Published October 08, 2026
Ben Affleck is proving that an ex doesn’t have to mean an enemy.
The Gone Girl star had some surprisingly warm words for both Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez while discussing his production company, Artists Equity, in a new Variety interview.
The conversation turned to how celebrities are increasingly expected “to be brands now,” with performers building their own identities and businesses online.
That’s when Affleck gave his two famous ex-wives some credit.
“I've seen both Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner do amazing jobs cultivating and accruing value in those spaces,” he said.
“Don't think that's not real work. I couldn't do it. What am I going to do, unbox something?”
Honestly, Affleck knows his limits.
Affleck and Garner were married from 2005 to 2018 and share three children.
Despite their divorce, the former couple has remained on friendly terms while co-parenting.
His relationship with Lopez has had an even more headline-filled history.
The pair first dated in the early 2000s before splitting, then famously rekindled their romance nearly two decades later. They married in 2022 before separating in 2024 and finalising their divorce in 2025.
Affleck also opened up about relationships while discussing Animals, his new thriller with Kerry Washington.
“There's a lot more to marriage and relationships than having a house and kids together. Whether you're straight, gay, whatever—we've invested in sharing because it's easier and better and wiser for us to live in a partnership,” he said.
He added, “Old-fashioned economics and the rules of commitment and love. But then you realize this guy's a slob, or this one snores? At what point in a relationship are you able to say, 'This is who I am?'”
Maybe that’s one marriage lesson Affleck has learned the hard way.