Read Ben Affleck's Shocking Comment About His Marriage to Jennifer Garner

Read Ben Affleck's Shocking Comment About His Marriage to Jennifer Garner

Ben Affleck is opening up about his marriage to his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner.

On Monday, the Last Duel actor appeared on The Howard Stern Show, where he candidly spoke about his struggles with alcohol while married and his attempt to stay with Garner for their kids. The couple, who married in 2005 and divorced in 2018, share three children together: Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9.

"I'd probably still be drinking. It's part of why I started drinking … because I was trapped," Affleck told Howard Stern, per People. "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."

Affleck went to rehab multiple times for alcohol addiction, including in 2001, 2017, and 2018.

"The truth was, we took our time, we made the decision … We grew apart," he continued. "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."

hollywood, ca   february 24  actress jennifer garner l and actordirector ben affleck arrive at the oscars at hollywood  highland center on february 24, 2013 in hollywood, california  photo by steve granitzwireimage
Steve Granitz - Getty Images

In a recent interview with WSJ. Magazine, Affleck also opened up about struggling with alcoholism. He told the outlet that, though he wishes he "did not have to learn some lessons the hard way," the "difficulties" of alcoholism helped him "learn those things in an authentic, meaningful way to really learn the lessons that I've really internalized, that have created the values that I have now even though most of them were born of failure."

He added, "The only real cure for alcoholism is suffering. You just hope that your threshold for suffering is met somewhere before it destroys your life."

Though the two are no longer together, Affleck and Garner seem to be on fairly good terms. This past Halloween, Garner joined Affleck and Jennifer Lopez to take their kids trick-or-treating.

A source also previously told Entertainment Tonight that Garner has no ill will toward the reunited couple.

"Jen Garner and Marc Anthony are continuing to be supportive and there doesn't seem to be any ill will across the board," a source said regarding Bennifer's famous exes. "They all just want what's best for each other and their families."

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