Ben Affleck looks 'cozy' alongside Jennifer Garner as he and Jennifer Lopez spend Thanksgiving apart

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner spent Thanksgiving together, as the former couple decided to volunteer with Midnight Mission.

The couple, who are parents to children Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12, looked happy and relaxed while being part of the family unit.

They were joined by their kids and helped feed 2,000 homeless people in downtown Los Angeles during the non-profit organization's annual Thanksgiving brunch. Following the event, body language expert Judi James weighed in on what it all means.

"[Ben's] demeanour suggests he is where he wants to be, without any pressure to perform as an A-lister," she said.

"His smile registers a fun, playful approach and at one point he whispers in Jennifer's ear in an act of intimacy."

Jennifer is still going out with boyfriend John Miller, who she has been in an on and off again relationship with since 2018. Judi pointed out that Ben looked more engaged with Garner than he ever did during his public displays with JLo.

"Ben is in pure alpha mode here, standing with arms folded and head cocked, looking immersed in the event, in contrast to his rather disconnected public signals with J-Lo," she stated.

"Ben looked so dour and irritable towards the end of his marriage to J-lo but here he looks relaxed and in charge of the event. 

"Both he and his ex-wife Jennifer are smiling here and apparently happy to be photographed, with none of the rejection signals Ben had tended to display towards photographers until recently.

"Ben looks happy and comfortable fitting back into the family unit, as though the high levels of A-list fame he achieved with J-Lo were a burden that he struggled to cope with, just as he had the first time he was in a relationship with her."

How did Jennifer Lopez spend Thanksgiving

While Affleck was busy with Garner and his family on Thanksgiving, Lopez posted on Instagram, sharing a solo snap with her stuffed turkey which Judi called "a performative pose for the camera."

'While J-Lo poses alone with what looks like just a large turkey for company, tilting her head to form an amenable, performative pose for the camera and possibly social media, Ben is seen as part of a family unit, wearing matching aprons as a 'uniform' that defines shared objectives with his ex wife and looking confident and happy in a way that he hadn't done with Jennifer in public for most of their marriage," she said.