Ben Affleck reiterates that he didn’t blame ex-wife Jennifer Garner for his alcoholism in a 2021 interview: ‘My behavior is my responsibility entirely’

ben and jen
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner split in 2015. Danny Moloshok/Reuters

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Ben Affleck reiterated that his 2021 comments about alcoholism and his marriage to ex-wife Jennifer Garner weren’t meant to convey that he was blaming her for his addiction, saying that “my behavior is my responsibility entirely.”

Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Affleck said his comments from a 2021 interview on “The Howard Stern Show” were “deliberately mischaracterized” in pursuit of “clickbait.”

“I was trying to say, ‘Hey, look, I was drinking too much, and the less happy you become, whether it’s your job, your marriage, it’s just that as life becomes more difficult, if you’re doing things to fill a hole that aren’t healthy, you’re going to start doing more of those things,'” Affleck told The Hollywood Reporter.

The actor spoke about his split from Garner on “The Howard Stern Show,” and said that despite their mutual respect for one another, their marriage “didn’t work.” Nonetheless, they tried for a period of time to stay together for their children.

“And you know what, we probably would’ve ended up at each other’s throats,” he told Stern. “I’d probably still be drinking — which is part of why I started drinking alcohol — because I was trapped.”

After his comments circulated, Affleck said on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” that his comments were framed as “the exact opposite” of what he was trying to say. His now-wife Jennifer Lopez said in a statement to People that it was “simply not true” that she was mad at Affleck for his comments, as some media outlets had reported.

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Affleck told The Hollywood Reporter that Lopez, whom he married in July 2022, tells him to loosen up, saying that he gives a “serious” impression despite being “a fun guy who is real and genuine.” And while it’s “hard” having to clarify his 2021 comments, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he should probably “listen” to his wife.

“It didn’t matter how many times I said, ‘I do not feel this way. I’m telling you, I don’t blame my ex-wife for my alcoholism,'” Affleck said.