Many fans have been revisiting Ben Affleck‘s past remarks regarding his love life following his dramatic and tumultuous split from Jennifer Lopez earlier this year. Before Affleck, 52, wed Lopez, 55, in 2022, he was previously married to Jennifer Garner from 2005 to 2018. The Argo star and 13 Going on 30 actress, 52, share three children together: Violet, 19, Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12.
Affleck and Garner notably spent time together this Thanksgiving to serve meals to homeless individuals with their children in Los Angeles. As for his relationship with Garner, Affleck notably said during his 2021 appearance on The Howard Stern Show that he felt “trapped.”
Ben Affleck Reflects on Feeling 'Trapped' in His Relationship with Jennifer Garner in Resurfaced Interview
The Justice League alum explained: "Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped." Affleck mentioned that he and Garner had seen their 2017 divorce coming for a while, but they remained together for as long as possible for the well-being of their children. He went on: "I was like, ‘I can't leave because of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?' And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."
Although the Daredevil co-stars were no longer in love, he explained that their breakup wasn't as sensational as the media made it out to be. "We had a marriage that didn't work. This happens. She's somebody I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer," he noted.
He continued: "We did it amicably. We did our best. Did we have moments of tension? Did we have disagreements over custody? Was stuff difficult for us? Did we get angry?" Affleck added: "Yes, but fundamentally it was always underpinned with a respect." He shared that he always recognized Garner as a great mother and wished she thought the same about him as a father. What mattered most to him was how his children saw him, and he realized that seeking help for his addiction was necessary.
"The cure for addiction is suffering, you suffer enough that something inside you goes, ‘I'm done,'" he said. "I'm lucky because I hit that point before I lost the things that were most important. Not my career or money—it was my relationship with my kids." Affleck also said that if he was with Garner, he would "probably still be drinking." Affleck later retracted his comments on a subsequent episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
“I was really happy with it,” he told Kimmel about his interview with Stern, adding that he thought their lengthy chat was “meaningful.” Affleck noted that during the interview, he expressed admiration for the time he shared with his former wife Garner. “I had gone on about how much we respected each other and how we cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first,” he said.
He went on: “And went through our stuff. And they said that I had blamed by ex-wife for my alcoholism and that I was trapped in this marriage and just made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid, awful guy.”
Affleck mentioned that he doesn't mind being known as the "sad Batman" or the "Dunkin Donuts" meme guy, but when it involves his family, it's a different story. He stated: “I have to draw a line and be clear."
Regarding social media backlash following him saying he felt "trapped" with Garner, Affleck said: "That’s not true. I don’t believe that. It’s the exact opposite of who I am." He continued, telling Kimmel: "What I believe and I would never want my kids to think that I would ever say a bad word about their mom.” Affleck and Garner continue to co-parent their three children amicably, as seen in paparazzi photos shared on social media.
