Jennifer Garner Admits She Became Both 'Mom and Dad' After Divorce From Ben Affleck: 'There’s a Bit of Loss in That'

Jennifer Garner shared some hard truths when it comes to co-parenting with ex Ben Affleck.

During a Tuesday, February 24, episode of Bustle’s “One Nightstand” series, the actress, 53, revealed she puts in extra effort post-divorce in raising kids Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 13.

Garner admitted she contributes “conscientious upbringing” and "appreciation" to her children.

“I think that I do a bit of both. And I think my kids’ dad does too,” she expressed. “Especially when your kids grow up in two separate households, I become mom and dad, and he becomes dad and mom. You kind of can’t help it, right? You don’t have the benefit of both sides, the yin and yang, being in the same house. You have to have a bit of both in the way you parent. There’s a bit of loss in that, but there’s also something gained in that. You also just learn, it’s made me let go and not focus so much on the bringing up.”

Garner and Affleck split in 2015 after 10 years of marriage and finalized their divorce three years later. They maintain an amicable, healthy relationship in co-parenting their kids.

In an interview published last month, the actress recalled how difficult it was splitting from her ex.

“You have to be smart about what you can and can’t handle, and I could not handle what was out there. But what was out there, was not what was hard,” she explained. “The fact of it is what was hard. The actual breaking up of a family is what was hard. Losing a true partnership and friendship is what was hard.”

In the aftermath of the breakup, the 13 Going on 30 star — who is currently dating businessman John Miller — held her loved ones close.

“I make a big, concerted effort to see my people as much as I can, because that’s what matters,” she said. “That’s where your resilience is: it’s in your relationships and in the people who carry you through.”

In a March 2025 interview, Affleck, 53, gushed over his positive relationship with Garner post-divorce.

"I'm really lucky that I have a really good co-parent and partner in Jennifer Garner, the kids' mom, who's wonderful and great and we work together well," he said.

The Armageddon alum, who is currently single, also recalled how difficult it was explaining fake news to his family.

"[My kids] would see something on a supermarket stand, we would say, 'Well, you know, this isn’t always true, because if it were, you would have 15 brothers or sisters or whatever the number of stories is where they said that your mom was pregnant,'" he said.