Jennifer Garner: ‘Going through this in the public eye is just another facet of it’

Jennifer Garner attends The MOMS hosts MAMARAZZI event
It seems like the timing of Jennifer Garner’s new movie, Miracles from Heaven, was perfect to upstage her estranged husband’s promotion for Batman v. Superman. There’s Garner, doe-eyed and sweet, and Affleck, reticent and ashamed, as they talk to the press following their high profile split and his cheating scandal. It’s pretty clear who is calling the shots in this press blitz and I have to give it up for Garner, she’s winning this round.

Both Garner and Affleck did interviews yesterday. Garner was on The Today Show while Affleck did Ellen. The videos are below and here are some quotes from each. Affleck got his split explanation out of the way and then talked about his kids – you can tell he adores them as he got as animated as possible through the Botox. Garner touched on topics related to her film, she got choked up talking about sick kids, and then she addressed her breakup.

Ellen to Affleck: I know it’s been kind of a challenging year and what I love is that you and Jen are putting the kids first and we see you with the kids all the time and I think that’s the most important thing.
Absolutely we’re good friends and we’re doing our best and our kids are fabulous and we’re working our best for them.


Savannah to Garner: Did you find that your own perspective on things changed at all [doing this movie]?
It’s not something I have ever spoken about before this film [but] I grew up going to church every Sunday. Ben and I took our kids home to West Virginia to be baptized in my family’s church. The thing about this film was it kind of encouraged me to reengaged into participating in raising my children so that they had the same background that my parents gave my sisters and me.

It must have been wrenching to go through [this movie]
It was wrenching to go through it, but I didn’t have to look far to remind myself that I was going home to healthy kids [gets choked up]… there are moms sitting in hospital rooms right now all over the world watching their children suffer through something unimaginable so the least I could do was pretend for Christy. [The woman she plays.]

You happen to be going through a hard time in your own life as your were shooting this film. So many people just adore you Jennifer and they just want to know how you’re doing. If they could give you a hug I think they would.
People have been so kind to my whole family and we really do appreciate it. We’re doing really well. The kids are great and they’ll be getting up and going to school soon and Ben is there and will be taking them and we will make it work.

It’s not easy to go through something like that in the public eye.
It’s not easy to go through it period. Going through it in the public eye it’s just another facet of it. For anyone when your life shifts in any way it’s tricky enough, but I have found people to be so warm and loving that it hasn’t been nearly as bad as you might imagine.

[From Ellen and The Today Show]

During Affleck’s interview he got surprised/ambushed by a guy in a Wonder Woman costume about halfway through. He claimed he was “genuinely scared by that” although we’ll have to take his word since his expression is permanently set to “surprised.” I truly hope that wears off for him. Garner is Botoxed too but it looks less extreme on her, probably because she’s a woman and/or her treatments were a while ago.

As for these two – they have to talk about it now, there’s no escaping it after that months long press blitz about their breakup and conscious uncoupling. Yes it’s for the kids and it’s great that they’re not making it acrimonious, but that wouldn’t be good for their brand either. I think this role was a strategic choice for Garner. I’ve underestimated her for years.

Garner on Today:

Affleck on Ellen:

Jennifer Garner leaving her hotel in New York

Vanity Fair Oscar Party - Arrivals

Jennifer Garner Grabs Breakfast In NYC

photos credit: WENN and FameFlynet

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70 Responses to “Jennifer Garner: ‘Going through this in the public eye is just another facet of it’”

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  1. The only says:

    Ben can do so much better than JG. In fact there are not many women who can match up to his good looks and intellectual prowess.

  2. manda says:

    The two movies are aimed at totally different audiences, and I would assume that the batman one would kill the heaven one, but who knows. I have not really been following this, and thought they had gotten back together until I saw the headline about him being ok with what she said about him in some interview the other day. Seems to me this divorce is going perfectly fine without any drama, does there need to be winners and losers? (I personally think they’re both sort of loser-y, but did so before all this started)

    • Nilber says:

      I’m not so sure that Batman will outdo Miracles. Think back to the last few religious films: God’s Not Dead, The War Room and Heaven is for Real to name a few. They may not have came out of the gate with huge number but they have definitely gained momentum.

      • KB says:

        But Miracles will be relying on the US entirely, it won’t have a market across seas.

