Ben Affleck says his three children are quick to dismiss his relationship advice, particularly after his two high-profile marriages ended.
The 54-year-old actor shares Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Sam, 14, with his former wife Jennifer Garner, who is also 54.
During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, Affleck explained that he occasionally tries to pass on parental wisdom—only to be met with sarcastic reactions from his children.
“I’ll say, ‘You know, well the thing about that relationship there…’ and the 17-year-old turns to me and goes, ‘Oh, like you’re the expert on relationships?’” the father of three recalled.
Affleck and Garner wed in 2005, separated a decade later and finalized their divorce in 2018.
The Oscar-winning filmmaker later married Jennifer Lopez, 57, in 2022. The couple split in 2024, years after ending their first engagement in 2004.
Ben Affleck says his three children no longer take his relationship advice seriously after his two failed marriages; pictured September 8
The Oscar-winning filmmaker was married to Jennifer Lopez, 57, from 2022 to 2024, after the pair previously called off their engagement in 2004; pictured in 2023
Speaking to Kimmel, the Boston native said he continues to offer guidance as a parent, but his children’s reactions have become increasingly coordinated.
“I give advice and try to talk to them, parent them as you do. What I found is that now it’s not only one teenager rolling their eyes,” Affleck said.
“I’ll kind of launch into something at the dinner table and I’ll catch them giving each other looks and I realize I’m the caricature in this story.”
Affleck admitted he once pictured himself as the “cool dad,” before his children grew older and developed a talent for delivering pointed one-liners.
He then shared an example of Fin’s particularly sharp sense of humor.
“I went to a bookstore with them… and there’s some book by a French guy and it’s called I’m Sorry for Everything, and my kid just turns to me dead pan [and] goes, ‘Oh look, dad, it’s your autobiography,’” he recalled.
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The story comes after Affleck discussed why he initially cast Garner opposite him in the crime thriller Animals, before ultimately replacing her with Kerry Washington.
“I thought, God, Jen Garner would be amazing for this role,” he told Entertainment Weekly. “It also has the added benefit of, like, both of us will see our kids more because we do a week and a week and back and forth. I thought, well, we can coordinate our schedules around it.”
In Animals, a mayoral candidate and his wife take extreme steps to raise their son’s ransom, exposing “dark secrets they never intended to bring to light,” according to IMDb.
Affleck and former wife Jennifer Garner, pictured in 2007, married in 2005, separated in 2015 and finalized their divorce in 2018
On Jimmy Kimmel Live this week, Affleck said his attempts to offer parental wisdom are often answered with sarcasm from his children
Affleck, 54, shares Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Sam, 14, with Garner, also 54; Garner pictured with their children in 2018
Affleck said he realized he and his ex-wife would be acting out a rocky marriage onscreen, which might not look good, given their relationship history.
‘I talked to Jen, and she was like, “We don’t wanna do that. You just get baggage,”‘ he said.
However, he added: ‘I would love to work with her, frankly. She’s fabulous, and we’re really good friends, and I’m profoundly grateful to her, and we have a great thing.
‘I still would wanna work with her in the future, but what you don’t wanna do is take the audience’s baggage and have it work against you, you know?’
The exes are sometimes seen running errands with their children, demonstrating their amicable co-parenting relationship.
They have also been known to spend holidays together post-divorce.