Ben Affleck Enjoys a “Small” Birthday Party at Home With His Kids

Recently, his reportedly estranged wife enjoyed a birthday party in the Hamptons.

Ben Affleck is seen on June 12, 2024 in Brentwood, California.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Ben Affleck reportedly celebrated his 52nd trip around the sun by spending a low-key day at home with his children...and without his reportedly estranged wife, Jennifer Lopez.

On Thursday, Aug. 15, the actor enjoyed a "small birthday celebration at home" with his kids in honor of his 52nd birthday, a source familiar with the situation told People in a recent interview.

"It's exactly what he wanted," the insider told the publication. "He didn't want to go out to celebrate. The kids had gifts for him, and it was cute."

According to the same source, the actor's reportedly estranged wife, Jennifer Lopez, "stopped by to congratulate him" but presumably did not stay to partake in the low-key festivities.

Earlier the same day, according to the publication and Page Six, Affleck's ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, also paid the actor a visit at his Brentwood, California rented home, which he moved into and is currently living in while Affleck and Lopez attempt to sell their marital estate.

Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck

(Image credit: Getty Images)

"The kids were with Ben for most of the day," another source told The Daily Mail. "He didn't leave the house at all for his birthday."

Unlike her allegedly estranged husband, Lopez enjoyed a star-studded, Bridgerton-themed birthday party in the Hamptons for her 55th trip around the sun. In honor of the celebration, the singer shared a mirror selfie in her vacation home, wearing nothing but a white swimsuit, a high ponytail, and stacks of gold jewelry.

She captioned the photo “This Is Me…Now,” followed by the birthday cake emoji, referencing her "love story" projects that document her renewed love affair with Affleck and subsequent marriage.

Lopez also shared a touching birthday message thanking her fans for always being there for her, one assumes especially in the wake of her canceled tour and as rumors about her marriage to Affleck continue to swirl.

"It’s hard to believe we have spent all this time together. It’s funny as I sit here contemplating on the most extraordinary journey I still feel like the same girl starting out so full of energy and bravado, so ready to take on the whole world on the outside and yet so tender, fragile and sometimes frightened but always full of love on the inside," Lopez wrote, along with a photo of her ringing in another year. "I have so much love for you."

Lopez went on to tell her fans that on her birthday, they are her "biggest gift."

"Besides my family and friends, you have always been there for me in the good times and in the tough times. I can always count on you," she continued. "And I want you to know that you can always count on me. Thank you for your caring, your understanding, your loyalty and most importantly your love. 🤍 Thank you, Thank you, Thank you…"

While it's arguably a "good sign" that Lopez showed up to wish her allegedly estranged husband a happy birthday, sources claim she is "humiliated" by him and the rumored end of her marriage.

"She’s furious," a source told Page Six. "He has humiliated her. He was the one who initiated getting back together.

"He’s humiliated her because she made a big deal that he’s the love of her life," the source continued. "They just had two weddings two years ago. This is some kind of a record, they’re not young kids."

Danielle Campoamor
Weekend Editor

Danielle Campoamor is Marie Claire's weekend editor covering all things news, celebrity, politics, culture, live events, and more. In addition, she is an award-winning freelance writer and former NBC journalist with over a decade of digital media experience covering mental health, reproductive justice, abortion access, maternal mortality, gun violence, climate change, politics, celebrity news, culture, online trends, wellness, gender-based violence and other feminist issues. You can find her work in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, New York Magazine, CNN, MSNBC, NBC, TODAY, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Harper's Bazaar, Marie Claire, InStyle, Playboy, Teen Vogue, Glamour, The Daily Beast, Mother Jones, Prism, Newsweek, Slate, HuffPost and more. She currently lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and their two feral sons. When she is not writing, editing or doom scrolling she enjoys reading, cooking, debating current events and politics, traveling to Seattle to see her dear friends and losing Pokémon battles against her ruthless offspring. You can find her on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook and all the places.