Ben Affleck and his son Samuel enjoyed a day to themselves over the weekend.
The father, 52, and son, 12, duo – who recently got stranded when Ben’s Ford Bronco broke down – were spotted shopping on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue.
The Batman star looked casual in a pair of grey jeans and a tan button-down shirt over a white t-shirt. Samuel, meanwhile, wore light-wash jeans with a white Nike t-shirt.
Ben — who is reportedly ready to start dating again amid divorce from Jennifer Lopez, 55 — was seen carrying a large black shopping bag with a shoe box poking out of the top of the bag in one photo.
In the other, both men carried multi-colored shopping bags as they crossed a parking lot between two BMWs.
Ben Affleck, 52, and his son Samuel, 12, enjoyed a day to themselves over the weekend
Ben shares Samuel as well as daughter Violet, 18, and child Fin, 15 with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 52.
The sighting comes as reports surface that Affleck is ready to go no contact with his other ex-wife.
The issue there, is that Fin and JLo’s kids twins Max and Emme, 16, which she shares with her other ex-husband Marc Anthony, go to the same school.
‘Ben knows he’s going to see Jen at these functions. Their kids go to the same school, so how could he not?’ an insider told In Touch. ‘Still, it’s awkward.’
And when Ben moves on to his next girlfriend, he has one thing that is not negotiable.
The woman must either be sober or in recovery as he is not willing to jeopardize his own sobriety.
‘Ben has not given up on relationships and finally feels ready to move forward and start dating again,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively.
‘He is not going to jump into anything serious until the divorce is finalized but that does not mean he cannot date.’
They continued: ‘He only wants to date someone who is sober or in recovery. These past two years have been tough for Ben and as he begins to heal, one thing is very clear: his recovery comes before anything. He is not going to put his sobriety in jeopardy.’
The father and son duo were spotted shopping on Los Angeles’ Melrose Avenue
Ben shares Samuel as well as daughter Violet, 18, and child Fin, 15 with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner, 52; Seen here with Samuel on December 13, 2022
Ben is reportedly ready to start dating again amid divorce from Jennifer Lopez, 55; the estranged pair seen in November
‘Ben has not given up on relationships and finally feels ready to move forward and start dating again,’ an insider told DailyMail.com exclusively; the two seen in February
Affleck was reportedly upset by the news that people feared he would relapse after a lengthy bout of sobriety.
‘Ben tries to avoid reading the news but it did upset him that people thought he relapsed because he had not,’ the source said. ‘Like every alcoholic, Ben just wakes up with one goal in mind. To stay sober for that day.’
Affleck has been open about his addiction battle and first stopped drinking in 1997.
‘I just wanted to stop,’ he told a reporter in 1998. ‘I started regretting some things I did when I was drunk. It’s funny to be obnoxious or out of control, but then it’s like, “I think I hurt that person’s feelings”, “I made a fool of myself” or “I didn’t want to kiss that girl”. I have almost no inhibitions, so it’s dangerous for me.’
