Ben Affleck isn’t sulking amid his divorce from Jennifer Lopez — he’s leaning on his buddy.
The “Good Will Hunting” actor, 52, stepped out to dinner on Sunday night with his favorite couple: Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana Barroso.
Affleck appeared to be in good spirits despite his two-year marriage blowing up on August 20 when J.Lo, 55, filed for divorce after just two years of marriage. The Oscar winner even had a pep in his step when he showed up to the hotspot Italian restaurant Toscana in Los Angeles, crashing Damon’s family time.
Not only did Affleck eat with Damon and Barroso, but the couple brought along their kids for the delicious outing. This comes after reports that the star has “not been in touch” with his stepchildren.
The newly single star kept it casual in a plain white t-shirt, jeans, a beige button-up that he left undone and his signature Nikes. Affleck arrived separately from Damon and the family, opting to drive himself and leave his pricey vehicle with the valet.
The “Jersey Girl” actor was even caught laughing with the valet after the meal in a video obtained by TMZ, signifying he’s not all doom and gloom amid his second marriage crashing.
Affleck wasn’t the only one in a cheery mood at dinner.
Damon was photographed smiling from ear to ear and greeting bystanders as he and his family walked into the restaurant separate from his best bud.
The 53-year-old dressed in a black polo shirt and dark denim, matching his wife, who was in a black crop-top and matching bottoms for the dinner with Affleck and their children.
When the meal was over, Affleck was spotted walking across the street to his car and seemed to have a spring in his stride.
Despite a high-profile divorce, Affleck has been seen a handful of times since Lopez filed to end their marriage last week. Whether he’s smoking in his car or taking his children movie dates, the actor has not hidden behind closed doors while his private life has made headlines.
He’s had practice. Lopez marks divorce No. 2 for the star.
Affleck and his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, were married from 2005 until they announced their plan to divorce in 2015; however, they didn’t file until 2017. The pair, who remain extremely close, share three children: Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
As for Lopez, she’s on ex-hubby No. 4 after ending her short-lived marriages, first to Ojani Noa from 1997 to 1998, then Cris Judd from 2002 to 2003. The “Let’s Get Loud” singer famously married singer Marc Anthony, with whom she shares 16-year-old twins Emme and Max, in 2004. Their marriage ended in 2014.
According to an insider, Affleck’s “erratic mood swings” contributed to the demise of his relationship with Lopez.
“The truth is there was a great deal of love but also unfortunately what became clear were Ben’s erratic mood swings that he couldn’t hide from the press, as much as he tried to,” a source told People in a report published over the weekend.
“You could see the erratic behavior, the giant mood swings,” the insider continued, alleging the “Argo” actor/director could go from “being incredibly happy and warm — the best light that emanated from him” to displaying “the deepest, darkest behavior.”
Affleck was often photographed looking down in the dumps when in public with Lopez. While it appeared he didn’t enjoy the attention their rekindled relationship and marriage collected, his wife didn’t seem to mind.
Lopez put their entire romance on display in her $20 million self-funded three-part project, which included “This Is Me … Now,” her first album in 10 years, a musical movie of the same name and a documentary of making the film titled, “The Greatest Love Story Never Told.”
In the footage, she acknowledged that Affleck wasn’t comfortable being her muse.
“I don’t think he’s very comfortable with me doing all of this,” she admitted to the camera. “But he loves me, he knows I’m an artist and he’s going to support me in every way he can because he knows he can’t stop me from making the music I made and writing the words that I wrote. That’s going to happen and he doesn’t want to stop me.”
“He wants to do that [for me], but that doesn’t mean he’s comfortable being the muse.”
Lopez pulled the plug on their marriage less than six months after it aired, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split. She also listed the date of separation as April 26, 2024, confirming they were not a couple when Affleck moved out of their $60 million marital mansion in May.
Breakup rumors began circulating when it was uncovered that the movie star and his wife were living apart and that he had moved into a rental. The separation speculation intensified throughout summer — with the pair failing to be there for each other during monumental moments like Lopez’s 55th birthday in the Hamptons and their second wedding anniversary.
Affleck and Lopez reportedly did not sign a prenuptial agreement before they walked down the aisle — meaning all the earnings, profits and assets they made during their union could be considered community property. She chose not to request spousal support and asked the judge not to award Affleck support either.
Lopez also requested to legally drop her ex’s famous last name, making it clear she no longer wants to be “Jennifer Lynn Affleck.”
