We Finally Understand Why Ben Affleck And Jennifer Garner Divorced

This article includes descriptions of alcohol addiction, allegations of sexual misconduct, and references to suicide.

Throughout their relationship, former Hollywood power couple Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner dominated media headlines and weathered over a decade of non-stop paparazzi attention. They spent a little over a decade together wherein they welcomed three kids, Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. Sadly, they ultimately filed for divorce in 2015. Per Variety, the couple released a shared statement about the decision, which read, "We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children." Notably, they also requested privacy for themselves and their children.

The two Hollywood stars rose together, attaining fame and fortune. Their meteoric rise made the fall back down to earth much more dramatic, with the tabloids capturing every moment. The famous Hollywood duo has been open about the effect the spotlight had on their family and marriage — something which only became heightened when Affleck's often public experiences with alcohol addiction became a focal point for the paparazzi. Like many fractured relationships, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's divorce can't quite be pinpointed to one event, but we finally understand why this pair simply wasn't meant to be. 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

It's no secret that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner were romantically involved with other people when they first fell in love. Affleck was famously engaged to Jennifer Lopez in one of the most highly-profiled relationships in Hollywood history ('Bennifer' anyone?). The two first met while filming the romantic comedy "Gigli" in 2001, and dated amidst such a rabid tabloid frenzy that they subsequently called off their wedding. "Due to the excessive media attention surrounding our wedding, we have decided to postpone the date," Lopez and Affleck said in a joint statement at the time (via ABC News). Shortly after, in January 2004, Bennifer called it quits. Six months later, the "Let's Get Loud Singer" moved on and married her longtime friend, Mark Anthony, welcoming a set of twins together in 2008, per People.

As for Garner, she was married to actor Scott Foley when she and Affleck starred opposite each other in "Daredevil." According to Us Weekly, the couple met in 1998 while filming "Felicity," and they were married just two years later. After four years of marriage, the two parted ways. However, Foley insisted there was no foul play. "There was no other relationship, there was no infidelity, nothing. People get divorced, you know?" he told TV Guide at the time (via Entertainment Weekly).

During an appearance on "The Howard Stern Show" in 2021, Ben Affleck suggested the tabloid media had spread lies regarding the reasons behind his divorce from Jennifer Garner. "The truth was, we took our time, we made the decision ... We grew apart," he explained. "We had a marriage that didn't work ... with somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer."

Despite the pair no longer being a fit for each other, they have consistently made co-parenting their kids a priority. Garner told Vanity Fair that her friendship with Affleck acts as the foundation for raising their three children. "Sure, I lost the dream of dancing with my husband at my daughter's wedding. But you should see their faces when he walks through the door. And if you see your kids love someone so purely and wholly, then you're going to be friends with that person."

Perhaps the pressure of constant media attention overshadowed this Hollywood duo. If anything, it uncovered the cracks in the relationship. Even after they announced their split, Garner gushed to Vanity Fair about her ex-husband, admitting his likable personality can be quite infectious. However, on the contrary, she admitted, "He's just a complicated guy. I always say, 'When his sun shines on you, you feel it.' But when the sun is shining elsewhere, it's cold. He can cast quite a shadow."

Throughout their marriage, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck were vocal about the tremendous toll the paparazzi had on their family. On an episode of "Tell Me More With Kelly Corrigan," Garner was candid about the intense scrutiny placed upon them. "For 10 years, there were at the very least six cars and often 20 outside of our house, and outside of school, and at the pediatrician's. And you're begging them, 'Please step aside from the pediatrician's door. I have a sick kid. Please,'" she confessed.

It was these kinds of interactions that led the actor to testify before the California State Assembly Committee on Public Safety alongside Halle Berry for Senate Bill 606, which ultimately passed in 2013. The law protects the safety of celebrities' children by increasing penalties for harassment from a maximum of six months in jail to one year. Affleck has also been vocal about the paparazzi. "It's a safety thing, and there's also a sanity thing," he told Playboy. "My kids aren't celebrities. They never made that bargain."

Under the anonymity of masks, Garner could finally take her children to the beach during the COVID-19 pandemic. As she told The Hollywood Reporter, her kids wondered why it was never possible before. "I told them, 'We'd try to go and we'd just get chased away,'" she explained. The star added that she and Affleck's children are now so opposed to cameras they can't get family pictures taken.

Ben Affleck has had his fair share of problems with alcohol misuse, with specific episodes covered salaciously by the media. He told The New York Times in 2020,  "It took me a long time to fundamentally, deeply, without a hint of doubt, admit to myself that I am an alcoholic." According to People, the Oscar winner first checked himself into rehab at 29 years old, in 2001.

Things seemed to settle down when he found love with Garner three years later, becoming a dad shortly after. But as he previously admitted on Instagram (via People), "Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle." In 2017, the actor experienced a relapse and secretly entered rehab. Radar reported that he was given a one-night pass from the facility to attend that year's Oscar ceremony. 

A year later, he re-entered rehab after he started dating Playboy model, Shauna Sexton, forcing the star to publicly state that she had no influence over his drinking (via Daily Mail). Garner reportedly staged an intervention for her ex-husband, with the paparazzi taking snaps of her driving Affleck to a facility for treatment. While he seemed to be doing well after his third stint, he appeared to relapse a year later during a drunken Halloween night when he was seen stumbling backward into a car. Per TMZ, when asked about the incident the next morning, Affleck took it in his stride saying, "It happens, it's a slip, but I'm not going to let it derail me."

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

Though their marriage wasn't meant to be, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have always emphasized their mutual love and respect for each other. Post split, Garner opened up to Vanity Fair about her ex-husband and explained that they were committed to working together through the divorce and through their shared parenting duties. "He's still the only person who really knows the truth about things," she said, "And I'm still the only person that knows some of his truths."

Though their marriage weathered its fair share of tabloid scandals, the former couple's focus has always been on co-parenting their three children. "If you recognize that you both have the best interest of the kids at heart, it's quite a special connection. We're the only two people in the world who care this much about these three kids," Affleck told Today in 2017.

Still, Garner doesn't appear to miss a chance to poke fun at her ex-husband. The mom of three was quick to quip back when asked about Affleck's infamous phoenix tattoo that covers his entire back. "You know what we would say in my hometown about that? 'Bless his heart.' A phoenix rising from the ashes. Am I the ashes in this scenario?" Garner told Vanity Fair. "I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes."