Why Ben Affleck Says His Divorce From Jennifer Garner Is His Biggest Regret

Ben Affleck's been tangled up with more Jennifers than most, and none of those love stories quite ended with the happily ever after he was probably hoping for. His on-again, off-again romance with Jennifer Lopez had not one but two chances, only for the whole thing to crash and burn — again— this time in divorce, leaving fans more confused than ever. Then there's Jennifer Garner, his other Jennifer — and the one who still stings the most. Affleck's made it clear: of all his high-profile breakups, it's the one with Garner that really haunts him. According to him, he's got no one to blame but himself.

Affleck and Garner met on the set of "Pearl Harbor" back in 2001 and reunited for "Daredevil" two years later. But it wasn't until 2004 that they finally became an item, and by 2005, they were married. Over the next decade, they became parents to three kids — Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel. Then, right after hitting their 10th wedding anniversary, they blindsided fans with a joint breakup statement: "After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce. We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time."

Despite the divorce, Affleck and Garner have kept things impressively friendly, co-parenting like pros as Affleck moved on and eventually remarried. But to this day, Affleck still regrets how things ended with Garner — not because he still harbors feelings for her, but because, in true Affleck fashion, he knows he's the one who ruined it all.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner might still be together if Affleck hadn't let his drinking habit tank their marriage. Speaking with Howard Stern in 2021, Affleck stirred up some backlash when he admitted to feeling "trapped" in their relationship. What he really meant to say, though, was that he was lonely. "We had a marriage that didn't work. This happens. It was somebody I love and respect but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer," he said. "What I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."

In an interview with The New York Times, Affleck dove deeper into just how much he regrets fumbling his marriage. "The biggest regret of my life is this divorce," he said, acknowledging that as his drinking spiraled, so did their relationship. "Shame is really toxic. There is no positive byproduct of shame. It's just stewing in a toxic, hideous feeling of low self-worth and self-loathing." And during a sit-down with Diane Sawyer, the "Batman" actor admitted splitting up was never part of his game plan. "I didn't want to get divorced. I didn't want to be a divorced person. I really didn't want to be a split family with my children," he confessed. "And it upset me because it meant I wasn't who I thought I was."

Thankfully, the two have managed to get to a good place, co-parenting their three kids and maintaining a solid friendship. Affleck made it pretty clear in the note he wrote for Garner that she will always be someone he holds dear: "Thank you. Thank you for being thoughtful, considerate, responsible, and a great mom and person."