Ben Affleck dines out with children in Santa Monica

Actor Ben Affleck stepped out for a dinner with two of his children, Violet and Fin, at Fia restaurant in Santa Monica on August 22, 2026. The evening outing followed recent family reunions and comes as Affleck continues to co-parent with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner.

Affleck, 54, wore a light-colored button-down shirt and black pants for the occasion. Violet, 20, wore a lilac cardigan sweater with a red knee-length skirt and running shoes, alongside a face mask and cross-body bag. Fin, 17, dressed in dark-colored overalls, a striped long-sleeve shirt, and sneakers. Affleck's 14-year-old son, Samuel, did not attend the dinner.

The Santa Monica gathering occurred a week after Affleck celebrated his 54th birthday on August 15 at Farmshop in Los Angeles. Garner joined her ex-husband alongside all three of their children for the occasion. Affleck and Garner married in 2005, announced their separation in 2015, and finalized their divorce in 2018.

Garner recently shared insights regarding their ongoing co-parenting dynamic during an interview with Entertainment Weekly.

"My kids are a little bigger [now]. Their dad has become this incredible co-parent," Garner said. "He's wonderful.

He takes care of them. He's a great partner in that way. And that's very freeing."

In the same sit-down with Entertainment Weekly, Garner also referred to Affleck as a "great partner."

Affleck similarly praised Garner and their children while speaking to Access Hollywood.

"I could not be more proud of my children. I can't even tell you," Affleck said.

Affleck expanded on his appreciation for his family dynamic during the same conversation.

"[Violet] takes after her mom. She's spectacular. And I'm very lucky that I've got a great partner and that we got great kids.

It's the joy of my life, and I’m just very, very lucky. And it makes me happy every day," Affleck said.

The actor's recent family outings follow a personal loss earlier this summer. His mother, Chris Affleck, died in June at age 83 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. A former public school teacher who attended Harvard and participated in the civil rights movement's Freedom Rides, Chris Affleck attended her grandson Atticus's high school graduation on May 31, 2026, before passing away peacefully in her sleep two days later, according to her obituary in The Boston Globe.

Reflecting on his childhood in Boston with his brother Casey Affleck, Ben recalled his parents' different career paths during a 2012 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, noting his mother was an educator while his father worked as an auto mechanic, bartender, and janitor at Harvard.

Affleck also previously reflected on sharing his 1998 Academy Award victory for Good Will Hunting alongside his mother during an interview with Vanity Fair.

"We were sitting next to our moms, and we won, and we kind of hugged our moms. I remember how everyone had made such a big thing out of it as if this was such a novelty," Affleck said. "There was nobody else that was going to go.

That was it. Of course, our moms were gonna go. That was really innocent and not faked."