Ben Affleck criticized for saying he drank while ‘trapped’ in marriage to Jennifer Garner
The actor, who has been open about his alcoholism, made some comments that have some fans scratching their heads.
Ben Affleck has raised eyebrows about comments he made regarding his alcohol use while married to Jennifer Garner.
“It’s part of why I started drinking … because I was trapped,” the Oscar winner said Tuesday in an interview on “The Howard Stern Show.”
Affleck, who has been open about his alcoholism, starred with Garner in 2003’s “Daredevil.” They married in 2005 and finalized their divorce in 2018. They have three kids, Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9. He had even reached out to her for help and she helped him get treatment, according to reports. He said the children remained a focal point for him while married.
“I was like ‘I can’t leave ‘cause of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’" he said. "What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.”
Affleck, who has notched a Golden Globe nomination for best performance by an actor in a supporting role for “The Tender Bar” and reportedly rekindled his relationship with Jennifer Lopez, said he realized he and Garner were not meant to be together.
“We had a marriage that didn’t work, this happens, with somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn’t be married any longer,” he said.
“Ultimately, we tried. We tried, we tried because we had kids,” he added. “Both of us felt like we don’t want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage.”
Affleck’s comments certainly got people talking on Twitter, with many people putting him on blast.
"Ben Affleck, Jerk. Has sunk as low as you can go blaming his marriage to Jennifer Garner for His and His alone responsibility for drinking," one person commented.
"Ben Affleck blaming Jennifer Garner proves he also has an accountability problem as well," someone wrote.
"Ben Affleck should have kept this story about Jennifer Garner to himself," another person wrote. Especially since she continued to be supportive of him after the divorce."
"#BenAffleck don’t blame your drinking problem on JG. Its all YOU," someone else commented.
"Sorry Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner and your children were the ones that were trapped living with an alcoholic and will bear the scares of your drinking," one person chimed in.
"Ben Affleck made it sound on Stern that marriage to Jennifer Garner was so insufferable that it drove him to drink," another person wrote. "Even if he believes that, you don’t say it for the sake of the kids or to be a person of integrity. Maybe Jennifer Lopez should re-think things."
