Jennifer Garner Makes Rare Comments About Her ‘Hard’ Divorce from Ben Affleck

Jennifer Garner is sharing rare, candid reflections on her separation from ex-husband Ben Affleck and how the experience reshaped her life.

In a recent interview with Marie Claire UK, the 53-year-old actress spoke about where she is today, both personally and professionally, as she prepares for the upcoming second season of her Apple TV+ drama The Last Thing He Told Me. Looking back on the couple’s 2015 split, Garner described the period as deeply challenging.

“You have to be smart about what you can and can’t handle, and I could not handle what was out there,” she explained, gesturing outward. “But what was out there was not what was hard. The fact of it is what was hard. The actual breaking up of a family is what was hard. Losing a true partnership and friendship is what was hard.”

After the highly publicized breakup from Affleck, 53, with whom she shares three children — Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose and Samuel — Garner said she leaned heavily on her personal relationships to stay grounded.

“I make a big, concerted effort to see my people as much as I can, because that’s what matters,” she said. “That’s where your resilience is: it’s in your relationships and in the people who carry you through.”

Garner and Affleck ended their marriage after 10 years together, finalizing their divorce three years after announcing their separation.

Alongside teasing the second season of The Last Thing He Told Me, which also stars Angourie Rice, Aisha Tyler and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Garner discussed what currently takes priority in her life. That includes her advocacy work with Save the Children US and Once Upon a Farm — and, above all, her role as a mom.

“They’re just so cool!” she said of Violet Anne, 20, Seraphina Rose, 17, and Samuel, 13. “Parenting now has shifted. It’s more about parenting with a button on my mouth. You have to let them grow up and make their choices. You don’t get to control it.”

Garner, who is currently dating businessman John Miller, also acknowledged the unique challenges of co-parenting with Affleck while living in the public eye.

“It’s been the hardest thing,” she admitted. “Not hard in the grand scheme of what is hard in the world, but tricky for me and tricky for my family.”