Jennifer Garner makes subtle dig at failed Ben Affleck marriage

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck appear to be much better friends than they were a married couple.

The actress, 52, was married to the Good Will Hunting star, 53, for 13 years before they split in 2018, and it appears Jennifer learned a lot from their failed union.

Despite their friendly Thanksgiving reunion this week, the Alias star seemingly made a subtle dig at Ben on the Lipstick on the Rim podcast earlier this month.

Jennifer was asked for her “favorite quote or mantra” and replied with a warning she was given by her mom Pat Garner, saying: “Never expect a man — don’t marry a man thinking you can change him.”

She shared two more of her favorite quotes, adding: “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” and “Happiness is your own responsibility”.

Jennifer’s comments come after a resurfaced interview from Ben went viral in September, in which he admitted he was often to blame for his relationships ending.

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Ben admitted that despite becoming “unhappy” in a relationship, he would keep quiet and carry on before developing “a passive-aggressive rage”.

“It’s not like I was a womanizer or physically abusive or psychologically abusive or whatever,” a then-27-year-old Ben told Playboy Magazine.

“It’s just that these relationships never end well. I think what happens is, I end up wanting to be out of the relationship.”

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He explained: “During the course of a relationship, if you get dissatisfied and unhappy and don’t say something, if you don’t deal with it right then, it just festers and stays there.

“So instead of saying, ‘Look, don’t do that, please don’t act this way,’ I go along with it until I just don’t want to be in the relationship at all. Then I create some incident or do something or just don’t call. And then she’s [expletive].”

Ben didn’t blame his ex-girlfriends though. He added: “I can’t necessarily blame her at that point.

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“I’ve developed such a passive-aggressive rage that I have no sympathy and tell her, ‘Well of course I didn’t call you. If you weren’t such a nagging, shrewish harpy I’d call you.’

 “If I were the next guy to go out with them, I’m sure I would be nodding in agreement about what an [expletive] their ex-boyfriend was.”

While their marriage didn’t last, Ben and Jennifer have remained on good terms and successfully co-parent their children, Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12.

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They were most recently spotted volunteering together at the Midnight Mission in Los Angeles, helping serve Thanksgiving brunch to over 2,000 homeless and near-homeless individuals. 

Ben and Jennifer were seen chatting warmly and working side by side, donning matching aprons as they served meals with smiles.

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Ben has been a supporter of Midnight Mission for years and has often praised the organization for its impactful work. “I found that I get a lot out of giving a little bit of my time to other people,” he shared with People.

“It’s easy to throw up your hands and say there’s nothing you can do. But the truth is, there are people who want to make their lives better, who are struggling and need help.”