Ben Affleck says he’s learned he isn’t the cool dad he thought he’d be, after his teenage son mocked his dating history during a family dinner.
Speaking on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” the 54-year-old actor described trying to pass along relationship advice to his kids over dinner. “My kids are talking at dinner, and they’ll talk about their friends and the drama and the relationships and I have some lived experience I think that’s worth sharing, some lessons … these are the kind of things we give to our children,” Affleck said.
The moment didn’t land the way he hoped. Affleck recalled that his 17-year-old immediately shot back: “Oh, like you’re the expert on relationships?”
Affleck shares three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner: Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14. The two were married for more than a decade before separating in 2015 and finalizing their divorce in 2018.
Since then, Affleck’s relationships have drawn plenty of attention, including with “Saturday Night Live” cast member Lindsay Shookus and Playboy model Shauna Sexton. He was later linked to actress Ana de Armas, dating her from late 2019 until early 2021, before reconnecting with former fiancée Jennifer Lopez.
Affleck and Lopez first dated from 2002 to 2004, then got back together in April 2021. They confirmed the relationship publicly that July, got engaged in April 2022, and married in July 2022. Lopez filed for divorce in August 2024 after just over two years of marriage.
On the same Kimmel appearance, Affleck revealed that Garner was actually approached to play his love interest in his new film, “Animals,” but turned down the role. “Jen was like, ‘Great, but no, I’m not gonna play your wife in a movie,'” Affleck said. “[It’s] probably for the best. That lesson has been learned.”
Kerry Washington ultimately took the part opposite Affleck in the film, which he also directed and co-wrote. “Animals” follows a husband and wife who go to extreme lengths to pay their son’s ransom.
