Jennifer Garner is reflecting on one of the most painful chapters of her life—her divorce from Ben Affleck—and the emotional toll it took on their family.
While promoting the upcoming second season of Apple TV+’s The Last Thing He Told Me, the actress spoke candidly about the end of her nearly decade-long marriage to Affleck, with whom she shares three children. The couple split in 2015 amid reports of Affleck’s alleged affair with their nanny, claims he later denied.
Garner didn’t sugarcoat the experience, describing the breakup as deeply difficult on multiple levels. She explained that the hardest part wasn’t just losing a marriage, but watching the family she built come apart. Ending what she called a genuine partnership and friendship, she said, was emotionally devastating.
During the separation, Garner made a conscious decision to protect her mental health. She avoided reading headlines or consuming media coverage about the split, choosing instead to focus inward and stay grounded through close relationships. That period, she said, reshaped how she values the people around her and reinforced how much resilience comes from having a strong support system.
Despite the pain of the divorce, Garner and Affleck have managed to maintain a civil and cooperative relationship in the years since. The two continue to co-parent their children—Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13—and Garner has publicly supported Affleck through his struggles, including encouraging him to seek help for alcohol issues.
Garner also opened up about how motherhood influenced her career choices. She revealed that stepping back from acting to focus on raising her children never felt like a sacrifice, even though balancing work and family was often difficult. Parenthood, she said, ultimately shaped the roles she chose and the pace of her career in a meaningful way.
Looking back, Garner’s reflections paint a picture of heartbreak, growth, and hard-earned clarity—one rooted not in Hollywood drama, but in the realities of family, loss, and rebuilding after everything changes.
