Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner spent Valentine’s Day weekend in Montana

Jennifer Garner Takes Her Girls Out To Dinner With Ben Affleck
It’s been over six months since Nannygate and neither Jennifer Garner nor Ben Affleck has filed for divorce yet. We heard that Garner was going to let Affleck pull the trigger, but obviously that hasn’t happened yet. We also heard that Garner was hoping for a reconciliation, which was reported in the tabloids and not confirmed by the official celebrity outlets. The official outlets are reporting that these two went on a family outing with their kid to Montana, where they own a place, for Valentine’s Day. So a reconciliation doesn’t sound out of the question. As with previous stories about these two, there are slightly different versions, with different insider quotes, in the press.

They were seen boarding a private plane Friday, with a source telling PEOPLE that the family arrived at a ski resort in Montana, where they own a condo and they all spent Christmas together last year.

Affleck and Garner arrived at Van Nuys Airport outside Los Angeles with daughter Seraphina, 7, and son Samuel, 3. Their eldest daughter, Violet, 10, did not appear to be with the group.

The exes, who splint June after ten years together, are still living on the same property, with Affleck staying in the guesthouse.

Garner, who was just named as a presenter for the Oscars, and Affleck are working hard to make their pending divorce as smooth as possible for their three kids, a source told PEOPLE.

“[Garner] wants to get along with Ben for the kids’ sakes,” a source close to the couple said. – From People


With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, E! News has learned the Hollywood exes recently flew out of Southern California for a family getaway to Montana.

In addition to their kids tagging along for the trip, a source tells E! News that “they are with family friends” as everyone enjoys a few days near the snow.

It’s further proof that the famous exes are trying to put their children first even if their marital relationship has changed. Last December, the pair took their children to Montana where they celebrated the holiday season with a white Christmas.

“They will be together as a family,” an insider explained at the time. “They continue to put the kids first and spend time with each other for the sake of their children.”

And when not making memories with Violet, Seraphina and Samuel, our source assured us that both parents are “in a good place right now.”

“It hasn’t been easy, especially for Jen,” a source shared with E! News. “But she chooses to look the other way and do what’s best for her kids.” – From E! Online

[From People and E! Online]

Ok, so nothing has changed. Why are they telling the press about it then? These reports obviously comes with a nod from Garner’s publicist and the news that she was announced as a presenter at the Oscars. It seems like she made a deal to promote her career through her family life and she’s a ride or die type of person so she’s sticking with it, and with Affleck, through the bitter end. At least they’re not getting papped in Montana.

Lainey points out that Ben Affleck was actually in Toronto on Sunday, where he did a live interview on TNT with Henry Cavill ahead of the NBA Allstar game. She posted this video of their interview. Check out when Ben tries to smile. His face is SO TIGHT. Around 3:00 he puts down Charles Barkley by saying his version of Batman is “Kind of the Charles Barkley Batman, he’s a little out of step, a little old, a little broken down.” Barkley smiles at first and then his face falls. Spoiler: at the end Shaq kisses Ben on the cheek for some reason.

These are photos of Affleck, Garner and their girls going out to eat on Thursday. Radar Online mentions that Affleck has gained some noticeable weight. He looks about the same here as he has the past few weeks, which is heavier than he’s been before. On video he looks pretty normal though. (Affleck is also shown smoking on the set of Live by Night on January 27.)

Jennifer Garner Takes Her Girls Out To Dinner With Ben Affleck

Jennifer Garner Takes Her Girls Out To Dinner With Ben Affleck

Jennifer Garner Takes Her Girls Out To Dinner With Ben Affleck

photo credit: FameFlynet

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36 Responses to “Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner spent Valentine’s Day weekend in Montana”

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  1. CidySmiley says:

    God he used to be so cute.

    I wonder what they’re waiting for. I have a smooth feeling they’re not getting a divorce. They want to look like they found jesus and that they’re changed people. I kind of feel bad for Ben, he’s not a bad person per say – he’s kind a bro and he hooked up with this woman and created this image and now each time he does anything everyone’s over judging him. Not necessarily nannygate, he deserved all that scrutinity. It’s just odd, is all. I also feel bad for their kids.

    • Jayna says:

      I watched on video Ben and Russell Crowe in State of Play last month. I had forgotten how lean Ben’s face used to be and his body, not doughy-faced Ben. It was actually shocking to see the difference compared to now.

      • lisa2 says:

        I think it is because he and Henry had to buff up for their roles. I think they did the spunk to do it. And that is why they both look either bloated afterwards or like a balloon ready pop (Henry’s case)..

        Ben looks better leaner and so does Henry. To me at least

      • Jayna says:

        @Lisa2, his face looks fine in Batman trailers. It’s how his face puffed up this past summer until now. When the separation happened, he had gained more weight and was out of shape and had a puffy face. Although, fillers might be part of that.

