Last week, my 2nd grader had a little Valentine’s Day breakfast in his classroom for parents. Although he had told me that he didn’t care if I attended, there was a big smile on his face when I walked through the door. They played these cute little games, and my son won the first one. I cheered and held my hand out for a high five, but he just pushed it away and told me to stop embarrassing him. Even though I knew the answer, I asked him why getting a high five from his mom was so embarrassing, and he said it was “cringe.”

Jennifer Garner is just like me! A big part of her brand has always been being a doting mom to her three kids, Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 13, and just an all-around nice person. Jennifer is currently promoting the second season of her AppleTV+ series, The Last Thing He Told Me, which premieres today, Friday, February 20. This week, she and her costars, Nikolaj Coster-Waldau, Judy Greer, and Angourie Rice, appeared on the Jennifer Hudson Show. When J.Hud, whose son is now 16, asked J.Garner for advice on how to get “cool points” with him, Jennifer broke the news that she couldn’t help her much in that arena because her own kids find her cringey and embarrassing.

The actresses’ comments came as she and host Jennifer Hudson discussed trying to get “cool points” from their kids. (Hudson is mom to 16-year-old son David Daniel Otunga Jr.)

“You’re providing my cool points today!” Garner told Hudson, 44, before going on to share that her three children think she’s “fully cringe.”

“I am only embarrassing,” Garner continued. “I asked my kids if they were going to watch this season of the show [season 2], and they were like, ‘Do you need us to?’ But I mean, kids don’t want to see their parents in … right? They don’t want to see us cry, or see us have a romantic scene, anything. We’re just embarrassing.”

“We don’t get no cool points for that,” added Hudson.

“But you and all of you and Angourie give me cool points,” Garner continued as she gestured towards Hudson, the studio audience and her costar Angourie Rice, 25.

The 13 Going on 30 star then revealed that her son Samuel is “really into Game of Thrones right now,” so her costar Nikolaj Coster-Waldau was also helping up her points. “Thank you,” she told Coster-Waldau, 55, who starred as Jaime Lannister in the HBO series.

“And they all love Aunt Judy,” Garner added of her current costar and former 13 Going on 30 costar and close friend Judy Greer.

“So you got them, good, I like that. I’m working on mine!” said Hudson.

“I get by with a little help from my friends,” added Garner with a laugh.

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[From People]

Celebrity or not, it’s a total rite of passage for a parent to be cringey and embarrassing to their kids! Jen is a pretty hands-on parent, so I’m sure she’s embarrassed her kids on the regular over the years. I follow her on Instagram and if even 10% of it is actually reflective of how she is in real life, then I can see how her kids may find her cringe. I enjoy her content, though! I’m also delighted to hear that Violet, Fin, and Samuel love Aunt Judy Greer. How fun would it be to play the family edition of Cards Against Humanity with Jennifer, her children, and Judy Greer? Bring on the cringe and laughter.

Anyway, I loved the first season of The Last Thing He Told Me and binged the whole thing in two days. I had no idea that a new season was out! It’s based on a novel, so I thought it was going to be a one-and-done limited series. I prefer binging shows like this, so I’ll probably start watching it closer to its finale on April 10. Maybe I’ll do a season one rewatch in the meantime.

Here’s the clip of J.Garner telling J.Hud that her kids find her embarrassing:

“The Last Thing He Told Me” cast brought their best dance moves! ⚡ #JenniferGarner #JudyGreer #AngourieRice pic.twitter.com/bQpntspici

— The Jennifer Hudson Show (@JHudShow) February 19, 2026

Photos credit: Xavier Collin/Image Press Agency/Avalon, T. Jackson/Backgrid