Jennifer Garner is opening up about the financial fears she faced after ending her marriage to Ben Affleck.
During an appearance on Emma Grede’s “Aspire” podcast, the 54-year-old actress revealed that she began worrying about her future after realizing how much she had stepped back from her career while raising the former couple’s three children.
“I panicked when I was first out of my marriage and realized I had taken such a step back in my work,” Garner said.
Jennifer Garner Says She Realized She Needed to Become an ‘Earner’
Garner said the end of her marriage made her think differently about both her earning potential and longevity in Hollywood.
“I don’t know how long I’ll be able to work,” she recalled thinking. Garner pointed out that acting is not necessarily a career where women can expect their salaries to continue increasing as they get older.
The actress also became more aware of the financial responsibility she had for herself and her children.
“I was suddenly like, ‘Wait a minute. I have to take care of myself. I have to take care of these kids. I didn’t get some huge payout,’” Garner told Grede.
Garner acknowledged that she had been fortunate enough not to spend much time worrying about money earlier in her life. Following the split, however, she realized being famous did not automatically guarantee financial security.
“Life is expensive, and you still have to kind of figure out how you’re gonna live,” she said. “Oh, I need to be an earner here.”
Garner and her manager, Nicole King, then became more strategic about finding acting opportunities that would allow her to continue raising her children. Garner said she was willing to work in Los Angeles but could not leave her kids for six months at a time to shoot on location.
Those concerns also came as Garner expanded her career beyond acting. She became involved with Once Upon a Farm, the organic food company where she serves as co-founder and chief brand officer. The company went public in February 2026, according to Page Six.
Jennifer Garner Doesn’t Regret Stepping Back From Acting for Her Kids
Despite the anxiety she later experienced, Garner said she does not regret prioritizing motherhood when her children were younger.
“I was so lucky to be able to luxuriate in working some and being home and being a mom a lot of the time,” she told Grede. “I got to kinda have the best of both worlds.”
Now that her children are older, Garner has been taking on more acting projects. Her recent credits include “The Adam Project,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and Peacock’s “The Five-Star Weekend.”
Garner has also credited her relationship with Affleck as a co-parent with giving her more freedom to work away from home. She initially had concerns about spending a month in Nantucket filming “The Five-Star Weekend,” but felt more comfortable knowing their children could be with their father.
Though her priorities have shifted as her children have grown, Garner said she remains grateful that she was able to devote so much of her earlier life to motherhood.
“I can’t really look back and complain about any of it,” she said. “It just, it is what it is.”