      • Diane says:

        It will make lots of money, but probably not Batman numbers. I don’t think Batman numbers are going to be impressive enough, as compared to performance of other superhero flicks, though.

  3. Astrid says:

    I keep clicking on these Affleck-Garner links hoping for some finality or something juicy. The happy uncoupling seems so strange to me.

  4. Sam says:

    How about you stop talking about it? You don’t need to go through this in the public eye. You don’t need to take your kids out for a pap stroll. You CHOOSE to do that. There are so many celebrity couples who have children and I couldn’t even tell you what they look like because they’ve chosen to have their personal life be personal. The Affleck’s have been milking their relationship and their children since the beginning so it’s no surprise that they’re doing it now either.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      Amen.

    • Sam says:

      Oh and she still looks frumpy. No sense of style from this woman.
      I’m not even going to get into Ben, because I don’t have time for that sleazy guy.

    • littlemissnaughty says:

      I don’t even know what you’re talking about, they’re so PRIVATE. No?

      They’re both getting on my last nerve.

    • Crumpet says:

      Pap strolls? Maybe. Or maybe they are just going about their business and being stalked. They have always gone out in the public – farmer’s markets, public playgrounds, etc. The Jolie-Pitts lead very private lives but they pay a price for it (not that Garner and Affleck are as famous). Easy money right now for the paps right now, because everyone is insanely curious about the state of their relationship, and they continue to go out in public as they always have.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        I lean towards this interpretation.

      • anon33 says:

        It has been proven over and over that certain celebs have relationships with the paps. These certain celebs could, I don’t know, CHOOSE NOT TO GO TO PAP-FILLED areas if in fact privacy was so important to them, but they choose not to. Garner is a damn hypocrite.

        I don’t know why people are so resistant to this information. Wasn’t there even an expose that had some kind of hard proof that Garner had a relationship with a specific photog?? How else do you think those nanny pics got out?? Do you honestly think that was accidental, just Ben going about his day-to-day life? Because if so, I’ve got a bridge to sell you.

        And exactly what “price” do Brad and Angie pay by not feeding the paps or doing pap walks?

      • lila fowler says:

        The only time Ben is ever seen with those kids is (a) when he has a movie to sell, and (b) when he wants to win awards.

    • Magnoliarose says:

      I thought the same. They don’t have to talk about anything but say the usual stuff they all say: We grew apart and unfortunately it didn’t work and no one is to blame or whatever. Blah blah. Or one tell all and the end.

  5. GoodNamesAllTaken says:

    I wonder if everything would be so amiable and cuddly if she had been publicly caught cheating? Somehow, I doubt it. I think she’s making things way to easy for him. He gets to live in the same house as his children, come off like the reasonable, nice, concerned parent to the members of the public who buy that a concerned parent sleeps with the nanny…I think she is doing a disservice to her children and to herself. There are no consequences to his actions and she’s being a doormat. What is she teaching her children about relationships and fidelity?

    • Sam says:

      And you’re surprised because? He cheated on her like 6 years ago with Blake Lively and then had the nerve to openly flirt with Blake in that Interview Magazine spread they did and then 2 years after that went on Anderson Cooper and said Blake’s gorgeous. Instead of divorcing his bum, she ran back to him and they had another kid. She’s always been a door mat. This is nothing new.

      • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

        Oh, I didn’t know that. Well, no wonder he felt free to cheat again.

      • Div says:

        He pretty openly cheated on her with Blake Lively to the point that even a few film journalists cracked jokes about it on twitter. Plus, the day Blake’s nudes were leaked back in the day…..he was papped with a black eye, which seemed like an awful big coincidence.

        While I hate to call people doormats because everyone is different and people work things out for whatever reason at times, he does seem like a serial philander. She’s a master at this PR game, but I don’t think this passive aggressiveness is some “great” example like people are lauding her for either. I feel like it’s better for stars to either be open about it once or twice or not talk about it at all……..rather than do this back and forth in the media (which Ben is more than guilty of too) which is going to float back to the kids in a steady stream. Plus I just find the in-between nature weird…I get dumping someone or working it out but not living together with one’s ex.

        I always thought Sandra Bullock handled her divorce well. She dumped him, gave one or two interviews and she was fairly open about what happened, and then that was it.

