been highlighted once again, with eagle-eyed fans pointing out that Violet was seemingly wearing one of J.Lo’s dresses in recent paparazzi photos.
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During a day out, Violet was pictured in a tonal pink Dolce & Gabbana midi dress with flowing long sleeves and a wraparound neckline. Jennifer wore the exact same dress on a Valentine’s date night with Ben in February 2023, although she teamed it with a gold buckle Dolce & Gabbana belt and a gold clutch bag at the time.
The photo of Violet emerged online shortly after celebrity gossip Instagram account Deux Moi reported that Jennifer had been recently seen with Ben’s kids as well as her own, 16-year-old twins Emme and Max.
An anonymous submission to the page stated they’d spotted “JLo, her kids and Ben’s kids all together in the Beverly Hills Hotel today,” adding: “Lots of love all around. His kids seem to adore JLo.”
Discussing the entire situation on a Reddit forum, people heaped praise on J.Lo for maintaining a relationship with her stepchildren despite what is reportedly going on between her and their father.
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One popular comment reads: “That’s actually really cute. I admire JLo’s relationship with her step kids, especially her friendship with Violet. It’s nice to see them all getting along in the midst of the divorce.”
“Say what you want about J Lo but the fact that her stepkids like hanging out with her, even while she’s supposedly divorcing their Dad actually says alot about her,” somebody else agreed. “As someone who had a literal evil stepmother, I gotta give her my respect for that.”
“This is the case of the kids love their stepmum which is nice to see,” another wrote. While one more pointed out: “It speaks a lot for JLo’s character that her stepkids love her. I wish the best for JLo!”
Neither Ben nor Jen have directly addressed the mounting divorce rumors, and last week, an insider told Entertainment Tonight that the two are purposefully taking their time before issuing an official announcement.
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The insider explained that the two “want to make sure everything is seamless when they do, especially with everyone involved.”
“Neither of them want this process to be rushed. They are treating the separation with as much grace, understanding, and gentleness as they can,” the source continued, also adding that both Ben and Jennifer’s top priority is making “sure the kids are comfortable with the transition.”
“They don’t want to make it feel like they’re pulling the rug from underneath their children,” the insider concluded. “They’re making a mutual effort to ensure that this transition is as healthy and easy as possible.”
