Jennifer Garner is opening up about her difficult split from her ex-husband, Ben Affleck.
“You have to be smart about what you can and can’t handle, and I could not handle what was out there,” the actress, 53, said in an interview with Marie Claire UK published on Wednesday, January 7. “But what was out there was not what was hard. The fact of it is what was hard.”
Affleck, 53, and Garner fell in love after starring in 2003’s Daredevil. The pair tied the knot in 2005 and went on to welcome three children: Violet, 19, Seraphina, 16, and Samuel, 13. In 2015, Garner and Affleck announced their split, going on to finalize their divorce three years later.
“The actual breaking up of a family is what was hard,” Garner continued. “Losing a true partnership and friendship is what was hard.”
While the transition was a challenge at first, Garner persevered, she said, thanks in part to the support of her loved ones.
“I make a big, concerted effort to see my people as much as I can, because that’s what matters,” she explained to the outlet. “That’s where your resilience is: it’s in your relationships and in the people who carry you through.”
Despite their love connection not working out, Garner and Affleck have kept their bond strong as they coparent their kids.
“I’m able to co-parent at this point in time with peace and equanimity and a partnership that I didn’t know I would ever get back to,” Garner said on Wednesday. “I think it’s important for women to know, when they think, ‘Oh, I’ll never see that, I’ll never have that feeling, I’ll never be friends with this person again’ [that] time is the opportunity. Time is the opportunity to heal. Time is the opportunity to forgive, to move on and to find a new way to be friends.”
Affleck, for his part, has also gushed about his coparenting dynamic with Garner.
“I’m really lucky that I have a really good coparent and partner in Jennifer Garner, the kids’ mom, who’s wonderful and great and we work together well,” the actor said of his ex-wife in a March 2025 interview with GQ.
That same year, Garner shared a sweet tribute for Affleck in honor of Father’s Day.
“Happy Father’s Day to 3 people’s favorite landing spot,” Garner, 53, wrote via her Instagram Story alongside a throwback photo of Affleck laying on a couch with a newborn sleeping on his chest.
Following Garner’s split from Affleck, she moved on with boyfriend John Miller. Affleck, for his part, rekindled his romance with his former fiancee Jennifer Lopez. The twosome wed in 2022. In August 2024, Lopez, 56, filed for divorce after two years of marriage. Amid his split from Lopez, Affleck was spotted with Garner on multiple occasions sparking speculation of a potential reconciliation. A source exclusively told Us Weekly that despite the online rumors, the pair work best as friends.
“Their relationship has evolved into a strong friendship,” the insider said of Affleck and Garner in March 2025 “Jen is a grounding and trusting force in Ben’s life.”
The source added that Affleck and Garner were spending more time together as a family.
“Ben’s actually been spending more time with Jen since his divorce from Jennifer [Lopez] because he’s been prioritizing his kids,” the insider explained, noting, “It’s easier to spend time with them with Jen.”
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