"I panicked": Jennifer Garner opens up about the financial crisis after her divorce from Ben Affleck
After putting her career on hold to raise the children she shared with Ben Affleck, the divorce changed everything for Jennifer Garner. Now, in an interview for the Aspire podcast, she talks about ageism in Hollywood, the fear of being left without a livelihood as a single mother, and how she went from someone who didn't think about money to a self-made millionaire. "Just because people know you doesn't mean someone provides you with a living."
Actress Jennifer Garner (54) reveals that the separation and divorce from Ben Affleck (54) caught her completely unprepared. In an open conversation on Emma Grede's Aspire podcast, Garner said that the 2018 divorce caused her financial and professional anxiety. After years of choosing to step away from the Hollywood spotlight to dedicate all her time to raising her children, she realized she had to return to the job market to support herself and her three children — without anyone guaranteeing her that it would actually work.
"Suddenly I said to myself, 'Wait, I can take care of myself. I need to take care of these kids,'" Garner said. "I panicked when I came out of the marriage and realized I had taken such a big step back in my work."
According to her, the issue of ageism in Hollywood was also firmly on her mind: "Suddenly I realized I don't know how much longer I'll be able to work. This is not a career that says, 'Hey, you're 60, 55, 43? Come on, we'll pay you more than you've ever earned.'"
The actress shared that her new status as a single mother made things even more difficult. She could no longer just pack a suitcase, leave the kids for six months, and film far from Los Angeles, where she and Affleck share custody of Violet (20), Seraphina (17), and Samuel (13). Along with all this, she was haunted by the fear that she wouldn't be able to maintain the privacy she had as a married woman:
"It's not like you can just cancel the fact that you're famous. Life is expensive and you still have to figure out how you're going to live. Just because people know you doesn't mean someone provides you with a living."
According to her, the separation forced her to make a switch in her mindset — from someone who never thought too much about money to the primary breadwinner. This shift in thinking completely paid off, leading her to join in 2017 as a partner and brand manager at the organic food company Once Upon a Farm. By the way, if you were worried about her bank account, the company's value is currently estimated at approximately $724 million.
As a reminder, Garner and Affleck decided to separate in 2015 after a decade of marriage, with their divorce becoming official in 2018. Since then, Affleck has already managed to marry and divorce Jennifer Lopez in a non-stop media drama of his own, while Garner has been in a stable relationship for the last six years — which she makes sure to keep off the radar — with businessman John Miller (48).
