Jennifer Garner Opens Up About the Moment After Her Divorce from Ben Affleck That Changed Everything for Her Career

The "Alias" star's divorce from Ben Affleck changed more than her family life. It forced her to confront how far she had stepped back from her career.

Years after their split, Jennifer Garner has opened up about the realization that followed the end of her marriage - one that changed how she thought about work, money, and supporting her children.

Garner has been candid about what hurt most when her marriage to Ben Affleck ended. It was not the public attention surrounding their breakup.

"The actual breaking up of a family is what was hard," Garner told Marie Claire. "Losing a true partnership and friendship is what was hard."

Garner said she deliberately avoided much of what was being said about the breakup at the time. "You have to be smart about what you can and can't handle, and I could not handle what was out there," she said.

The public noise was one thing. The reality of the separation was another. As Garner later explained, being out of the marriage forced her to think seriously about work, money and how much time she was willing to spend away from her children.

Their Divorce Followed a Long Separation

Garner and Affleck married on June 29, 2005, and announced their split in June 2015 after 10 years of marriage, according to People. At the time of the breakup, their three children were Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3.

"After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce," they said in a joint statement.

They added, "We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding."

Garner filed for divorce in April 2017, nearly two years after the separation was announced. Her petition and Affleck's response were identical and filed together.

Both cited irreconcilable differences and requested joint legal and physical custody of their children. Their marriage ended in 2018 after a long separation.

When Affleck spoke to The New York Times in 2020, he described the divorce as "the biggest regret of my life." He also said he was trying to move forward rather than remain trapped in regret.

"I have certainly made mistakes. I have certainly done things that I regret," Affleck said. "But you've got to pick yourself up, learn from it, learn some more, try to move forward."

Garner's own account of the aftermath focuses on a different part of the experience: what the end of the marriage made her realize about her professional life.

Garner Faced a Different Career Reality After the Split

During an August 25, 2026, episode of "Aspire with Emma Grede," Garner described how her career suddenly looked different once she was out of the marriage.

"This isn't a career that's like, hey, you're 60, you're 55, you're 43, come on, let's pay you more than you've ever made," she told host Emma Grede. "That's not been traditionally the role." Her family responsibilities created another limit.

Then Garner Realized How Far She Had Stepped Back

That tension brought her to the realization that changed how she approached work. "I panicked when I was first out of my marriage and realized I had taken such a step back in my work," Garner said. The concern went beyond finding another acting role.

"Suddenly, I realized like, I don't know how long I'll be able to work," she said. Her thoughts quickly turned to another concern. "I have to take care of myself. I have to take care of these kids. So, what is it going to be?" Garner recalled thinking.

That question became the basis for a more deliberate approach to her career. Garner said she and Nicole, whom she referenced during the interview, became "really targeted" about what kind of work she could realistically do.

One boundary was especially clear. "I can work in Los Angeles. I can't leave these kids for 6 months at a time," Garner said. The restriction did not come from a lack of interest in working elsewhere.

"I would love to. I love going on location," she said. "That is not this time in my career." Garner recalled Nicole asking, "How can you work?" That question helped narrow the options.

Garner needed opportunities that allowed her to keep earning without routinely spending months away from her children. Money also became a more urgent concern than it had been before.

Divorce Changed the Way Garner Thought About Being an Earner

"It's not like you can just un-famous yourself," Garner said in the same interview. "Life is expensive, and you still have to kind of figure out how you're gonna live."

She also pushed back on the idea that fame automatically meant financial security. "Just because you're well-known by people does not mean that there is some great living being provided for you," she said.

Garner described herself before that period as "someone who had never given a lot of thought to money." That changed quickly.

"It became very serious to me really quickly" that she needed to become an "earner," Garner said. Her answer would eventually extend beyond acting.

Once Upon a Farm Became Part of Garner's Plan

Garner joined Once Upon a Farm as a cofounder and chief brand officer in 2017, according to Fortune. Cassandra Curtis had started the organic children's nutrition brand two years earlier, and Garner later helped scale it with Curtis and John Foraker.

Garner directly connected the business to the career decisions she was making after the split. Her connection to the company also became personal.

On the company's website, Garner explained that the business allowed her to connect with her own family's farming history.

