Why Jennifer Garner Doesn't Like Talking About Ex Ben Affleck In Public
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's relationship outdazzles all their past romances, making it easy to forget there used to be another Jen on Ben's arm. His mid-aughts marriage to Jennifer Garner was low-key and suburban, but it ended with plenty of drama. Per People, the actors met in 2000 while filming "Pearl Harbor." They also starred together in 2003's "Daredevil."
Despite sparks flying, Garner was married to Scott Farley, and Ben was engaged to Lopez. However, shortly after both of their relationships ended in 2004, the newly single couple engaged in a steamy world series PDA. And you know things are serious when Ben takes his eye off the ball while his beloved Red Sox are on the field. And sure enough, nine months later, they were hitched and expecting their first child, Violet Anne Affleck. Seraphina Rose Affleck and Samuel Garner Affleck followed in her footsteps.
Everything appeared perfect on the Affleck family front— until it wasn't. Vanity Fair reports that Garner unwittingly found herself a tabloid target in 2015 after the couple announced they had split. At first, nobody could understand why Garner and Ben were getting divorced. Then news broke that he'd reportedly been having a fling with the family nanny. Lesser women would have taken their (allegedly) cheating ex to the bank — then dragged his name through the mud. Still, the scorned mom of three kept it classy throughout. However, there's a reason why Jennifer Garner doesn't like talking about ex Ben Affleck in public.
Meme-less and press free
When Ben Affleck and Jenifer Garner announced they were divorcing, they were swept up in a tabloid tsunami. Garner didn't enjoy a second of her time in the salacious spotlight, and she strives to avoid it as much as possible now. Hence why Garner doesn't like talking about Affleck in public, even when he becomes an accidental Grammys meme star.
"I really work hard not to see either of us in the press. It doesn't make me feel good, even if it's something nice about one of us," Garner told the Aussie mag, Stellar (via Insider). "I just try to forget that I'm out there in any way, and the same with anyone I love. I don't need to see anyone in my family made into a meme," she continued before conceding, "Although I'm sure he's quite meme-worthy, yes!"
Meanwhile, despite Garner having regrets about her first marriage to Scott Foley, she has no remorse over hubby number two. She believed they were in it for the long haul and gave the relationship her all. "It was a real marriage," Garner told Vanity Fair. "It wasn't for the cameras. And it was a huge priority for me to stay in it. And that did not work." She insisted that "Nannygate" wasn't what caused their split. Garner explained that things were over between them long before the rumors started that Affleck was having an affair with Christine Ouzounian, which he's always denied.
Blended life, happy wife
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck remain friends as they co-parent their kids. Both are committed to giving their children a healthy and happy upbringing with as little media exposure as possible. Affleck admitted to Howard Stern that he even second-guessed his decision to reunite with Jennifer Lopez, fearing the tabloid onslaught would affect his family. "My responsibility to my children is the highest responsibility I have," Affleck said. "I don't want to do anything that is painful or destructive to them if I can help it."
"That being said, my life affects them. I've already inflicted that on them," he continued. "Me and their mom are celebrities, and that's hard. Let's not bull***t each other. That is a cross to bear. That's an albatross already."
Meanwhile, Garner is in a magnanimous mood regarding Affleck's marriage to Lopez. A source told ET that "[Jen's] been supportive" of her ex-husband's new relationship and that the Affleck-Lopezes are giving "The Brady Bunch" a run for their money. "The kids get along well, and Ben's kids love Jen, and Jen's kids adore Ben," the source said. Lopez praised Garner for being "an amazing co-parent" in an interview with Vogue. "They really work well together," she said of Affleck and his ex-wife. "What I hope to cultivate with our family is that his kids have a new ally in me, and my kids have a new ally in him. Someone who really loves and cares about them," she continued.