Ben Affleck Visits Ex Jennifer Garner's House After Relapse: 'He Owned His Mistake,' Source Says
Ben Affleck was seen arriving at Jennifer Garner‘s home one day after appearing to be publicly inebriated at an event on Saturday night.
“You could tell that it wasn’t an easy thing for him, but Ben owned his mistake,” a source tells PEOPLE. “He said it happens, that he slipped up but that it won’t happen again. It was a smart move because now the story is basically over.”
“He looked tired,” the source adds.
In footage obtained by TMZ on Sunday, Affleck said, “It happens. It was a slip. But I’m not going to let it derail me,” before entering Garner’s home.
A rep for Affleck did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
The night before, the father of three, 47, was spotted attending the UNICEF Masquerade Ball in West Hollywood.
In a video obtained by TMZ of Saturday night’s event, Affleck seemed to have trouble walking while leaving his hotel for the ball. Photos from the night show the star wearing a dark suit and a Halloween skull mask over his face.
“Sobriety is difficult and elusive for everyone struggling with addiction,” a friend of Affleck previously told PEOPLE after the footage from the ball was published. “Ben has acknowledged he’s going to slip up from time to time. It was never as if this was simply behind him.”
RELATED: Ben Affleck Opens Up About Giving Back Amid His Recovery, Jokingly Says ‘I’m Dating’
Hours ahead of the ball, the actor addressed having been in recovery for over a year on social media after cracking a joke about his personal life.
“But let’s be serious for a moment and talk about something that is actually important,” he wrote. “I have been in recovery for over a year and part of that is helping out others. @themidnightmission is an incredible organization that helps those in need with housing, training, development and recovery.”
“I’m making a donation today because there are people battling addiction every day that don’t have the resources and need help,” he continued.
Affleck, who’s been in rehab multiple times, entered rehab again in August 2018.
He stayed at the center, with only brief breaks to work out at home and attend business meetings, until October when he broke his silence about his treatment in an emotional statement on Instagram.
“This week I completed a forty-day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remain in outpatient care,” Affleck revealed in the Oct. 4 post. “Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle. Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is a full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family.”
RELATED: Ben Affleck Appears Inebriated at L.A. Party: ‘He Has Acknowledged He’s Going to Slip Up’
Throughout his sobriety journey, Garner — with whom he shares three children, Samuel Garner, 7, Seraphina Rose Elizabeth, 10, and Violet Anne, 13 — has been by his side. The two finalized their divorce in October 2018 three years after separating.
In a candid interview this March, Affleck told Today co-host Hoda Kotb that he’s thankful to have “wonderful” Garner, 47, as a co-parent. “When somebody’s the mother of your kids, they’re going to be the most important central person in your life and that’s good,” the Triple Frontier actor said.
A source told PEOPLE in August: “Ben’s relationship with Jen is strong. She’s really supportive of Ben, and they work very closely on parenting their kids.”