      • Naya says:

        I remember that interview, so damn blatant. And this was months after stories from the set so they must have been aware that there was already heavy rumor about them together. Ben is such a dbag and as for Blake, turns out banging a director, an executive producer, a major A lister and the second best Ryan, has done exactly nil for her acting career, although it did get her an invite to the White House which she ruined by showing up in a night robe. Heres hoping her slave era promoting website looks up.

    • Wren says:

      Because this has been and always will be about the image. She was so desperate to play happy family with him for years that this is hardly unexpected. It would look bad for her to admit that she married and squandered a bunch of time on a cheating scumbag. And the last thing she wants to do now is trash him because that would fly in the face of the gracious wronged woman role she’s established. No, no, she’s kind to her (ex?) husband, allows him to be a good dad, and it’s all for the children. Always. Thing is, he’s dancing to her tune, and it she’s not going to leave this mess without something. It seems like that something is the Super Mom image and the TV-perfect story.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      I think it is unfair to call her a doormat when she is just doing what is best for the kids. If she went off on him in the press, what good would that do, other than entertain gossip site fans? It wouldn’t help her, her kids, etc. If they see her being strong at home, that is what matters. They are divorcing, so it isn’t as if she hasn’t taken a stand and said enough.

      • Sam says:

        I called her a doormat because after everything he’s done she went running back to him. She doesn’t have to say anything to the press. Sandra Bullock didn’t. Sandra divorced her husband and that was that. Jen went back to Ben and had another kid after everyone and their mom knew about Ben and Blake…the cheating, the flirting in the magazine and the him calling her amazing and gorgeous. A woman who is not a doormat would have left that fool at the door step after her husband does that and says that about another woman.

      • Pepper says:

        She’s a doormat for having kids with the man in the first place. Affleck has never hidden what he is, in fact he’s flaunted it many times. She chose to have kids with a very public mess of a man, an addict and cheater who has an intense self-destructive streak. It’s not like any of this is just coming out, he cheated on Gwyneth, he cheated very publicly on J.Lo just before they were meant to marry, he’d been to rehab and had fallen off the wagon before things started up with her. Everything we know about him now, we knew about him since before he was with Garner. She’s the dumbass who decided to marry and have kids with the sleaze.

      • what says:

        Sam… She’s a doormat, but Blake is a doormat too and you LOVE Blake.
        Come on… Blake dated Leonardo DiCaprio! I think Leonardo was seen with a model when he was dating Blake…

  6. Rae says:

    IDK what’s going on with those white pants she’s wearing. Looks like her crotch sits around the bottom of her jacket.

    • GoodNamesAllTaken says:

      And why is she wearing those shoes with that outfit? It looks crazy. A coat and a scarf with those sandals? All winter on the top and summer on the bottom.

  7. KB says:

    Her shoe game isn’t nearly as bad as it usually is in these photos. Those blue things yesterday still make me cringe.

  8. als says:

    I feel like what Ben said, referencing Denzel, about how some people are appealing no matter what they do, could be applied to ‘doe-eyed and sweet’ Garner as well.
    And he is right, he doesn’t have this ‘gift’, so it would be a losing game for him to go up against this kind of people.

  9. loca says:

    I just never believed from the start she was ever Ben’s type. They were just so different. It’s nice to see her in heels and wearing different outfits. She seems to be in a better place now.

  10. Rhiley says:

    I am going to hide my head after writing this, but I think Ben looked really good on Ellen. It beat is usual “I have been up all night drinking scotch, smoking Marlboro reds, and motor boating the ladies” look. He seemed rested and calm. You would never guess that underneath that sweater lies the ugliest tattoo EVER!

  11. Maya says:

    Jennifer Garner & Jennifer Aniston – two women who should write books about how to use media manipulation to their advantage and make a longterm career out of it.

    • Crumpet says:

      Poor Maya. The Angelina post got you all fired up, didn’t it?

    • ScotiaGirl says:

      Isn’t she smart to do this? That’s what everyone and every business does – look for a competitive edge to advance you or the company forward, stay relevant, competitive. Show business is the same. If she is manipulating the whole process, isn’t it a smart move on her part – career wise? What should she do exactly – not promote the movie, just stay home and hide? Not answer any questions?

