11 years after their split, Ben Affleck doesn’t hold back as he describes his ex-wife

Affleck’s romantic history has been followed by the public for decades.

He was married to Jennifer Garner for 10 years, and the former couple share three children together.

Years after that marriage ended, Affleck famously rekindled his romance with Jennifer Lopez, whom he had first dated and become engaged to in the early 2000s.

Their reunion became one of Hollywood’s biggest relationship stories.

They eventually married in 2022.

But two years later, Lopez filed for divorce.

Despite those very public endings, Affleck has continued to speak respectfully about both women.

His relationship with Garner has developed into a close co-parenting partnership, while his professional connection to Lopez continued even after their marriage ended.

Now, during a recent interview with Variety, Affleck has offered another glimpse into where things stand.

When the conversation turned to Lopez and her acting career, Affleck did not hesitate to defend her.

The Oscar-winning actor was asked why he believes Lopez has often been overlooked when major acting awards are handed out.

Affleck admitted immediately that he is hardly an impartial observer.

“I’m biased,” he said. “I have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for what she can do.”

He then questioned how much weight awards should really carry when judging an actor’s talent.

Affleck pointed out that award winners are ultimately decided by groups of voters and that he does not always agree with the final results.

“I don’t always think the right person won the right award,” he said.

Then, in typical Affleck fashion, he added a little humor to his point.

He explained that he does not believe there is some ultimate answer waiting beyond this life to settle which movie was objectively the best in a certain year.

“At the end of the day, it’s just a bunch of people voting on movie prizes,” he said.

His comments came amid renewed attention surrounding Lopez’s work in Kiss of the Spider Woman, a project Affleck helped produce through Artists Equity.

Even after their romantic relationship ended, Affleck has continued to show respect for Lopez professionally.

He has also previously defended her against some of the enormous public scrutiny that followed their marriage, including the attention surrounding her documentary and the way their relationship was discussed publicly.

But Lopez was not the only former wife who came up.

Affleck also spoke about Jennifer Garner.

And this time, the conversation centered on something he still hopes they may eventually do together.

Garner had reportedly been considered for a role in Affleck’s thriller Animals.

Originally, Matt Damon was expected to play the lead, while Garner was being considered to portray his character’s wife.

That plan changed when Damon became unavailable and Affleck stepped into the leading role himself.

Suddenly, the prospect of Garner playing his on-screen wife became much more complicated.

The two had already lived through an extremely public real-life marriage and divorce.

Having audiences watch them portray husband and wife on screen could easily have pulled attention away from the story itself.

Garner apparently reached the same conclusion.

Affleck previously recalled her reaction.

“She was like, ‘Yeah. Great, but no, I’m not going to play your wife in a movie.’”

Affleck agreed that it was probably the right call.

He even described Garner as “very wise in many ways.”

The role ultimately went to Kerry Washington.

But Affleck made it clear that Garner turning down that particular part does not mean he has no interest in working with her.

Quite the opposite.

When the possibility came up during his Variety interview, Affleck said he still hopes the two eventually find the right project.

“In a movie, the illusion has to be the thing,” he explained.

Then he added:

“And I still want to find something to do with her.”

It was a small comment, but one that revealed how much mutual respect appears to remain between the former couple.

Affleck and Garner may no longer be married, but they have spent years building a co-parenting relationship centered on their three children.

Their children are now growing up quickly, something Affleck has openly admitted weighs heavily on him.

He has also been generous in his praise of Garner as a mother.

During a preview for Sunday Today with Willie Geist, Affleck described her simply as “spectacular.”

He even joked about how difficult it is to compete with the standard she sets.

Affleck said he tells the children he is probably doing “about 75 percent as good as your mom.”

Apparently, they disagree.

According to Affleck, the kids responded with something closer to:

“Maybe 40 percent.”

Affleck laughed about it.

“I’m maxing out,” he joked. “Woo, B+!”

His comments offered a lighter glimpse into what their family dynamic looks like now.

Affleck has also described the practical realities of shared custody.

When the children are staying with him, he says he structures his work around getting home, picking them up from school and spending time with them.

“We have dinner if they agree to hang out with me,” he joked.

The children reportedly alternate between spending a week with Affleck and a week with Garner.

For Affleck, that routine appears to have become one of the most important parts of his life.

He has repeatedly emphasized how much respect he still has for Garner.

“I respect her. I’m grateful for her,” he said.

Garner has spoken warmly about him as well.

She has described Affleck as an “incredible co-parent” and said he is “wonderful” with their children.

According to Garner, he takes good care of them and has remained a strong partner in raising them.

She has also suggested that co-parenting has become easier and more freeing as the children have grown older.

Garner is currently in a relationship with tech executive John Miller, while Affleck has said that he himself is not dating anyone.

While promoting Animals in October 2026, Affleck explained that romance simply is not his priority right now.

His focus appears to be elsewhere.

Most importantly, on his children.

That commitment has even started influencing which movies he chooses to make.

Affleck said he now looks for projects that allow him to remain in Los Angeles whenever possible.

After years of spending long stretches away on movie sets, he does not want to miss this stage of his children’s lives.

“I’m divorced, I have shared custody, and I don’t want to miss these years,” he said.

“My kids are here, and their life is flying by.”

Affleck acknowledged that having the freedom to choose where he works is a privilege.

But he also made it clear that he no longer wants to spend months far from home unless it is absolutely necessary.

“I don’t want to have to be in Shreveport or New Mexico in order to work,” he explained.

For someone whose romantic life has spent decades dominating headlines, Affleck now appears far more focused on something quieter.

Family.

Work.

And maintaining respectful relationships with the people who have remained important in his life even after the marriages ended.

His comments about Lopez showed that the end of their relationship did not erase his admiration for her talent.

And his remarks about Garner suggested that their bond has evolved into something entirely different — built around friendship, respect and their children.

Affleck may have ruled out playing Garner’s husband on screen for now.

But he clearly has not ruled out sharing the screen with her altogether.

And judging by his latest comments, finding the right project with Garner is still something he genuinely hopes to make happen.