Ben Affleck is opening up about co-parenting with Jennifer Garner, and his honesty is winning people over. In a preview of his Sunday TODAY interview with Willie Geist, the actor called Garner“spectacular”and joked that she always makes him feel like he’s“coming up a little short”as a parent. Then came the moment everyone’s talking about: he told his kids he’s doing about 75% as good as their mom, and they replied,“Maybe 40%.”No notes. Kids are savage.
Affleck and Garner share three children: Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14. The couple split in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018, and they’ve since become one of the most amicable exes in Hollywood, running a week-on, week-off custody schedule that keeps things consistent for the kids. Garner is currently dating CaliBurger CEO John Miller, and there’s clearly no bad blood anywhere in this equation.
What makes the story land is how familiar it feels. Plenty of parents in blended or co-parenting situations know that feeling of measuring themselves against the other parent, and the sting of a brutally honest kid. Affleck just said the quiet part out loud, with cameras rolling. Would your kids give you a passing grade or a 40%? Tell us in the comments.
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.