The Gist
Ben Affleck gave a rare quote about his exes Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez in a new interview.
He said they’re both “amazing” at this thing.
Affleck and Garner married in 2005, split in 2015, and finalized their divorce in 2018. Affleck and Lopez married in 2022, split in 2024, and finalized their divorce in 2025, after first dating back in 2002.
Ben Affleck has nothing but love for Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez. The Gone Girl star praised both of his ex-wives in new rare comments.
The 54-year-old actor sat down with Variety to discuss his production company Artists Equity. Amid the business-minded conversation, Affleck snuck in a compliment for his old flames. While speaking about how performers are expected “to be brands now” (and Artists Equity’s own branded content and advertising division), Affleck said, “People—either tacitly or explicitly—are expected to make money elsewhere. Now you’ve got your social media identity. You work to develop that.”
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner at the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 2, 2014.
Credit: Getty images
“I’ve seen both Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner do amazing jobs cultivating and accruing value in those spaces,” he continued. “Don’t think that’s not real work. I couldn’t do it. What am I going to do, unbox something?”
Affleck and Garner met on a movie set in 2000 but didn’t start dating until 2004. They married in a private ceremony in Turks and Caicos in 2005 and welcomed three children in 2005, 2009, and 2012, respectively. They announced their split in June 2015 and finalized their divorce in October 2018, though they maintain a friendly co-parenting relationship.
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez attend the ‘This Is Me…Now: A Love Story’ Los Angeles premiere on February 13, 2024.
Credit: Getty Images
As for Affleck and Lopez, they began dating in July 2002, became engaged in September 2003, and called it off in January 2004. They gave their romance another try in 2021, eventually marrying in July 2022. However, they separated in April 2024 and finalized their divorce in January 2025, though they, too, maintain a friendly relationship.
Elsewhere in the interview, Affleck shared the “fundamental truth” he learned about marriage through his work in the new film Animals, a thriller that follows a couple whose son is kidnapped; he stars opposite Kerry Washington. “There’s a lot more to marriage and relationships than having a house and kids together. Whether you’re straight, gay, whatever—we’ve invested in sharing because it’s easier and better and wiser for us to live in a partnership,” he said.
Ben Affleck and Kerry Washington attend the world premiere of ‘Animals’ on October 1, 2026.
Credit: Getty Images
“Old-fashioned economics and the rules of commitment and love. But then you realize this guy’s a slob, or this one snores? At what point in a relationship are you able to say, ‘This is who I am?'” he continued. “Neither of our characters are able to tell the fundamental truth about each other, even to themselves. It’s interesting to see how brave these characters get when they think they’ve lost everything.”
Read the original article on InStyle