Ben Affleck is back on the hunt for a new girlfriend and a source exclusively tells In Touch the A-lister has been lamenting his post-divorce loneliness to friends and confiding that he’d like to settle down and have kids again.

“No matter what Ben says, the fact is he is most happy when he’s in a long term relationship with somebody he respects and sees as an equal,” says a longtime pal of The Accountant star, 52. “He’s already had that a handful of times in his life, and he’s determined to find another relationship like that again, and have more kids if he can.” 

The Oscar-winning actor has a star-studded dating history outside of his much-publicized marital troubles. He dated Gwyneth Paltrow on and off for three years in the late 1990s before his first high-profile romance with Jennifer Lopez. After their engagement fizzled out due “excessive media attention” around their upcoming wedding, he moved on with Jennifer Garner, whom he wed in June 2005. They welcomed three children throughout their marriage — Violet, in December 2005, Fin, in January 2009 and Samuel in February 2012.

According to reports from Page Six, Jen Garner, 53, grew tired of the Good Will Hunting star’s gambling and alleged liaisons with other women. The two had been in professional counseling for some time, but ultimately decided to split just before their 10th anniversary. 

Not one to be single for very long, as the source says Ben “needs somebody to take care of him, have dinner ready when he gets home, and listen to his problems,” the actor moved on with a string of flings, including Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus, 23-year-old veterinary tech and former Playboy model Shauna Sexton and Ana de Armas, before reconnecting and finally marrying J. Lo, 55.

With that marriage also in flames after an August 2024 divorce filing that came on the heels of a contentious summer apart for the couple, the source says Ben’s unlikely to fall back into dating a series of younger women and instead “is going to continue to settle down with women relatively close to his own age,” as, “he’s just never had any long term success with women he’s way older than.” 

Though, the insider says there is a problem facing the Argo actor’s love life. “The huge obstacle standing in front of Ben’s future plans, and even the sheer idea that he can raise more kids, is his insane work schedule and new role as a studio chief in his and Matt Damon‘s company, Artists Equity.” 

With the added responsibility, “Ben has more employees to worry about than ever before and he’s juggling a number of different film projects as producer and director,” the source explains. 

“Eventually, he’s going to have to keep normal hours if he wants any kind of love life, but right now he’s up to his chin in work commitments and if he wants a date, he needs somebody to set it up for him because he’s just not in the mode to go out and mingle.”