Ben Affleck on Co-Parenting with Jennifer Garner: 'I'm Coming Up a Little Short'
The actor reflected on his relationship with his ex-wife and their children, sharing that Garner often makes him feel inadequate as a parent.
Ben Affleck has offered a candid perspective on his co-parenting dynamic with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, admitting that he feels he falls short compared to her.
Affleck, 54, who shares children Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Sam, 14, with Garner, told Willie Geist on Sunday TODAY that Garner is "spectacular" and "always makes me feel like I'm coming up a little short."
He playfully described his perceived parenting performance to their children: "I think I’m doing about 75% as good as your mom." The children, he added, estimate his efforts at "Maybe 40%."
Despite this self-assessment, Affleck emphasized the importance of mutual respect in co-parenting. "I think the most important thing is, you know, having that mutual respect [for the co-parent]… being able to get along with that person," he said.
Affleck and Garner were married from 2005 until their separation in 2015, with their divorce finalized in 2018. They currently maintain a joint custody arrangement, alternating weeks with their children. "I work hard, and then I go home and pick up the kids from school. We have dinner if they agree to hang out with me. They're with me for a week, then with their mom for a week," Affleck told Variety.
In a separate interview with Entertainment Weekly, Affleck discussed a past project where he considered casting Garner as his on-screen love interest in the Netflix film "Animals." He explained that the idea also had the practical benefit of aligning their schedules for seeing their children. However, both he and Garner ultimately decided against it. "I talked to Jen, and she was like, 'We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage,'" Affleck recalled, referencing their history.
He added that while he would "love to work with her, frankly," and that they are "really good friends" and he is "profoundly grateful to her," they recognized that the audience's perception of their past relationship could negatively impact the film. "what you don’t wanna do is take the audience’s baggage and have it work against you," he stated.
Affleck also recently shared on Jimmy Kimmel Live that his children are often dismissive of his relationship advice, given his own romantic history. "I’ll say, 'You know, well the thing about that relationship there…' and the 17-year-old turns to me and goes, 'Oh, like you’re the expert on relationships?'" he recounted.
The exes have maintained an amicable public relationship, with reports of them running errands together with their children and even spending holidays together post-divorce.