      And no I do not believe she purposely paps her kids. I think she lives her life doing the things that are normal to her despite them. I think her and Affleck are hot gossip site “gets” based on the hits they get for every post on them, generated by people like you and me who click inside these posts and read them and/or comment. Every click into the article is tracked and total numbers counted and noted, thus they are a hot commodity and sites like this and others will pay for the pictures more than they would for other celebrities with kids, the paps know this so stalk them so they can sell the pics and make sure money. For the record, I started following them because I thought they were adorable together, I fell in love with their “fairytale” partnership more than for them as actors. Love a good love story OR what I thought at the time was a love story.

      I personally IMO think that she does not want her kids living in two homes, she wants one home base for them, and that she has carved out some sort of arrangement with Ben for this. I think she has leverage on him (addictions) that would have allowed her to get full custody of the kids but she WANTS the kids to have relationships with their father so she is sacrificing kicking him out for them. Though I still think she loves him, but NOW has accepted its never going to work for them because he does not return her love. I think he knows if she revealed what she knows he would indeed lose custody and it would further destroy his reputation – so he is towing the line. And because of all of this they are accepting “the arrangement” and trying to make the best of it, cause that is the way its going to be for the now. They are trying to make the best of a bad situation albeit one that they/she created for what THEY believe is in the best interest of their kids not them.

      • Maya says:

        My issue is not that they are doing it but that they act all innocent and sweet about it. That they don’t do this at all but that the media is…

  12. Daphne says:

    Jennifer Garner likes to cling and Ben is a sadomasochist I see why they got together and separated he needs someone better than him she needs him period.For a while it worked when he was not challenging himself but when you want more out of life you dumb the clinging crazy b@##.Jennifer can always have solid pr and image And she will remain single whereas Ben he will be a douche who shall date and marry someone else.

  13. ds says:

    Sorry to sound like a hater but to me the only thing she’s ever done is being present in the public eye. I’ve never seen her in a decent role apart from Felicity series and even there she was a snooze fest.

    • Sarah01 says:

      Completely agree. She wasn’t an in demand actress who gave up her career to take a back seat. I just don’t like the way she plays the victim and these passive aggressive comments are annoying. I think Ben does have talent as a director and these two need to go on their way. She reminds me of someone in my life who is so much like her. It’s sad she can’t get over her I’m the victim and poor me, I’m holding down the fort. In Hollywood you want to you can do things quickly and privately and move on but you want to drag it out you can. This is all her.

    • Tiffany :) says:

      She as great in Alias.

      • Pepper says:

        Not really, it was acceptable at that time but her acting especially doesn’t hold up well today. The later seasons have some really cringe-inducingly bad acting. She had a certain physicality, but she threw that away to do the ‘Relatable Hollywood mom’.

        Now she plays one ultra boring supporting role with varying degrees of uptightness in every project. If it weren’t for her relationship with Affleck she’d be doing Lifetime Christmas movies.

  14. JoJo says:

    Watch the Nimmy Fallon show with her as a guest from last night. Pretty annoying as she called him “dude” and was generally overbearing – even Jimmy seemed uncomfortable at times. At least she didn’t name-drop Ben – a first!

    I have a feeling they’re going to push a reconciliation with their “family” Europe trip on the Fall. I don’t believe they’ll be one of the Wasser divorces this month, and I think we’re going to be subjected to their “uncoupling” – if that’s what it actually is – for a long time to come. While I do think Jen is “nice”, I also think she’s a very shrewd and patient woman who is going to play the long game with Ben.

  15. lila fowler says:

    This woman has never been more famous than she is for this divorce, and talking about it, and OMFG I cannot wait until her Miracles from Hell promo tour is over and she can go back to dragging her kids in front of the paps for little bits of fame. She is LOVING this attention.

    • ScotiaGirl says:

      And you can’t stop giving her attention either by following her on the web. If you don’t like her why do you bother following these threads. Why don’t you just scroll right on pass them on the main page? Not passing judgement, just curious, cause you are definitely entitled to your own opinion on EVERY Jen/Ben thread as is JoJo. You choose to direct your attention to her stories instead of ignoring them. I truly don’t mean this abrasively, just curious.

      I know, I know, I come off the same way on Ben. I don’t dislike him though, I just hate that he ruined my fairytale love story. I think he is handsome and a talented director, not so much a talent actor though and a total douche of a husband/boyfriend. And I guess I feel sorry for her and the kids, but I know that I do not know them personally so have no idea if she is a controlling manipulator. But she has to be smart career wise, so if she is manipulating the media for her career so be it, that’s a wise choice on her part.

