Ben Affleck has come under fire on social media for making harsh comments about his marriage to Jennifer Garner.
The 49-year-old appeared on The Howard Stern Show this week, where he admitted he would probably still be drinking if he hadn’t separated from his ex-wife.
The Hollywood stars, who tied the knot in 2005 and separated in 2015, share three kids together – Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9.
The actor, who has gone to rehab for alcohol addiction in the past, claimed he started drinking heavily because he felt “trapped” in their marriage.
Ben said he’d “probably still be drinking” if they stayed together, and admitted: “It’s part of why I started drinking… because I was trapped.”
“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.”
Explaining why they eventually decided to call it quits, Ben said: “The truth was, we took our time, we made the decision… We grew apart.”
“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. Ultimately, we tried.”
“We tried, we tried because we had kids. Both of us felt like we don’t want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage.”
It’s safe to say Ben’s comments have ruffled a lot of feathers, as many have slammed the actor for blaming his alcoholism on his marriage to Jennifer.
Ben Affleck: I would’ve ‘still’ been drinking if I stayed married to Jennifer Garner
Jennifer Garner: *helps him to rehab 3 full years after they’ve already separated * pic.twitter.com/9StRYJ7tWI— Cecily (@chicagobonjour) December 14, 2021
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner split up in 2015 and she was seen driving him to rehab in 2018
Don’t blame it on her 😒 https://t.co/bEhPInJsKM pic.twitter.com/GAimf9BBqT— Suka (@Pizda_oo) December 15, 2021
Idc what anyone says, Ben Affleck never deserved Jennifer Garner. https://t.co/onFTFnf9BX
— beeboop3399 (@beeboop3399) December 15, 2021
Hey, Ben Affleck, you were drinking to excess way before you married Jennifer Garner, so how about not being a dickhead to the mother of your children? Or shifting blame.
— Julie McCoy (@LAjuliemccoy) December 15, 2021
Since finalising his divorce from Jennifer Garner in 2018, Ben has reunited with his former flame Jennifer Lopez.
J-Lo and Ben, who were famously dubbed ‘Bennifer’, got engaged in 2002 – but ended up calling it quits in January 2004.
The couple rekindled their romance in May, after J-Lo split from her fiancé Alex Rodriguez.
