Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner put on an amicable display after dropping off their 11-year-old son Samuel to school in Brentwood, California on Wednesday morning.
As they walked back to their respective cars, the two-time Oscar winner, 50, and Yes Day actress, 51, who split after a decade of marriage in 2015, were seen enjoying a chat.
For the occasion, he sported a navy flannel under a grey coat and a pair of dark-wash jeans while the Alias alum cut a casual figure in a fitted sweater, black leggings ad Nike sneakers.
The mother-of-three completed her sporty ensemble with her Apple Watch, a pink ‘call your mom’ baseball cap, two layered silver necklaces and a pair of black shades.
While Affleck held hands with their youngest as he walked him down the street, Garner brought a small wood tray with snacks for Samuel’s class.
Friendly: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner put on an amicable display after dropping off their 11-year-old son Samuel to school in Brentwood, California on Wednesday morning
The Berkeley-born, Cambridge-raised actor carried an iced coffee with him as he spoke to Garner as they crossed the street at the same time.
Over the years, they have worked hard at their co-parenting relationship and always putting their kids Samuel, Seraphina, 14, and Violet, 17, first.
In March, the Gone Girl star reflected on ‘painful’ speculation he blamed his former spouse for his alcoholism in a 2021 interview with Howard Stern, in which he stated that he felt ‘trapped’ in his first marriage.
In a interview with The Hollywood Reporter published in March, the director looked back at his past comments about his struggles with addiction and the dissolution of his and Garner’s relationship.
In the original interview, Affleck stated that ‘Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped,’ which led viewers — and even some of Garner’s friends — to think that he was blaming his ex for his drinking problems.
The Armageddon star described the uproar over the Stern interview as painful, and stressed that the takeaway from much of the public was ‘actually the opposite of what I meant.’
‘I view these things as land mines, where if you say one wrong thing, your career might be over,’ he explained. ‘I had a really painful experience where I did an interview where I was really vulnerable, and the entire pickup was something that was not only not right, it was actually the opposite of what I meant.’
He continued: ‘The idea [was] that I was blaming my wife for my drinking. To be clear, my behavior is my responsibility entirely.’
Always prepared: The Yes Day actress, 51, brought a small wood tray with snacks for Samuel’s class
Doting dad: Affleck held hands with their youngest as he walked him down the street
Affleck clarified that he had been trying to make a ‘sad’ point in the earlier interview.
‘Anyone who’s been through divorce makes that calculus of, How much do we try?’ he continued.
Affleck and Garner announced that they were separating in 2015, and their divorce was finalized three years later.
‘We loved each other. We care about each other. We have respect for each other,’ he said of his relationship with his ex. ‘I was trying to say, “Hey, look, I was drinking too much, and the less happy you become, whether it’s your job, your marriage, it’s just that as your life becomes more difficult, if you’re doing things to fill a hole that aren’t healthy, you’re going to start doing more of those things.” I think I was pretty articulate about that.’
Over 10 years together: Affleck and Garner announced that they were separating in 2015, and their divorce was finalized three years later; seen in 2011
Family first: In addition to Samuel, they share daughters Seraphina, 14, and 17-year-old Violet ; seen in 2014
He continued, claiming that publications had ‘deliberately mischaracterized [his remarks] in order to make it clickbait, and everyone else then picked it up, and it didn’t matter how many times I said, “I do not feel this way. I’m telling you, I don’t blame my ex-wife for my alcoholism.” So, yeah. It’s hard.’
In his interview with Stern, Affleck had said that he ‘probably still would’ve been drinking’ if he had stayed married to Garner, which also fueled outrage, as some readers and viewers interpreted that as blaming his ex.
He also explained why he had felt ‘trapped’ in the final days of his previous marriage.
‘I can’t leave because of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’ And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution,’ he said.
Married again: In July 2021, he married Jennifer Lopez after rekindling relationship, nearly 20 years after they first were engaged in November 2002 (seen in March 2023)
This year, Affleck reflected on his sobriety to THR as he stated that ‘out of no desire of’ his own has he become ‘one of the poster boys for actor alcoholism and recovery.’
Despite the challenges, the father-of-three stated that the best part is receiving a call from someone who says: ‘Hey, can you help me out?’
He continued: ‘And it makes me feel so good to do that. The big trick of 12-step is the reason they want you to help other people is because it actually helps you more. And often what I’ll say to people is, I would avoid [your addiction] coming out if I were you.’
‘You don’t need to be anybody’s poster child. You don’t need to f**king tell anybody. That’s why there’s two words on the front of the book. They’re just as important, both of them: Alcoholics Anonymous. It’s always anonymous,’ the performer concluded.
In July 2021, he married Jennifer Lopez after rekindling relationship, nearly 20 years after they first were engaged in November 2002.
Meanwhile, Garner has quietly been dating businessman John Miller since 2018
