Jennifer Garner Describes Ex-Husband Ben Affleck as a ‘Wonderful’ Co-Parent: ‘That’s Very Freeing’

Jennifer Garner is giving credit where it’s due when it comes to raising her three kids with Ben Affleck.

The actress, 54, says her co-parenting dynamic with her ex-husband has shifted now that their children are older. “Their dad — ex-husband Ben Affleck — has become this incredible co-parent,” Garner said, according to an article Entertainment Weekly published on Thursday, July 16.

Garner explained that the change has given her more freedom in her career now that her kids are in high school. “When [my kids] were younger, I wouldn’t have done a couple of weeks away without taking them with me,” she said, per the report. “Now they’re in high school. You can’t really do that anymore. But they can stay with their dad.”

She didn’t hold back on praising Affleck, 53, further: “He’s wonderful. He takes care of them. He’s a great partner in that way. And that’s very freeing,” Garner said, according to the outlet.

Per the report, the actress also credited an unnamed business partner who helps her keep her projects based in Los Angeles, telling the outlet, “I love making movies anywhere, but I really want to make movies at home.”

Garner and Affleck, who share three children — Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14 — were married from 2005 to 2018 before finalizing their divorce. Despite their split, the former couple has been frequently praised for maintaining an amicable co-parenting relationship over the years.

In the article Garner reflected on filming The Five Star Weekend — in which she stars as food influencer Hollis Shaw alongside Gemma Chan, Regina Hall, D’Arcy Carden and Chloë Sevigny — both in Los Angeles and on location in Nantucket.

She also spoke about entering her 50s on screen, saying, “It matters that we have women showing up in their 50s who are still having all of these things in their lives. Because life doesn’t stop.”

But it was her reflections on family that stood out most. “There is a time in your life where you do get caught in all of that,” Garner said of the demands of raising kids while working, per the report. “And that’s okay. That’s a season. And it’s a beautiful thing. I wouldn’t trade a minute of it.”