Ahead Of Her Viral Thanksgiving Reunion With Ben Affleck, Jennifer Garner Revealed That Her Mom Once Advised Her Against Marrying A Man “Thinking You Can Change Him”
Jen and Ben were seen looking cozy at a charity event with their kids this Thanksgiving — marking Ben’s first Thanksgiving since his divorce from Jennifer Lopez.
Back in 2000, Jen got married to Scream star Scott Foley.
Vince Bucci / Getty Images
The pair stayed married for three years but ultimately called it quits, with Jennifer citing “irreconcilable differences” in their divorce papers.
Jeffrey Mayer / WireImage
At the time, Jen said that she and Scott were ”victims of Hollywood,” admitting that if they lived outside of LA, they’d “probably still be together.”
Of course, Jen famously went on to marry Ben Affleck in 2005.
Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images
The couple welcomed three children together — Violet, 17, Seraphina, 14, and Samuel, 11 — before announcing their split in 2015.
Christopher Polk
Over the years, Ben has been open about how his alcohol misuse impacted his and Jen’s marriage. He told the New York Times in 2020, “I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems.”
Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images
Since parting ways, Ben and Jennifer have maintained a friendly coparenting relationship and are regularly seen together with their kids. In fact, just this Thanksgiving, the exes were seen together as they attended a charity event with their children.
Bg004 / GC Images
This marks Ben’s first Thanksgiving since his divorce from Jennifer Lopez, whom he dated between 2002 and 2004, and then reunited with in 2021.
Ben and Jen were seen looking cozy as they joined forces to volunteer with Midnight Mission in LA.
Well, ahead of their now-viral Thanksgiving reunion, Jen hilariously appeared to reference her and Ben’s failed marriage just a few weeks ago.
Robin L Marshall / FilmMagic
During an appearance on the Lipstick on the Rim podcast last month, Jen was asked some rapid-fire questions by hosts Molly Sims and Emese Gormley — one of which was about her favorite piece of advice.
Steve Granitz / FilmMagic,
Jen then quoted some wise words she’d once been told by her mom, Pat Garner: “Never expect a man — don’t marry a man thinking you can change him.”
The trio then burst out laughing, with Jen quipping that she was “really gonna work on that one.”
