In 2015, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner announced that they had separated after 10 years of marriage. Two years later, in 2017, it was reported that the second couple to be coined Bennifer had officially filed for divorce. Now, The Blast reports that the marriage between Affleck and Garner is still very much intact, and that their divorce could be dismissed.
The current status of the pair's marriage may strike some as odd. Affleck and his phoenix back tattoo are dating Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus, and Garner's busy working on her hilarious-looking HBO series Camping. While Garner and Affleck seem friendly and committed to co-parenting their three children, a romantic reunion does not appear to be in the works — so why are they still married?
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
It's simple, really: The two are taking a long time to go through the legal process. According to documents obtained by The Blast, the Los Angeles Superior Court stated that the pair's case has not been completed because the final judgement has not been filed and entered.
The issue, according to The Blast's report, is that the divorce case could be dismissed entirely if Affleck and Garner don't get moving.
Of course, just because Affleck and Garner are still legally married doesn't mean they both have not moved on. Sometimes papers don't get filed on time! It happens! Unless we hear otherwise from Affleck and Garner, we can assume that their original statement on the end of their marriage remains the status quo. (Refinery29 has reached out to representatives for Garner and Affleck for comment.)
The former Alias star recently sat down with CBS Sunday Morning and revealed the pains that tabloid rumors caused in her marriage.
"What I think I’ve learned is that the scrutiny in your private life puts a pressure to make something happen... You feel a pressure to hurry up and get married, because you think that’ll end the 'Are they engaged? Are they not?' And that’s true in the reverse, as well," Garner told the outlet. "If there is any inkling of trouble, or if the tabloids decide there’s trouble, it can create trouble."
No trouble here: just very slow divorce proceedings.