i may have stumbled upon a bizarre ben affleck relationship conspiracy

gwyneth paltrow (1997-2000)
jennifer lopez ('02-'04)
jennifer garner ('04-'18)
ana de armas ('19-now)

notice a recurring theme? he dated each of these women at a high point in their careers

in case you're not as well-versed with celebs as i am let me break it down:

pre-goop gwyneth was THE hollywood it girl in the late 90s after starring in emma & se7en. she won an oscar for shakespeare in love in '98 (which coincidentally starred affleck) and called it a curse

j-lo met affleck on the set of gigli in '02 and the couple worked together again on jenny from the block & jersey girl in '04. their relationship (which led to an engagement) was the subject of widespread media coverage and they were known publicly as "bennifer"

the couple met on the set of pearl harbor '01 & worked together again on daredevil in '03. between that time garner had gained immense popularity while starring in alias '01-'06 and 13 going on 30 (2004). they married in '05 and eventually separated in '15 before divorcing in '18

and most recently, miss ana de armas, who he met on the set of deep water in 2019. the actress received widespread recognition for her role in knives out '19 and is set to star as marilyn monroe in what is sure to become an awards season darling + the latest bond film

in other words: ben affleck uses film sets as tinder