Entertainment

Ben Affleck Admits His 'Biggest Regret' Is Divorcing Jennifer Garner

EntertainmentPublished Feb 19, 2020
By Nicole Pomarico
Ben Affleck, Jennifer GarnerBG004/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

It's been almost five years since Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner went their separate ways, but at least one half of this former celebrity couple wishes their split had never happened. In a new interview, Ben revealed his biggest regret is divorcing Jennifer, which is breaking our hearts about their breakup all over again -- especially because they've remained on such good terms ever since.

In a profile published in The New York Times, Ben opened up about his split from Jennifer.-placeholder
In a profile published in The New York Times, Ben opened up about his split from Jennifer.
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In a profile published in The New York Times, Ben opened up about his split from Jennifer.

In the interview, he talked about how his substance abuse is what ultimately led to the end of his marriage with Jennifer, even though the end of his marriage is also what pushed him to drink more. 

"I drank relatively normally for a long time," he said. "What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems."

Ben called their divorce the "biggest regret" of his life.-placeholder
Ben called their divorce the "biggest regret" of his life.
Splash News

Ben called their divorce the "biggest regret" of his life.

"The biggest regret of my life is this divorce," he said. "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."

Still, Ben seems to be approaching these kinds of regrets as positively as possible.

"It's not particularly healthy for me to obsess over the failures -- the relapses -- and beat myself up," he said. "I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret. But you've got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward."

Fans don't seem surprised that Ben feels this way.-placeholder
Fans don't seem surprised that Ben feels this way.

Fans don't seem surprised that Ben feels this way.

As these commenters pointed out, a lot of people feel like Ben should have recognized that he had a great wife and not let her slip away, but we have no idea what their relationship was really like behind the scenes ... or how hard they may have tried to make it work before it did ultimately come to an end. The only ones who know what it was really like are Ben and Jen, and as sad as it is that he does regret their divorce, it is what it is.

It's good to know that these two still have a good relationship, though -- even after everything they've been through.

In fact, Ben recognized Jen as an "incredible mother" in a Mother's Day post he shared on Instagram last year, and we'd say that's a pretty solid co-parenting bond they have going on there. We know that their kids -- Violet, 14, Samuel, 7, and Seraphina, 11 -- have to be so thankful that their parents are making it work for them, because no matter what difficulties they've faced, it's clear they've always kept their children first.

Ben's had a lot of struggles, but hopefully, things will get easier for him soon.

Having followed his career for so long, it's hard not to root for Ben -- especially now that he's willing to speak so openly about his experiences, even the ones he might not want to talk about. 

Who knows what the future holds for Jen and Ben? There could be a reconciliation. But even if there isn't, it seems like a given that they will always be good friends.

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