Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck's Close Bond Reportedly Didn't Do His J.Lo Marriage 'Any Favors'

Jennifer Lopez might have felt like a third wheel in her marriage to Ben Affleck because of his unbreakable bond with his first ex-wife, Jennifer Garner. The problem was that when times got tough — whether it was in his professional or personal life — he reportedly turned to Garner instead of J.Lo.

“Even when he was married to J. Lo he’d got to Jen for her advice, which as you can imagine did not do his marriage any favors,” an In Touch Weekly source divulged. It’s a habit that seems hard to break for both Affleck and Garner because they are back to their old habits again amid his divorce (Hello, Thanksgiving!). “But now he’s single again and free to talk to her 10 times a day if he wants, and there are days he does,” they added.

If Lopez didn’t stand a chance, then Garner’s boyfriend John Miller might not either. A Life & Style insider recently shared that Miller has shown quite a bit of “patience” with the awkward situation. “Privately, [John] has been known to find it a little bit intimidating that she’s still so close to Ben, especially when he’s reminded about their red-hot connection back in the day,” the source told the media outlet.

What makes this family dynamic even trickier is the fact that Lopez bonded with Affleck and Garner’s three children, Violet, 19, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12. Lopez’s sister Lynda Lopez recently visited Violet at Yale University and that reportedly ruffled a few feathers.

“Violet has a strong attachment to J.Lo and her family,” a source explained to the Daily Mail in November. ‘It’s quite confusing to Ben and Jen [Garner] because they do not understand why Violet is so adamant on keeping her close. She looks up to J.Lo and Lynda and is intent on keeping the bond alive.”

Affleck’s divorce is still in play with Lopez, so it’s easy to surmise that there are a lot of emotions coloring the situation. Things will probably settle down once the divorce is finalized, but it probably won’t change Affleck and Garner’s close relationship which nobody can come between.

Before you go, click here to see a complete timeline of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez’s relationship.