Ben Affleck Clarifies Recent Comments About Alcoholism & Marriage to Ex-Wife Jennifer Garner

Ben Affleck is addressing the backlash surrounding his recent comments about ex-wife Jennifer Garner.

While making an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night (December 15), Ben, 49, clarified the comments he recently made on The Howard Stern Show where he said he would “probably still be drinking” if he was still married to Jennifer, 49.

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“I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom,” Ben shared with Jimmy.

Ben – who shares daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 12, and son Samuel, 9, with Jennifer – went on to say that he didn’t realize how his comments had been perceived until after the interview aired, adding that some people had “taken the conversation” and “made it seem as if I was doing the exact opposite of what I said” by focusing on only one piece of their chat.

“I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first and went through our stuff,” Ben explained to Jimmy. “And they said that I blamed my ex-wife for my alcoholism and that I was trapped and just made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid awful guy.”

In his interview on Stern, Ben talked about his battle with alcoholism and how unhappy he was in his marriage to Jennifer, saying, “I was like ‘I can’t leave ’cause of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’ What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.”

While he understands that his personal life often makes headlines, Ben explained that when it comes to his family, “I have to draw a line, and be clear.”

Ben and Jennifer married in 2005 and split in 2015. Their divorce was finalized in 2018.