      • Bread and Circuses says:

        Like Lisa2, I think the change was because he had to get that burly superhero body for Batman. It might not have helped that he was going through the stress of a marriage breakdown at the time, but mostly, I think he’s just packed on muscle underneath the ratio of body fat he always had naturally.

        He’s still healthy looking, he just doesn’t look the way he did before (and how many of us do? 🙂 )

    • minx says:

      Some people get along better when they are not in each other’s pockets. Maybe that’s what’s happening here. Whatever they are doing, there must be some reason they haven’t filed yet, and I can’t believe it’s all for PR.

    • lila fowler says:

      I think he probably relaxes as much as possible when he doesn’t have to fit into the Batsuit. I don’t blame him.

  2. emmyb1608 says:

    Maybe they spent it together as a normal family Sunday?The world still turned, people went to work and did errands… It just so happened to be Valentines Day too.

  3. Don't kill me I'm French says:

    How can they spend the week end in family in Montana whereas he was in Vancouver ?

  4. Sarah(too) says:

    He is turning into the male version of Nicole Kidman. Honestly, he barely looked like himself in that video. The eyes.

  5. Jayna says:

    Nah, they aren’t back together.

  6. HappyMom says:

    On another note, you think Tyra Banks could have used a different picture? Like one where she’s smiling or at least looking down at her son?

  7. Diane says:

    I don’t think they were in Montana. He mentioned in his interview he had seen the free throw shots the night before. Jennifer is, I believe, a big fan of basketball so I would guess the entire family had gone to Toronto and the Montana destination was a guess by the first publication and the rest jumped on board.

    I do think she wants the kids to be a part of Ben’s experience as Batman, and no doubt they wanted to be there to see their dad interviewed. My guess is they were there with him and she came along to give them that opportunity.

    Most of the quotes in the various articles were old and had been scavenged from prior articles. I don’t think it was a romantic trip, I think it really is about just being friends and being there to give the kids better childhoods by supporting each other.

    That was something said in an early article – they wanted to go back to being friends again for the sake of going forward. I think that is what they are doing. When the time is right, from whatever logic that is for them, they’ll divorce.

    I really do think both of them have a strong sense of family and want to do what’s right for their kids going forward.

    I’m not naive to think that their careers don’t come into play, but I do believe that they are focusing on the kids’ first.

    As to Jen’s career, she clearly put that on hold to have kids and be there during their baby/toddler stage. Ben has said more than once he owes the turnaround in his career and the decision to go into directing to her encouragement and stability in his life. If he is now helping her get back to where she lost ground in return for that, I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

  8. mindydopple says:

    I really pray, in my heart of hearts, that she just keeps being perfect and loving then BAM, serves him with the papers out of no where. Especially if she’s waiting for him to do it, he seems like one of those men that just won’t pull the trigger. I hope she does it with a smile and then ask if he wants to have breakfast with the kids.

  9. INeedANap says:

    I feel bad for those girls, trotted out like props.

    Boo to Ben and Jen, for delaying this charade at the expense of their children.

  10. Skins says:

    With his new face she probably didn’t know it was him.

  11. Naya says:

    For years people claimed Ben couldnt wait to get out. When the nanny thing went down, people said Ben manufactured it because he wanted her to file for divorce. Well, not only has neither filed but Ben lives in the same compound and is spending love-themed holidays with her. I bet somebody thinks its PR just for the Batman premier (because movie goers care??) but that premier will come and go and they’ll still be oscillating around one another. Maybe its time to accept that these people are drawn to each other and want to be together on some deep level.

    • Dayna says:

      Uh no. They do not seem to want to be together anymore. Did you forget they are separated? People who want to be together stay together.
      And they did not spend V-Day together, he was at the all stars game!

      • Naya says:

        I said they want to be together not that they are capable of doing so in a healthy fashion. One party in particular seems too immature to understand what relationship really entails. But like I said, 6 months from now, they’ll still be oscillating and people will still be in denial. They’ll eventually retake their vows and the cycle will begin again. I look forward to many years of “I told you” posts.

  12. Anare says:

    He looks so weird. What a shame he effed up his face. Used to be really handsome now he just looks a little skeevy.

  13. JoJo says:

    I think Jen is in it for the long game with Ben – always has been, and absolutely nothing that happens is going to change that. She seems to have taken on a much more overtly religious stance lately too – she’s speaking at Proclaim 16, a major Christian conference in the next week. I think Ben loves his kids no doubt, and settling back into the stability and convenience of their “happy family” persona is what comes easiest for him and certainly is what’s best for his tarnished image right now. It’s the same dynamic replayed for the hundredth time with these two – Jen plays the long and patient game and Ben eventually settles back into being the obedient good boy, at least temporarily. I think the real problem is they just don’t work as a couple anymore. But if they’re not staying together, how else do you explain multiple dinners out together lately in the same week and repeated non-holiday vacations together, etc. It’s one incredibly confusing message for their kids. I mean, even Goop and Chris have moved on.

