Jennifer Lopez visited Ben at his rental & took Samuel Affleck shopping at the mall

Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck had not even been in the same general vicinity since late June. She flew to the Hamptons to spend Independence Day at her place there, and she stayed there through early August. She only came back to LA last week, and by all accounts, she and Ben Affleck didn’t see each other within days of her arrival. Then, over the weekend, J.Lo went to Ben’s Brentwood rental and spent some time there. She was also photographed spending some time with Samuel Affleck at the mall.

Jennifer Lopez visited Ben Affleck at his home over the weekend after spending much of the summer apart. A source tells PEOPLE that the Atlas actress, 55, stopped by Affleck’s rental home in Brentwood on Sunday, Aug. 11, while he was there. Earlier in the day, she accompanied his son Samuel, 12, to the mall.

Lopez, who has 16-year-old twins Max and Emme with ex-husband Marc Anthony, is eager to spend time with Affleck’s kids before school begins, the source says. Affleck and ex-wife Jennifer Garner share Violet, 18, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel.

“Just because she’s not with Ben doesn’t mean that she doesn’t care about his kids,” says the source. “She always cared about them. She spent months looking for the perfect house for their blended family last year. Now when she’s back in L.A. she wants to spend quality time with them before school resumes and Violet is off to college.”

A source previously told PEOPLE on Aug. 6 that Lopez and Affleck — whose 52nd birthday is this Thursday, Aug. 15 — hadn’t seen each other “in weeks.” Added that source, “They’re moving on separately. Jennifer is trying to find a new home to start fresh.”

[From People]

So Violet’s not taking a gap year – in which case, Violet is probably heading off to college very soon, probably within days? Freshman orientation and all of that. As for Jennifer spending time with his kids… it’s fine. Violet came to see her in the Hamptons, I assume Seraphina and Emme have been hanging out (they’re besties) and now J.Lo is taking Samuel shopping. What’s painful to me is that I absolutely know that J.Lo is doing the emotional labor here. She’s the one telling HIS kids about the split, she’s the one making the effort to spend time with the kids and to keep it pleasant with Ben. I swear to God, I will be so mad at her if she spends years pining for Ben after the divorce.

Jennifer Lopez was spotted navigating the complexities of blended family life. She picked up Ben Affleck’s son, Samuel, for a day of shopping at Neiman Marcus at the Century City Mal for Ben Affleck, whose birthday is on August 15th.

????: @backgrid_usa pic.twitter.com/yIsysMtvJ3

— backgridus (@BackgridUS) August 13, 2024

Jennifer Lopez’s close bond with Ben Affleck’s son Samuel revealed as they hug on shopping spree https://t.co/THpy7CIDJD

— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) August 13, 2024

Photos courtesy of Backgrid.