- - Ben Affleck Opens Up About a Parenting Rule He and Jennifer Garner Have For Their Kids

Lara WalshJanuary 14, 2026 at 5:18 PM

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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner attend the 2014 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Graydon Carter on March 2, 2014The Gist -

Ben Affleck shared rare comments on his co-parenting arrangement with ex-wife Jennifer Garner on Tuesday.

The star shared the parenting rule the exes agree on when it comes to raising their children at The Rip premiere on January 13.

The former couple share Samuel, 13, Seraphina Rose, 16, and Violet, 20.

Most of Hollywood’s nepo babies are happy to follow in their parents’ footsteps, with stars like Kaia Gerber, Apple Martin, and Maya Hawke proudly making a name for themselves as celebrities in their own right. However, Ben Affleck revealed that he and ex-wife Jennifer Garner have a different approach to co-parenting their three kids while chatting with reporters at The Rip world premiere on Tuesday.

Unlike his The Rip co-star Matt Damon, who walked the red carpet with all four of his daughters and his wife Luciana, Affleck posed solo at the January 13 Alice Tully Hall event. However, his family was on his mind as he opened up about a parenting rule he and Garner have for their kids in a joint interview with Damon.

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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon attend Netflix's "The Rip" New York Premiere at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on January 13, 2026 in New York City

The Gone Girl alum—who shares Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13, with his ex-wife—revealed that he and Garner have made a concerted effort not to steer their kids towards a career on-screen. "You put something on your children when you have a public life and that's complicated. We really want to give them room to figure out what they want to do,” he told E! News. In fact, Affleck hinted that he’d rather their kids didn’t follow in their Hollywood footsteps, adding, "I wouldn't push them into that. They're brilliant and lovely and wonderful and we love them and we're proud of them. And hope that they don't waste their life acting."

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Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck are seen on February 27, 2020 in Los Angeles, California

The Good Will Hunting actor also opened up about growing up out of the spotlight, reflecting, “In some way, it was kind of a blessing to anonymity, to struggle, to where we started, which was just in the middle of nowhere."

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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner watch a game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays during the fourth inning at Fenway Park on July 11, 2025 in Boston

Affleck’s comments come shortly after Garner opened up about how the exes—who announced their split in 2015 after 10 years of marriage—got to the friendly co-parenting relationship they have today. In an interview with Marie Claire UK, the 13 Going on 30 star shared candid comments on “losing a true partnership and friendship” when she and Affleck decided to get divorced.

However, Garner revealed that she was happily surprised that they were able to mend their relationship with time, telling the publication that she was grateful to "co-parent at this point in time with peace and equanimity and a partnership that I didn’t know I would ever get back to.”

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”