In 2015, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, who had been married for 10 years, announced they were going their separate ways. And while the two only finalized their divorce three years later in 2018, the former couple have since become an example of what mature exes and co-parents should act like. Instead of going after each other on social media or in interviews, the two were always honest about their relationship, and their marital problems and even praised each other over the years.
While both of them have decidedly moved on since their split, Affleck married Jennifer Lopez in 2022 and Garner has been dating her boyfriend John Miller on and off since 2018, the two have never wavered in their love and support for one another through the years. Whether it was a Father’s Day post from Garner or a special interview shoutout from Affleck, check out all the times Affleck and Garner praised each other through the years below!
Nuptial Bliss
In her first tell-all interview post-divorce, Jennifer Garner looked back at her and Affleck’s wedding day back in 2005. “I didn’t marry the big fat movie star; I married him,” she told Vanity Fair. “And I would go back and remake that decision. I ran down the beach to him, and I would again. You can’t have these three babies and so much of what we had. He’s the love of my life. What am I going to do about that?”
“He’s the most brilliant person in any room, the most charismatic, the most generous,” she continued. “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.”
‘Great Friends’
While explaining their dynamic to the Today Show back in 2016, Garner explained why she and their kids traveled to London to be with Affleck during the filming of Justice League. “Ben was working in London on Justice League, and I thought, ‘Well, the kids should have that experience,'” Garner said, per Entertainment Tonight. “He and I are great friends, and we just all went en masse.”
Celebrating Dad Moments
In addition to celebrating Affleck as a co-parent, Garner has also shared some of his best moments as a dad in the past. In 2016, Garner revealed what Affleck did for their son Samuel’s fourth birthday party. “We all dressed up, I dressed up as a ninja, and Ben dressed up as Batman for Sam, which was the best dad moment in history,” Garner told Extra at the time. “It was pretty sweet.”
Still Celebrating Father’s Day
During 2018’s Father’s Day, Garner showed her appreciation for Affleck. “Our kids are lucky to have a dad who looks at them the way you look at them and loves them the way you love them, @benaffleck,” Garner wrote on Instagram alongside a black and white portrait of the actor. “#happyfathersday #threeluckykids #haveagreatday.”
Feeling ‘Lucky’
In 2020, Affleck opened up about his struggles with alcohol, how it led to his breakup with Garner and how the two manage to co-parent.
“When you have children with somebody you’re connected to them forever,” he told People. “And I’m very lucky she is the mother of my children. I’m very grateful and respectful of her. Our marriage didn’t work, and that’s difficult. Both of us really believe that it’s important for kids to see their parents respect one another and get along, whether they’re together or not.”
A Mother’s Day Tribute
In 2021, Affleck returned the favor and posted a sweet tribute to Garner on Mother’s Day. “So happy to share these kids with you,” Affleck wrote in the caption, per Us Weekly. “Luckiest parents in the world. Thanks for all the good you do. Happy Mother’s Day. Love, their Dad.”
Setting the Record Straight
In 2021, Affleck received backlash for comments during an appearance on The Howard Stern Show. While discussing his alcohol abuse, Affleck appeared to inadvertently diss his ex.
“Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped,” the actor told Stern. “I was like, ‘I can’t leave because of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’ And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.”
Affleck later set the record straight and continued to praise his ex. “I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other, and cared about our kids and put them first and went through our stuff,” he clarified to Jimmy Kimmel, adding that the following stories made him out to be “the exact opposite of who I am.”
“I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom,” Affleck continued. “Because I never had, I never would.”
Another Father’s Day Appreciation Post
In 2023’s Father’s Day, Garner gave Affleck another major shoutout. “Shout out to BGA—no one loves their kids like you love ours, happy Father’s Day, Ben! X,” Garner wrote on Instagram, per Us Weekly.
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