    • Jane says:

      JoJo – she’s promoting that faith based movie Miracles in Heaven, that’s why she’s speaking at that conference, she hasn’t “found Jesus” all of a sudden, this is completely strategic. There is an audience for this type of movie, she’s doing her job and promoting it to that demographic, she also needs it to succeed as she’s the only recognizable actor in the movie aside from Queen Latifa, but queen is in a supporting role. Does she continue to get papped going to church after this movie comes out? We’ll see, as therein lies the hypocrisy.

  14. Green Is Good says:

    If Batfleck wants out, he’s going to have to grow a set of balls and do it himself. But He doesn’t want to be perceived as a home wrecking a-hole .

  15. lila fowler says:

    I think there are several things going on here. One, Ben has used his Family Man image before, mostly to help himself win awards for Argo. I think he wants to keep that image going despite their separation until his version of Batman gets off the ground. Two, I think he genuinely feels guilty for being such a screwup of a husband that he doesn’t want to damage the kids’ lives. So he spends as much time with them as he can, probably more than he did before the separation. If I had to guess I’d say that they file for divorce this summer.

  16. Mia4s says:

    She’s an Oscar presenter? Way to keep it relevant Academy! Seriously she hasn’t been relevant as an actress in forever; and she’s never been nominated. Like most things having to do with the Oscars, it’s who you know. 🙄

    Divorce is a negative headline (no matter how “amiable”) and BvS is too big a gamble. Agreements have no doubt been made. Fair enough, hope she gets a good payout.

  17. The Original Mia says:

    Ben is in the midst of promoting Batman vs. Superman. No one attached to that film wants his impending divorce to take away attention from that film. It’s already got plenty of negative baggage to overcome. They’ll wait until the film has been out and then divorce. There’s nothing in their demeanor that suggests they are back together. They are keeping it civil for the kids and their professional reputations.

  18. Tig says:

    After that fiasco of an interview with Elle that Henry C did, BvS needs someone to steady the PR ship. Who have thunk it would be Ben A? At any rate, I think they are managing the civil separation very well, and that’s to their credit, regardless of the reasons.

  19. db says:

    Please. Who is Ben to throw shade at Barkley? Barkley was among the best at his game – the same can’t be said for Affleck’s wooden acting.

  20. Jane says:

    Goop and Chris have dinners together as a family, vacation together and even spent last Christmas together, they’ve also been separated and divorced longer so they have settled into that phase of their life. Ben and Jen are trying to do the same for their family now, I personally see nothing wrong with that, better than fighting in the press like they were in the beginning. They are in Montana as they pretty much are every mid-winter break, this break just happens to fall on Valentines’s day weekend. Oh and you know who else is in Montana right now? Tom and Giselle. Yup, their families have vacationed together here and in the Bahamas. Ben and Jen will divorce this year with Ben filing first, sit tight.
    As far as Jen being an Oscar presenter, good Lord I don’t know why she is invited or even wanted to go, to promote that Christian movie? I’m embarrassed for her. She needs to focus on getting a semblance of a respectable career, I know she doesn’t get offered the prime roles and being forty is considered “old” in Hollywood, but geez she can do better than this schmaltz, or maybe not….

  21. JoJo says:

    I think it’s funny that she’s an Oscar presenter. Their separation seems to have rejuvenated interest in her. She’s a B-list actress, and she hasn’t gotten this much attention since Alias. She was painful to watch in Dallas Buyer’s Club, although I loved her in 13 Going on 30. It’s similar to when Nicole and Tom divorced. Nicole got a career boost, although the difference is that Nicole is truly a talented actress, recent movies aside.

    Jane – You’re probably right about Mirackes from Heaven and Jen speaking at the upcoming Christian conference. That said, I do think she’s very religious, and my guess is that it plays into the way she views marriage and repeated forgiveness, etc. I also remember when she cried on that Today Show segment. Right before she started crying, what she said was, “Sometimes bringing families back together can be just as hard as when they fall apart,” or something along those lines. I think she was probably thinking about her own marriage. These things and others make me think she hasn’t and isn’t giving up still. But that’s just my opinion.

    Also, I know Goop and Chris still do a lot as a family, but they seem a lot more open about the fact that they’re also moving on. Both are in other relationships, and Chris moved into a house down the street.

  22. JoJo says:

    Page Six. Ben and Jen drinking into the wee hours with Tom and Gisele apres-ski in Montana. I can’t see how that’s normal if they’re not together again. I get doing things together for the kids sake, but there’s no way they are this evolved – living together, vacationing together with married couple friends … all just as friends? As I keep saying. Jen. Long game. People just posted a story too. Clearly a Garner-vetted story in response to Page Six. I don’t know. Not really buying it. There’s nothing new in the People story, so not sure why they pushed it out.