Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s eldest child Violet has reportedly severed ties with her former stepmother amid concerns she was manipulated as a “pawn”.
Ben, 52, tied the knot with Jennifer Lopez, 55, in 2022, reigniting a romance that first saw them engaged back in 2002. However, their reunion was short-lived, as they parted ways in April 2024 and proceeded to file for divorce by August.
Despite the split between JLo and Ben, Violet, now 19, maintained a close relationship with the songstress. She was spotted last August donning a dress once worn by JLo on a Valentine’s Day outing with Ben, and it’s been said she often visited her stepmother.
But currently, Violet appears to be distancing herself from the Lopez clan and aligning with her father amidst the divorce proceedings.
“Violet felt like she was used as a pawn so to speak during her dad’s split from JLo,” a source disclosed to the Daily Mail. The source added that Jennifer Garner, 52, was unfazed by Violet’s time spent with JLo, as she “always puts her children first.”
As the divorce between JLo and Ben unfolded, Violet’s rapport with the celebrity seemed “odd” to her kin, with reports that JLo’s sister Lynda Lopez even dropped by to see the teenager at university, reports the Mirror.
Jennifer is said to have refrained from contesting her daughter’s connection with the Lopezes “because she wants Violet to be happy and respects that,” yet the insider hinted that the actress might not “necessarily agree” with Violet’s selection of companions.
The family dynamics have notably shifted following Ben and Lopez’s divorce, which was finalised after documents were submitted to the Los Angeles Superior Court by JLo last month, marking the end of a settlement process that began in September.
An insider provided insight into the situation, noting that “Violet started to see how upset her father was that their split was at the centre of everything,” despite Ben refraining from speaking ill of JLo throughout the ordeal.
The source added: “Violet is highly intelligent and will ultimately always be a daddy’s girl. This is why you do not see her on public outings with JLo anymore,” highlighting the changed relationship within the family.
This development comes immediately after JLo and Ben’s settled divorce, addressing their $61 million shared home in Los Angeles, with an agreement that neither party would pay spousal support and each would retain earnings from their separate projects and businesses.
In addition to Violet, the blended family includes Ben and Jennifer’s younger children Fin, 16, and Samuel, 12, as well as JLo’s twins Max and Emme, 16, who she shares with former husband Marc Anthony. Despite the highly visible break-up, it’s reported that Ben, Jennifer, and JLo remain amicable for the sake of their combined offspring.
A source revealed to Page Six that although Jennifer and Ben’s marriage has ended, they still maintain a connection, particularly when it comes to co-parenting their children, and have no intention of cutting ties completely.
They said: “Ben and Jennifer are still connected and they do communicate when it involves their kids. They have every intention of continuing to be in each other’s lives despite not being romantically involved.”.