Why Does Ben Affleck Always Get Back With His Exes?

I would happily follow Matt Damon and Ben Affleck to the ends of the earth when making movies. However, when it comes to making romantic choices, I need the opportunity to study Ben in the lab like I’m that weirdo doctor in Severance in charge of a dozen different alternate realities. Whatever way you want to label Ben’s boyfriend behavior (recycling, boomeranging, circling the drain), it’s clear we all understand the meaning: Ben loves going back to an ex like a fish loves jumping back into water, or a Bostonian loves their third cup of Dunkin.

And, as much as I can’t help but be impressed by the consistency of his resume/ability to be photographed with the same expression while smoking a ciggie, I feel like maybe it’s time to educate the ladies out there on how to recognize this pattern from the men in your own life. Does your ex always come back? I’m breaking down the reasons why.

Is Ben Affleck back with his ex-wife?

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner — Image Credit: Getty Images

Reports are alleging that Ben Affleck looked cozy with his ex-wife during a March 2025 paintball game, and naturally, you may be wondering which one. Pictures of Ben enjoying playtime with his former wife and current co-parent, Jennifer Garner, broke the internet since the pair (who divorced in 2015) debatably resembled a happy couple again?? Now, don’t get me wrong, we should absolutely be praising Ben and Jen (#1) for their positive co-parenting. This spotting is only pretty wild, considering the exes have stayed so visibly chummy despite the relationship rollercoaster Ben has been on since their divorce.

That, along with an anonymous sources alleging to Page Six that Ben “would love another chance” with Jenny G “if the timing was right.” While that’s so many LA miles away from confirmation that a rekindled romance is actually on the table, fans (yes, the fans are in the room with us right now) can imagine a world in which Ben would circle the block for the Jen that got away because that’s kind of his thing (in fact, other sources allege to Page Six that his other ex-wife believes it, too).

Ben famously went through a whirlwind romance with Jennifer Lopez in 2002, one that ended in a failed engagement but revived in the form of a new chance at marriage in 2021. She filed for divorce in 2024, but the story doesn’t end there. Photos went viral of Matt Damon and Jen in deep conversation months later at TIFF, with outsiders looking in, suggesting that perhaps a second reconciliation could’ve been in mediation.

And Ben’s take twos aren’t just with the Jens. Ben reportedly fell in love and broke up with SNL’s Lindsay Shookus twice between 2017 and 2019. It was after his unforgettable fling with Ana de Armas during peak Covid (Ana, sweetie, I’m so sorry the papz wouldn’t leave you alone, but you always slayed), which ended in early 2021 that Ben reconnected with Jennifer Lopez again, not long after that spring.

Now that he’s on the market again, who’s to say Ana shouldn’t get ready for the redial we’ve all been waiting for? I say we because they were low-key pretty cute together, so, TBH, I might be here for it.

Why do men go back to their exes?

ross geller and rachel on friends — Image Credit: NBC/Warner Bros Television

The reason for the rebound varies. Several men anonymously told The South Bend Tribune in 2017 their reasoning for returning to their ex, and the answers ranged from naively sweet to super troubling. One shared, “I miss her friends” (okay, rude, get your own), while another wrote, “So I can treat her the way I promised to (but failed)” (damn, that’s real), but my least favorite response probably has to be “She took care of me” or “I hate seeing her with someone else.” Those are too man-child/narcissist territory for my liking.

But the fella who shared, “It’s easy to idealize the best of a relationship when you’re not in it,” was definitely onto something. Psychology Today agrees that a major reason for getting back with an ex is how hard it can be to redefine your identity without your other half. Anyone who runs it back often could be avoiding the discomfort of the unfamiliar and hungry for a fix of that perfectly primed dopamine that stems from revisiting a romance.

So, no, every dude who hits up his ex is not (necessarily) out to pull the wool over his former flame’s eyes. But that doesn’t mean you have to agree to repeat old habits with proven poor results just because it feels good in the moment.