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Ben Affleck<\/strong><\/a> and Jennifer Garner<\/strong><\/a> began their Thanksgiving Day side by side, giving back. Wearing matching aprons, hairnets and gloves, the former couple spent three hours in sync, their connection easy and effortless as they helped Midnight Mission serve free meals to homeless people in downtown L.A.\u2019s skid row community on November 28.<\/p>\n The organization later posted a picture of the pair on social media, praising them for \u201ctheir kindness, warmth and dedication\u201d and desire to shine a light on the true meaning of the holiday: \u201ccoming together to support one another.\u201d<\/p>\n Lately, they\u2019ve been doing a lot of that themselves. Post-volunteering, the Oscar winner joined the Deadpool & Wolverine actress and their children \u2014 Violet, 19, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12 \u2014 for a home-cooked Thanksgiving dinner at Jen\u2019s place.<\/p>\n In recent months, the exes have also spent time together vacationing in Japan during the kids\u2019 summer break, celebrating Ben\u2019s 52nd birthday, and dropping Violet off at Yale University to begin her freshman year of college. In June, Jen was even seen letting herself into Ben\u2019s new home after he moved out of the mansion he shared with his second wife, Jennifer Lopez<\/strong>, 55, following their April separation.<\/p>\n \u201cBen and Jen are closer than ever,\u201d a source exclusively tells Life & Style<\/em>. \u201cThey\u2019ve developed a mutual respect and a deeper level of friendship they didn\u2019t have before. It has some friends asking if they could be on their way to getting back together.\u201d<\/p>\n A lot has happened since they broke up in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018. Ben, who\u2019s struggled with alcohol addiction for decades, \u201cgot the help he needed, got sober, remarried and is now getting divorced<\/a> again,\u201d recaps the source. \u201cHe\u2019s done a lot of work on himself, and he\u2019s a much better man for it. It\u2019s what Jen has always hoped for him.\u201d<\/p>\n Over time, Jen, 52, \u201chas watched him evolve. She\u2019s seen the progress and the transformation, and it\u2019s changed how she feels about him,\u201d says the source, adding that \u201cit\u2019s no secret that Ben thinks Jen was the best thing to ever happen to him.\u201d<\/p>\n The actor-director confessed in 2020 that his drinking fueled problems in their relationship. Ben also admitted he felt immense \u201cshame\u201d because their marriage ended, calling their divorce the \u201cbiggest regret of my life.\u201d<\/p>\n In the wake of their split, Jen admitted that despite the pain, she would do it all over again. \u201cI didn\u2019t marry the big fat movie star; I married him. And I would go back and remake that decision,\u201d she told Vanity Fair<\/em> months after they went their separate ways. \u201cHe\u2019s the love of my life. What am I going to do about that?\u201d<\/p>\n The Yes Day<\/em> star eventually moved on, though. While Ben was briefly linked to his kids\u2019 former nanny Christine Ouzounian<\/strong>, 37 (he\u2019s denied their relationship was romantic), and dated a long list of women \u2014 including former Saturday Night Live<\/em> producer Lindsay Shookus<\/strong>, 44, Playboy<\/em> model Shauna Sexton<\/strong>, 28, and actress Ana de Armas<\/strong>, 36, before marrying J. Lo in 2022 \u2014 for most of the past six years, Jen\u2019s been in a relationship<\/a> with Cali Group CEO John Miller<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cJohn loves Jen, but they hardly rushed into a full-on commitment, likely because of Ben,\u201d the source speculates, noting how Jen supported Ben as he worked on his sobriety and through his split from J. Lo<\/a>. \u201cI mean, if Jen and John were going to get married, they probably would have done it already.\u201d<\/p>\n Jen\u2019s eyes are wide open. The actress shared on the November 12 episode of the \u201cLipstick on the Rim\u201d podcast that 86-year-old mom Pat\u2019s advice included the warning, \u201cDon\u2019t marry a man thinking you can change him.\u201d<\/p>\n Jen knows caring for Ben can be challenging. \u201cHe\u2019s the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous. He\u2019s just a complicated guy,\u201d she famously said in 2016. \u201cI always say, \u2018When his sun shines on you, you feel it.\u2019 But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it\u2019s cold. He can cast quite a shadow.\u201d<\/p>\n Right now, their relationship is filled with warmth. After Thanksgiving, the close-knit clan celebrated Violet\u2019s 19th birthday<\/a> on December 1 before she returned to college. With Christmas around the corner, Jen\u2019s looking forward to seeing a performance of The Nutcracker<\/em> with the kids (an annual tradition she\u2019s \u201cdrilled\u201d into them, she confessed) and spending the season \u201cjust being together with family,\u201d she said in a recent interview.<\/p>\n That includes Ben. \u201cThey have a history and a deep love for each other. They like spending time together and light up when they see each other,\u201d says the source. \u201cLet\u2019s just say that Ben and Jen are in a very good place.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nBen Affleck\u2019s Healing Journey<\/h2>\n
Jennifer Garner\u2019s Big Risk<\/h2>\n