"Once I started working for Once Upon a Farm, I loved the idea of connecting kids to the farm early on," Garner said. "And so here we are, connecting kids to the farm and it gets to be my family's farm that's been with us since 1936."

Garner said her Uncle Robert still lives on the property, describing him as "the holder of the stories" who continues to run the farm.

By 2026, Garner's role with the company had become financially significant. She earned $1 million the previous year through her work as a cofounder and as "Farmer Jen," the company's spokesperson. She was expected to receive between $2 million and $3 million in annual compensation through 2028.

The Business Reached a Multi-Million Valuation

Once Upon a Farm reportedly began trading publicly in February 2026. Its shares opened at $18, the offering raised $198 million, and the company reached a $724 million valuation.

At the time of its initial public offering (IPO), Once Upon a Farm reported $200 million in annual sales in its S-1 filing. Its products were available in 25,000 stores.

Garner's role continued after the public offering. She was set to serve on the company's board while keeping her "Farmer Jen" position.

The scale of that business stands in sharp contrast to the uncertainty Garner described feeling after her marriage ended.

She had stepped back from work, questioned how long she could rely on acting, and decided she was not willing to solve the problem by leaving her children for six months at a time.

Instead, she became more selective about the work she pursued. Once Upon a Farm became part of that strategy and eventually grew into a company reporting $200 million in annual sales at the time of its IPO.

Years after describing the panic she felt about her career, Garner could point to Once Upon a Farm as part of the plan that followed. "Once Upon a Farm was very much a part of that play. It's just the crazy thing is it's working," Garner said in the podcast.

Garner's life after her marriage has also drawn attention for another reason. As we previously reported, she offered a glimpse of her relationship with Affleck as co-parents when she included touching photos of him in a Father's Day tribute.

A Father's Day Tribute Filled With Family Memories

On Father's Day, Garner shared a carousel of photos celebrating her late father, William Garner.

"My sisters and I loved to spoil our dad; he never wanted for fresh baked cookies or a bowl of ice cream. I see the way my kids dote on their dad, and I'm happy for them. To love and be loved by a great dad is a gift. Happy Father's Day to all of the dads and to the kids of dads, too. ♥️," she wrote in her Instagram post.

At first glance, the collection appeared to be devoted entirely to Garner's late dad and the close-knit family he helped raise.

One image in the carousel offered a glimpse into the affection Garner's father inspired among them. The family portrait showed him standing in the center beneath a leafy tree.

Garner leaned into him from one side in a cream sweater, smiling broadly as she wrapped an arm around him. Her sisters crowded in from the opposite side, one dressed in a pink turtleneck and the other in a rose-colored cardigan. As viewers continued scrolling, the focus of the tribute subtly shifted.

Then Fans Realized Jennifer Had Honored Another Dad, Too

Hidden among the late patriarch's memories were two throwback images featuring another father — Jennifer's ex-husband. Although she never mentioned Affleck by name, Garner wrote about watching her children cherish "their dad."

The second slide showed Affleck spending time outdoors with two of the children he shared with Garner. Wearing a striped T-shirt and khaki shorts, he held hands with his older daughter in a purple mermaid T-shirt while carrying an infant dressed in pale pink in a front baby carrier.

The baby clutched a plush giraffe toy beneath a white bucket hat as the family strolled past a sandy enclosure bordered by a black fence and leafy trees.

In the final slide, Affleck was dressed in his full Batman costume. Looking upward, he beamed at a young boy perched at shoulder level in his arms.

The child smiled back while resting one hand against Ben's armored chest. Wearing bright blue pants and a white baseball-style shirt with gray sleeves, he appeared delighted by the playful interaction.

One person wrote, "I love how you included Ben." Another commenter declared, "She will forever love Ben, and I will die on that hill." Others were moved by what they saw as an example of respectful co-parenting.

One fan commented, "I respect that you acknowledged your children's father even though you aren't together. I keep seeing celebrities posting their new husbands with their children and that's great but they don't say anything about the biological father's who are still in their lives."

Another person shared, "That's beautiful. I miss my father so much. My ex and I don't even speak anymore. We share a grandson. You set a good example."

The reactions showed that the small detail in Jennifer Garner's Father's Day post had not gone unnoticed. For some followers, the photos of Affleck carried just as much meaning as the words she chose to share.