In early November, Jennifer Garner was spotted on a lunch date in Santa Monica with her boyfriend of five years, John Miller. Garner — wearing a gray top, black skirt and black loafers — was uncharacteristically affectionate with the casually dressed entrepreneur, holding his hand as they chatted and made their way to her car.
Since linking up with Miller in 2018, Garner, 51, has kept their romance firmly under the radar. But in recent months, the actress has become noticeably less guarded — in April, Miller attended the premiere of Garner’s series The Last Thing He Told Me, and on November 17, she was photographed blowing him a kiss after the pair said goodbye outside her Brentwood, California, home.
Things are going well for Garner across the board. Her latest movie, Netflix’s Family Switch — a holiday-themed body-swap comedy evoking her hit 13 Going on 30 — premiering on November 30, and she has four other films in production. She and ex-husband Ben Affleck (with whom she shares kids Violet, 18, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11) are on fantastic terms and things with Miller are clearly heading in a good direction.
Last May, Us reported Miller had given Garner a diamond ring for her 50th birthday, and the pair spent the recent Thanksgiving weekend together in Montana. “Jen and John are in a great place,” says a source. “They used to go out of their way to keep a low profile, but they’ve both become very secure with their relationship and how it’s all worked out.”
Miller has brought a certain peace to Garner’s life. “Jen and John have a really special relationship,” says a second source. “After having so much of her [marriage with Affleck] in the spotlight, she really enjoys being with someone who isn’t a celebrity.” Like Garner, Miller is very accomplished career-wise — he’s the CEO of the restaurant chain CaliBurger and its parent company, CaliGroup — but sources say he’s as grounded as can be.
“For all his success in business, John is very down-to-earth,” says the first source. “Part of John’s appeal to Jen is how humble he is — this is a guy who wouldn’t know how to sound egotistical even if he tried.”
They’re both family-oriented (Miller shares a son and a daughter with his former wife), and they share an appreciation for the simpler things in life. According to the first source, Miller “never had an issue” when Garner suggested meeting somewhere low-key for dates or cooking a meal at home as opposed to stepping out at a fancy Hollywood restaurant.
Garner’s been setting the pace since the beginning. “John’s been happy to go with the flow and do things Jen’s way from day one,” says the source, noting that he’ll occasionally surprise the star with idyllic getaways or set up double-date nights with pals. “John is a romantic who’s big on making sweet gestures and spoiling Jen when she least expects it.”
According to the first source, people in Garner and Miller’s circles feel confident they’ll tie the knot eventually. “Jen and John want to take their time to plan out the specifics as far as the type of ceremony they want, where to live and whether or not they’ll need a prenup,” says the source. “All that will come, but on their own timetable.”
In June, an insider told Us Miller had rented a home a couple of miles away from Garner. Although there were no immediate plans for them to move in together, the source said, Miller “wanted to be closer” to his partner.
For now, they’re totally content. According to a third source, Miller is expected to attend the November 30 premiere of Family Switch to support Garner as well as his daughter, who has a small role in the movie. (In January, Us reported Garner was planning to get one of Miller’s children into an upcoming film of hers.) And the first source says they’ll be spending Christmas at Garner’s home.
“The plan is to celebrate most of the holidays in L.A. this year,” says the source. “Jen will be decorating with the kids, baking and watching movies — all the traditional stuff. John will, of course, be there too. He’s a huge hit with her family.”
