Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Garner, best friends and maybe "it" couple of 2020, spent part of today out on what could be a date, possibly, if you sometimes bring your young child on dates with you. It's hard to know! Either way, both Bradley and Jennifer are single.
The pair have been close friends since they starred on Alias together back in 2001, and there are plenty of people who are definitely interested in knowing if these two have finally decided to take their 19-year-long friendship to the next level.
The furor over the new Brad and Jen kicked off when TMZ reported the pair had been spotted at the beach in Malibu. They appeared to have Bradley's 2-year-old daughter in tow. While Bradley hasn't been seriously romantically linked with anyone since he and Irina Shayk broke up in 2019, Jennifer only recently broke up with her boyfriend, Cali Group CEO John Miller, earlier this year.
This isn't the first time that Bradley and Jennifer have been linked, but there is a curious air of being in the right place at the right time about their reported beach outing. Last year, several outlets implied that the two had begun dating, ostensibly behind Lady Gaga's back, but nothing ever came to fruition.
Bradley and Jennifer also played best friends (and occasional romantic partners) on Alias, which makes these new rumors all the more tempting for hopeful fans. Since Bradley and Irina separated, various sources have reported that the actor has been leaning on his best friend Jennifer a little more than usual. The plot thickens!
Jennifer and her ex-husband, actor Ben Affleck, divorced in 2018 following a long period of separation. Earlier this year, Ben noted that the failure of his marriage still haunts him: "The biggest regret of my life is this divorce. Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It's just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing."
In the same interview, Ben was asked where he sees himself in five years. He responded, "Five years from now, Ben Affleck is sober and happy, and sees his kids three and a half days a week, and has made three or four movies that are interesting to him. [And] directed two [movies] that he's hopefully proud of and is in a healthy, stable, loving, committed relationship."
Ben met his girlfriend, Ana de Armas, when the pair costarred in Deep Water last year. Since then, they have been photographed often, especially while completing chores such as walking their dog, grabbing coffee, or hanging out with Matt Damon and his wife, Luciana, at the beach in Malibu.
Meanwhile, Jennifer mostly kept a low profile when she was dating John Miller. She had been spending her extra time at home with her children — Violet, 14; Seraphina, 11; and Samuel, 8 — and reportedly didn't see much of John since he was at his home with his kids. The pair dated for nearly two years, with one friend telling Us Weekly, "Jen brings out the best in John, and he is the happiest he has probably ever been. It's a loving, healthy relationship."
Bradley and his ex, Irina, split up in 2019. They were often quite private about their relationship together, but every so often they chatted about their life. They were both thrilled when they welcomed their daughter.
Bradley told NPR, "Having a child, and having a family of my own — which is a miracle and something I've always dreamt of — has opened me up even more, I guess, to the day, and to be present."
When the pair separated, many believed that it was because Bradley had begun a relationship with his A Star Is Born costar, Lady Gaga, but the rumors were never substantiated. A source later told Entertainment Tonight that Irina ended things.
"Recently Irina decided enough is enough. She didn't feel she was getting the level of commitment she wanted, and the endless fighting made their life unbearable. They are very different people, and once they realized it was the baby that was holding them together, it was time to call it quits."
So now that everyone who really matters in this story is single, and apparently spending time together laughing and playing on the beach, it begs the question: Could Bradley and Jennifer really be moving toward exploring their nearly 20-year-long friendship and turning it into something more?
In 2018, Jennifer even presented the American Cinematheque Award to Bradley.
She said, "I took him home and made him dinner … I'm still making him dinner. There is something about people who are the same in success and failure that makes us love them. Tells us, we know the very heart of them. I know the heart and stomach of Bradley Cooper."
She got even more sentimental:
"Bradley, what's happening to you now is a pure joy to those who know you, especially to those of us who've known you from the start. It turns out you weren't just handsome all along. You were also a wonder, and you are welcome at my table anytime."
It remains to be seen if this was a "date date," a "maybe date," or just two old friends reconnecting on the beach. As many of us know by now, 2020 has brought a lot of changes to the world. It could just be that reconnecting Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Garner is one of them.
However, while many Alias fans are pretty thrilled about this life update, there are a few who are waiting to find out what Michael Vaughn thinks about it.
