Hollywood stars Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have settled into a co-parenting model that’s given her room to step back into acting without losing time with their three kids.
The “13 Going on 30” star said the two have struck a balance that lets her chase career opportunities again while staying fully present at home. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Garner, 54, looked back on the years she put motherhood ahead of work.
Jennifer Garner Says Co-Parenting With Ben Affleck Has Given Her More Freedom
The “Five Star Weekend” star said her kids, Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14, have reached an age where she no longer has to bring them along to set the way she once did, a shift that’s brought its own kind of relief.
“Their dad, ex-husband [Affleck], has become this incredible coparent,” she said, giving him credit for the freedom she now feels to focus on productions based close to home in Los Angeles rather than uprooting the family for every role.
She added that he takes wonderful care of their kids, calling their current setup freeing in a way she didn’t always expect.
It’s a dynamic she’s opened up about before. Speaking on Bustle’s “One Nightstand” podcast earlier this year, Garner reflected on how splitting a household reshapes the way each parent shows up for their children. “I become mom and dad, and he becomes dad and mom,” she said, adding that raising kids across two homes means each parent naturally fills in gaps the other can’t always be there for, something she’s come to see as its own quiet kind of teamwork.
Both Have Gracefully Moved On, but Stayed Close as Parents
In November, a source told People that Garner and Affleck are in a good place more than a decade after announcing their split, continuing to support each other as coparents. The source said Affleck has remained focused on his career, his health and his children. “Jen’s his biggest cheerleader,” the source said, adding that it took years for the former couple to reach this point, but Garner never gave up on him. These days, the source said, their relationship is friendly and centered on their kids.
Garner and Affleck tied the knot in June 2005. A decade into their marriage, the couple announced their split in 2015, writing in a joint statement published by ABC News, “After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce.”
Their divorce was finalized in 2018. Since their split, both stars have dated other people. Garner is currently promoting “The Five Star Weekend”, an eight-episode Peacock drama based on Elin Hilderbrand’s bestselling novel, in which he plays a grieving food writer named Hollis Shaw opposite Timothy Olyphant, Regina Hall and Chloë Sevigny.
Garner also serves as an executive producer on the series, which began streaming July 9.
