Actress Jennifer Garner is sharing a candid look at the years when family came before work. In a new interview, she said she stepped back from acting for a long stretch while raising her children and managing major changes at home after her split from Ben Affleck. The former couple married in 2005 and ended their marriage in 2015. They share three children, Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14. According to Page Six, Garner connected that period to the strain surrounding the divorce and the instability her family faced at the time.
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Jennifer Garner Says She “Hardly Worked”
Garner described just how much her career slowed during those years. "When my kids were little, I worked so little, and then we had such an upheaval in our family, that I really hardly worked for a long time," she told InStyle. The actress did not go into every detail in the interview, but the timeline points to the years around her separation from Affleck and his addiction struggles. Her comments frame that period as one defined less by Hollywood and more by the daily demands of parenting through a major family transition.
Jennifer Garner Returns to Acting as Kids Grow Up
Now that her children are older, Garner said she has been able to throw herself back into work with more freedom. "To have this year and a half where I just indulged [in acting], because this job is very selfish. It’s all about your schedule. It’s not about what the kids have going on at school. It’s not about pickups and drop-offs and making it home for dinner," Garner told InStyle. She added that she no longer feels guilty about working, though she still appreciates her children’s support as she balances family life with a busy filming schedule.
Jennifer Garner Opens Up About Co-Parenting Changes
Earlier this year, Garner also spoke about the reality of raising children across two homes. She said the split changed the way both parents had to function, with each taking on a broader role. On Bustle’s “One Nightstand” podcast, she explained that in separate households, one parent often has to fill both spaces at once. Garner said there is loss in that arrangement, but also growth. Her comments offered a practical view of co-parenting, one shaped by adaptation rather than bitterness, as reported by Page Six.
Ben Affleck Said the Split Happened Amicably
Affleck has also addressed the end of the marriage in past interviews, pushing back on years of tabloid coverage. In 2021, he said reports about the divorce were wrong and insisted the two handled the breakup with care. He said they simply grew apart and that Garner is still someone he loves and respects. That tone appears to match the relationship they have built since the divorce. The former couple are often seen together, sometimes with their children and sometimes on their own, showing a steady co-parenting bond years after the split.
