Matt Damon reportedly pushing Ben Affleck 'to stay super close' to ex-wife Jennifer Garner amid rumored marital woes

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have maintained a lifelong friendship with the duo having each other’s backs through all the ups and downs of their lives. 

Amid the rumored estrangement between Ben Affleck with his wife of two years, Jennifer Lopez, it has been rumored that Affleck's pal has asked him to stay close to his ex-wife and mother of his children, Jennifer Garner. 

Recently, a source close to the two friends shared with InTouch Weekly that Damon is pushing Affleck to maintain a good relationship with his ex-wife. Affleck and Garner were married for 13 years before they called it quits in 2018. 

However, it has recently been reported that Damon thinks that Garner exerts a calming influence on his friend with whom she shares three children.

Matt Damon is ‘pushing’ Ben Affleck to stay close to Jennifer Garner

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have been friends with each other even before they made their respective Hollywood debut. Naturally, they have been parts of each other’s milestones. 

When Affleck was married to Garner from 2005 to 2018, Damon and his wife spent considerable time together with his friend’s family. Thus, he has acquired a close insight into their camaraderie. 

However, more than two years after finalizing his divorce from Garner, Affleck rekindled his romance with his old flame Jennifer Lopez with whom he was engaged in the early 2000s. 

In the second phase of their romance, the ‘Gigli’ stars finally tied the knot in 2022 after dating briefly. 

However, of late, it has been speculated that there is trouble in the paradise, with Affleck and Lopez having some friction in their marriage. 

Damon, having seen Affleck at his worst, doesn’t want his friend to go back to alcohol dependency amid his ongoing marital troubles. 

A source close to the stars recently shared with the publication, “Matt’s No 1 priority right now is keeping Ben out of trouble.”

“The last thing anyone wants is for Ben to turn to alcohol again. Matt has straight out told him that relapse is not an option,” added the source. 

The insider added that the ‘Oppenheimer’ star has been “pushing” Affleck to remain close to Garner. 

“She’s always been a calming influence on Ben,” the source added while explaining, “Which is why Matt’s pushing Ben to stay super close to her and their three kids.”

Even Affleck, after leaving his $60 million marital home that he shared with Lopez, relocated to a rented property in Brentwood. His Brentwood property is closer to the house where Garner lives with their three children.

Matt Damon and his wife prefer spending time with another celebrity couple

Despite Matt Damon and Ben Affleck being childhood friends, it has been rumored that their respective spouses have yet to establish an easy camaraderie. 

A source spoke to In Touch Weekly in June 2024, saying, Damon and his wife Luciana Barroso prefer another couple as their celebrity friends. It has been revealed that they like to spend time more with John Krasinski and Emily Blunt, as compared to Affleck and Lopez to stay out of the drama. 

The source shared, “When it comes to couples’ time, there’s just a lot less drama for Matt and Lucy when they’re hanging out with Emily Blunt and John Krasinski than during the increasingly rare times that they get to sit down and hang out with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez.”

They further added, “Just because of the way Jennifer conducts herself, even around her friends, she’s a very hard person to let your guard down around, whereas John and Emily are the definition of easygoing.”