Jennifer Garner has spoken about the financial anxieties she experienced following her divorce from Ben Affleck, revealing a period where she "panicked" about her future as a single mother and an "earner" in Hollywood.
Garner, 54, and Affleck, also 54, announced their separation in 2015 after a decade of marriage, finalizing their divorce in 2018. During this time, Garner realized she had significantly stepped back from her acting career to focus on raising their three children: Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14.
"I panicked when I was first out of my marriage and realized I had taken such a step back in my work," Garner shared on Emma Grede's Aspire podcast. She noted the uncertainty of a career in entertainment, stating, "This isn't a career that's like, hey, you're 60, you're 55, you're 43 - come on, let's pay you more than you've ever made. That's not been traditionally the role."
The actress described a shift in her perspective, acknowledging the necessity of financial independence. "I was suddenly like, wait a minute, I have to take care of myself. I have to take care of these kids. So what is it going to be?" she recalled.
Following this realization, Garner and her long-time manager strategically planned her career's next phase, prioritizing her ability to remain close to home. "She was like, how can you work? And I said, I can work in Los Angeles. I can't leave these kids for six months at a time," Garner explained. "And so it's like, okay, what can we make happen? How can we do it? And we just got really targeted and still about it."
This focused approach led Garner to co-found Once Upon a Farm, an organic children's food company, in 2017. "Once Upon a Farm was very much a part of that play. It's just the crazy thing is it's working," she said.
The company has achieved significant financial success, making its New York Stock Exchange debut in February with a valuation of approximately $724 million. Garner is the largest individual shareholder, owning about seven percent of the business, which Forbes estimated this month to be worth around $50 million.
Reflecting on her past financial concerns, Garner emphasized that public recognition does not guarantee financial stability. "Life is expensive and you still have to kind of figure out how you're going to live," she stated. "And just because you're well known by people does not mean that there is some great living being provided for you."
She also humorously mentioned that her business manager can still induce financial anxiety with a mere look. Garner admitted to being a generous donor, sometimes needing a reminder to curb her spending. "So every now and then he's like, can you pump the brakes? So that is something that I had to cool my jets on."
Garner's recent reflections follow earlier comments this summer about scaling back work during her children's younger years and amidst marital upheaval. Despite the challenges, she expressed no regrets about prioritizing family time. "I was so lucky to be able to luxuriate in working some and being home and being a mom a lot of the time. I was really grateful for that opportunity. I got to kind of have the best of both worlds," she said. "So I can't really look back and complain about any of it. It just is what it is."
Garner has continued to balance her roles, recently appearing in the Peacock drama "The Five-Star Weekend" while maintaining her commitment to Once Upon a Farm.