Ben Affleck reflects on comments he made about ex-wife Jennifer Garner that were misconstrued
Topics: Celebrity, TV And Film
Bec Oakes
Featured Image Credit: Allstar Picture Library Ltd / REUTERS / Alamy Stock Photo
Topics: Celebrity, TV And Film
Ben Affleck has learnt to be careful with his words after being burned in the past.
The Academy Award winning actor and director recalled making headlines after comments he'd made about his ex-wife Jennifer Garner were 'mischaracterised' in order to become 'clickbait'.
Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, he said: "I had a really painful experience where I did an interview where I was really vulnerable.
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"And the entire pickup was something that was not only not right, it was actually the opposite of what I meant."
During a conversation with Howard Stern in 2021, the Gone Girl actor opened up about his alcohol addiction and the breakdown of his 10-year marriage to Garner, with whom he shares three children.
Yet he says his comments were mischaracterised to seem like he was placing the blame his ex-wife for his addiction, something he vehemently denies.
Affleck said: "The idea that I was blaming my wife for my drinking. To be clear, my behaviour is my responsibility entirely.
"The point that I was trying to make was a sad one. Anyone who's been through divorce makes that calculus of, 'How much do we try?'
"We loved each other. We care about each other. We have respect for each other.
"I was trying to say, 'Hey, look, I was drinking too much, and the less happy you become, whether it's your job, your marriage, it's just that as your life becomes more difficult, if you're doing things to fill a hole that aren't healthy, you're going to start doing more of those things.'
"I think I was pretty articulate about that."
He added that comments he made in his conversation with Stern were 'mischaracterised it in order to make it clickbait'.
He continued: "It didn't matter how many times I said, 'I do not feel this way. I'm telling you, I don't blame my ex-wife for my alcoholism.' So, yeah. It's hard."
Since their divorce, Affleck and Garner have continued to co-parent their three children Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14 and Samuel, 11.
Garner has been in a relationship with John Miller for several years while Affleck reunited with ex Jennifer Lopez in 2021 and tied the knot last year, 20 years after their first engagement.
He recently became a meme after being caught looking completely miserable at the 2023 Grammy Awards, which he attended with Lopez last month.