Ben Affleck seems to be tense as he joins spouse Jennifer Lopez a

Ben Affleck had a strained looked on his face when he was seen reuniting with wife Jennifer Lopez on Wednesday morning.

The couple, who are reportedly living separately and will announce a split ‘imminently’, were gathered in Los Angeles for his 12-year-old son Samuel’s graduation.

Ben, 51, had on his wedding ring as he arrived with his mother Chris Anne Boldt by his side as he failed to crack a smile. He was wearing a dark blue jacket, vest and slacks with a white shirt and no tie.

Jennifer, 54 – who was seen shopping on Tuesday – showed up with her twins Max and Emme, 16, as she was chic in an ivory mini dress with clear and beige-toed high heels as she carried an Hermes purse. The Atlas star was smiling and appeared to be in good spirits. She too had her wedding rings on.

Also seen was Ben’s ex wife Jennifer Garner, 52, with whom the Oscar-winning actor has Samuel, as well as kids Violet, 18, and Seraphina, 15, who now goes by Fin.

Lopez showed no signs of stress as she appeared in an elegant off-white dress that had a high round collar and a scalloped hem.

The former Fly Girl added very high pumps that highlighted her trim and toned legs.

Her blonde hair was pulled back as she shined in pale pink makeup and slipped on ombre pink/purple butterfly sunglasses with diamond earrings.

The movie icon, who has worked on Kiss Of The Spider Woman this year, could not stop smiling. 

Daughter Emme had on a beige button up shirt with a pointy collar rucked into dark belted slacks and sneakers.

Max was even more low key in a white short-sleeved shirt with khaki slacks and a beige cap and glasses. Nike high top sneakers finished off his summer look. The teen had an ear bud case around his neck on a RAMEN leash as he held on to his cell phone. 

Garner seemed in a spirited mood when getting out of her car at the valet stand. The Alias actress wore a dark and ankle-length summer dress with wide straps.

The partner of John Miller added a brown hat with a tribal print ribbon and her hair down. Her shoes were black sandals with a top stitch and gold on the heels. She carried a quilted black purse and had on black sunglasses.

Fin, who wore short hair, followed behind Garner. The child wore a printed shirt with dark slacks and carried a jacket, cell phone and a book.

Oddly, Lopez, Affleck and Garner were not pictured in the same frame, but they must have been near each other inside the graduation when their kids came together.

When the Bronx native left the graduation ceremony she did not seem to be in such a carefree mood. Ben also seemed a little on edge as his iced coffee was nearly finished. 

The day before Affleck met up with Garner who embraced his mother. During that meeting, Ben was seen carefree and smiling. 

Affleck was reportedly last with JLo on Sunday when they had a four hour meeting at the $60M Bel Air mansion they reportedly are putting up for sale.

He already lives in a $100K a month rental near Garner while it is believed Lopez is still at the mega mansion with her kids.

Also on Wednesday, DailyMail.com reported that Ben has been drinking alcohol again amid his tense situation with Jennifer.

Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, friends say the actor – who has battled alcoholism and a gambling addiction for decades – is suffering ‘acute sadness’ as his marriage collapses.

They claim Affleck is either ‘at risk’ of slipping off the wagon, or is already back on the booze.

One says: ‘I hear that he is drinking. He is full of demons – a really troubled person.’

While another adds: ‘I have seen him looking glassy eyed and it is a real worry to everyone who cares about him.’

Representatives for Affleck did not respond to requests for comment.

The revelation comes as J.Lo insiders also reveal that her mother, Guadalupe Rodriguez, has now ‘turned against’ Affleck, despite initially encouraging her daughter to reignite the ‘Bennifer’ romance in 2022.

I understand that the 54-year-old singer’s manager Benny Medina also ‘openly dislikes’ Affleck.

A source said: ‘I understand that he has checked out of the marriage but she has yet to accept the truth of the situation and thinks that with therapy they might make it.’

‘It is made all the more difficult by the fact that we are dealing here with the emotions of the five children they have between them,’ the source added. ‘The reasons why it hasn’t worked out are many but when you lose J.Lo’s family, you lose J.Lo. Her mum and her sisters are against him and Benny [Medina] is also.’

J.Lo has also recently rekindled her friendship with actress Leah Remini. The pair reportedly fell out in 2022 after Remini told her that Affleck wasn’t properly committed to the romance and would end up hurting her.

Affleck said that he first stopped drinking in 1997.

He said then: ‘I just wanted to stop. 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.’

He sought treatment for alcoholism in 2001 and again went to rehab in 2017 and 2018. The following year there was a setback when he was pictured leaving a Halloween party intoxicated.

In 2020 he said: ‘People with compulsive behavior, and I am one, have this kind of basic discomfort all the time that they’re trying to make go away. You’re trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making your life worse.

‘Then you do more of it to make that discomfort go away. Then the real pain starts. It becomes a vicious cycle you can’t break. That’s at least what happened to me.’