      • anon33 says:

        Because this is a gossip site, and we all comment for fun. Its not any more epic than that.

      • Magnoliarose says:

        Scotia, the whole reason we are here is so we can be all judgey and waste some free time laughing or snarking.

        As to your comment about calling paps: it’s naive to think they don’t. It’s a mutually beneficial relationship. They get press and the opportunity to form the image they want to project to sell their brand or projects. It’s not a negative thing in some cases and some do it better than others. Paps make money based on how exclusive the star is and how hard it is to get the shots. Or the star develops relationships with certain paps who will help them achieve their end goal. If the star is pissy about the paps overmuch they strike back by taking unflattering photos and selling them for a little more than usual. Celebs are perfectly able to live under the radar when they want to. Sure some get followed but usually it’s the super hot ones, scandalous ones or very elusive ones that are worth the time and energy for that big money shot.

  16. Louise says:

    I know everyone will shout at me, but I dont like her. I am wondering whether she is different to the PR image. I am so sick of this now. She is calculating. She DID say she had her eyes wide open and no need to feel sorry for her. I took that as she knew he was cheating and lived with it for as long as possible.

    But I think he pulled the plug or she caught him doing something she could finally never forgive. I think Ben is obviously a douche but has let her have her moment in the sun to keep her fairly quiet. They must be so passive aggressive to each other and are living their lives like moving chess pieces around. I have a feeling Ben just wants to move on without as little drama as possible. They never looked a good match. You just think he would be out with his side pieces but the wholesome mommy type was not his bag.

    • anon33 says:

      I don’t like her either. She’s as phony as the day is long, and I don’t just mean regular celeb phony.
      Also, she’s an absolutely terrible actress.

  17. frivolity says:

    Her face in that Today show still REEKS of insincerity. And that side part in her hair? Fail.
    As for Ben, he’s just an eternal frat boy. These two deserve each other.

  18. Embee says:

    Something nice: that coat looks very good on her, and the shoes with it aren’t bad.

    (I’m not going to dwell on the awkward length disconnect between the dress and coat because overall this is much more polished than usual)

  19. 3 critical things… these are crucial actually.

    1. Great HAIR DAY in life Garner (NO MO BANGS for YOU BOO BOO)

    2. BOTH OF YOU….. stop talking about it…. we know everything as pictures say more than you could ever do….
    Give a sound bite of this : “Life happens and things change and evolve into something different. The love is still there. And our babies are our priority.” wither regitate that one statement or say it and be done

    3. Ben STOPGOTDAMMIT with the botox…. you will never look like Pearl Harbor/Armageddon days…. nor should you want to… you are a critically acclaimed director and producer…. and evolve more into that….. i mean does Spielberg and Scorsese get toxed or even to that level like ben is doing for a role or whatnot…. stop (sidenote I am not saying Ben is as prolific as these directors/producers)

  20. Jayna says:

    I don’t believe Ben had an affair with Blake Lively. Not that he wouldn’t have. Jennifer and their child and/or children were living in Boston when he made that film. And I guess I don’t undertstand, like I’ve said before, how every actress is called his affair liked none of them had morals. I don’t believe Blake would screw Ben and especially not when I’m sure she saw wife and daughter around on set at times.

    Do I think they flirted? Yes. And she was probably fattered and smug about it. Did he come on to her for an affair? Probably or close to crosing that line. There is no proof they had an affair.

    I stood up for Ben regarding anything to do with Blake until I finally read that interview that was being talked about on here. Wow. That’s all I’ve got to say. It’s obvious they hadn’t been in contact by the way they were touching base and catching up. But he was very inappropriate in the way he interviewed her, very flirtatious. I have a feeling Ben was off the wagon and drinking when he did that interview. The nude photos out there people just surmise it could be for him but she had boyfriends. And I imagine it was for whomever she was dating back then.

    I can’t imagine but that Jennifer was furious and hurt by her husband acting like that.

    But, again, not all actresses just fall at married man Ben Affleck’s feet and have no morals regarding married men. People act like he’s God’s Gift to Women and all women fall for him, which couldn’t be further from the truth.

  21. K says:

    Just FYI, the video autoplayed for me

  22. Jillybean says:

    By that first pic of ms garner… I wouldn’t say her forehead has seen a Botox needle in years…. And that’s NOT a complement hahah