Jennifer Garner’s breakout role in Alias, a spy drama starring a daddy-daughter double agent duo, introduced her to the world. With a positive critical reception, it’s easy to see why Garner went on to become a star, performing in movies like Pearl Harbor and Daredevil during the show’s run, and much more after it ended.
It was on the sets of Pearl Harbor and Daredevil that Garner struck up a friendship with co-star Ben Affleck. As these things often go, friendship kindled a little something more and the pair got together. Garner and Affleck got married in a private ceremony in 2005 and had three children together, although the marriage ended with divorce. It would have been a sad, but all too common, story if not for its central character — Affleck, whose tales of failed relationships, life struggles, and palpable mood swings are common knowledge.
Speaking to Molly Sims on the Lipstick on the Rim podcast, Garner appears to throw shade at Affleck years after the divorce, that too at a time when the actor is spending more time than usual with his ex-wife and kids post his separation from Jennifer Lopez. Asked for her “favorite quote or mantra,” Garner offers up something from her mother. Sharing her mom’s advice, when Jennifer says, “don’t marry a man thinking you can change him,” she appears to be alluding to the difficulties she faced in her marriage with Ben Affleck.
Why? Well, because Garner has been married twice in her life. Before Affleck, she was married to Scott Foley from 2000 to 2004 and all she has said about the time is rue the fact that Hollywood’s fast-paced life killed their relationship, which would have otherwise, as per the actress, survived all other odds. That leaves The Flash actor, no that it was hard to guess where Garner’s real-life wisdom was coming from.
As with many celebrity relationships, Garner and Affleck’s marriage was one filled with public moments, both good and bad. Ben has previously cited his marriage to Garner as being one of the driving forces of his alcoholism. Jennifer has spoken out about the difficulties in her marriage before, describing Affleck as a “complicated guy” in a 2016 Vanity Fair interview. During the interview, Garner stated Affleck’s tendency to “cast quite a shadow” in the lives of others when he is suffering bad times.
It’s no surprise that she would offer advice to think twice before marrying someone hoping to “fix” them, even jokingly. It’s clear that Garner and Affleck had — and continue to have — a complicated relationship. Moving on from lovers to co-parents can be tough, with the added difficulties of media attention making it so much worse. Yet despite their divorce, Garner was spotted helping Affleck with rehab years later, and the pair have managed to navigate their divorce admirably, with Garner apparently being supportive of Jennifer Lopez during Bennifer’s relationship difficulties.
This Thanksgiving, Garner, Affleck, and their kids took part in charity work, and they reportedly spent Thanksgiving dinner together with Garner’s boyfriend, John Miller. This is a family clearly trying to make it work.
But despite the show of closeness on a day meant for family, the cracks are still apparent. Looking for a “drama-free” Thanksgiving, the pair were snapped separately on the day as Garner took two of their kids to a Wicked screening, and Affleck was photographed looking frustrated in his car.
Affleck, whose second marriage to Jennifer Lopez has broken down, with a complex divorce on the horizon, certainly has a lot to be frustrated about. All personal relationships are fraught with difficulty and his certainly don’t seem to be easy. Garner’s words of warning are a sign of her personal growth after the divorce, while her relationship with John Miller shows all the hallmarks of a woman who’s moved on — this time with a man who hopefully doesn’t need changing.