No fireworks this time. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner decided to skip their annual Fourth of July tradition amid their split news. For years, the pair brought their children to a parade in L.A.’s Brentwood neighborhood.
Last year, the now estranged couple looked picture-perfect while celebrating with their three children — daughters Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and son Samuel, 3. The family walked alongside the marching bands and firetrucks, sat on a street curb with other parade-goers, and Garner even rode her bike with Sam in a backseat.
In addition, the Argo actor was photographed taking turns holding his baby boy and Violet. Seraphina looked adorable in a striped skirt and long-sleeved top, which featured a glitter star. The stars also previously attended the public event in 2012 and 2011.
Affleck, 42, and Garner, 43, confirmed to Us Weekly on Tuesday, June 30, that they are headed for a divorce after 10 years of marriage. “They were in couples therapy for years. They were going to divorce when Sam was born but you know how it is — baby comes and solves the issues for a bit but it’s just a Band-Aid. It hasn’t been working for ages,” a source told Us.
“Ben truly wanted his idea of family life and the idea of family he had growing up in Boston so he stayed in it longer than he wanted to because of the kids and the idea of family,” the insider added. “But he couldn’t save it.”
Instead of staying home for the holiday this year, Affleck and the Nine Lives actress decided to bring their children to the Bahamas. “They got the kids out of L.A. as soon as school was out,” a second source exclusively told Us on July 2. “[The Bahamas] is a place they’ve been going to for years that’s very private and special for their kids.”