Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner has revealed she experienced a period of panic over her career prospects following her divorce from actor Ben Affleck after realizing how much she had stepped back from acting to raise their three children.
Speaking on the August 25 episode of Emma Grede's Aspire podcast, the 54-year-old star reflected on the financial and professional uncertainty she faced after her ten-year marriage to Affleck ended in 2015.
Garner, known for her roles in the television series Alias and the film 13 Going on 30, explained that she began to worry about her long-term earning potential as an older actress in the entertainment industry.
"I panicked when I was first out of my marriage and realized I had taken such a step back in my work," Garner said on the podcast. "Suddenly, I realized: I don't know how long I'll be able to work."
She added: "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.' That's not traditionally the role."
Financial realities and business decisions
Garner and Affleck married in 2005 and expanded their family with three children: Violet, now 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13. As her family grew, Garner chose to put her acting career on the back burner to focus on motherhood.
However, when the couple separated a decade later, the breakup served as a wake-up call for Garner to re-evaluate her personal finances and career strategy. She recalled thinking to herself: "Wait a minute. I have to take care of myself. I have to take care of these kids."
To address the challenge, Garner consulted her business partner to figure out how she could continue earning a living without sacrificing her presence at home. She established strict boundaries regarding location work to remain near her children in Los Angeles, California.
"I said, 'I can work in Los Angeles. I can't leave these kids for six months at a time. I would love to. I love going on location. That is not this time in my career,'" Garner recalled. "It's like, 'OK, what can we make happen? How can we do it?' And we just got really targeted and still about it."
Launching Once Upon a Farm
Determined to establish long-term financial security, Garner broadened her professional pursuits beyond acting. In 2018, she tapped into her business knowledge to co-found Once Upon a Farm, an organic baby food company that continues to play a central role in her career today.
The business venture provided financial stability following her divorce while allowing her to remain based in Los Angeles with her family.
"It's not like you can just un-famous yourself. Life is expensive, and you still have to kind of figure out how you're gonna live," Garner explained. "And just because you're well-known by people does not mean that there is some great living being provided for you. And it became very serious to me really quickly as someone who had never given a lot of thought to money, like, 'Oh, I need to be an earner here.'"
Despite the initial anxiety surrounding her post-divorce finances, Garner noted that she does not regret stepping back from Hollywood during her children's early years.
"I was so lucky to be able to luxuriate in working some and being home and being a mom a lot of the time. I was really grateful for that opportunity," she said. "I got to kinda have the best of both worlds. So I can't really look back and complain about any of it. It just, it is what it is."
Balancing motherhood and working guilt
Garner, starring in The Five-Star Weekend, also addressed the emotional challenges of balancing work and parenthood. Speaking during a July appearance on Today With Jenna & Friends, the Emmy nominee shared that she never felt it necessary to apologize to her children when work kept her busy.
"When they were younger, I struggled with it so much," Garner admitted. "But now that they're older, they're like, 'Thank you for showing us that work is something to be enjoyed.' It doesn't have to just be tedious all the time."
She emphasized that letting go of guilt is essential for working parents, noting that guilt "doesn't serve anyone."
Co-parenting relationship with Ben Affleck
Throughout their separation and divorce, Garner has prioritized maintaining a positive and cordial co-parenting relationship with Affleck for the sake of Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel.
In a 2016 interview with Vanity Fair, Garner spoke about their commitment to united parenting. "It's not Ben's job to make me happy. The main thing is these kids and we're completely in line with what we hope for them," she stated.
She added: "Sure, I lost the dream of dancing with my husband at my daughter's wedding. But you should see their faces when he walks through the door. And if you see your kids love someone so purely and wholly, then you're going to be friends with that person."
Instilling Southern values and hands-on parenting
Although both Garner and Affleck are high-profile Hollywood actors, Garner has consistently sought to keep her children grounded and away from an exclusive celebrity lifestyle.
Speaking to Southern Living magazine, Garner explained her desire to instill traditional values in her family. "It's really important for my kids to see that everyone doesn't have the lives they see in Los Angeles," she said. "That doesn't reflect the rest of the world. I want them to grow up with the Southern values I had to look at people when they say hello and to stop and smell the roses."
Garner also described her parenting approach as active and hands-on, stressing the importance of setting an example rather than relying solely on verbal instruction.
"I think teaching your kids anything is a lifelong job and certainly values are something you can't just say, 'Here, have values!'" she previously told E! News. "You have to show them that you have values."
The actress noted that setting a good example is her "most important job," adding that she and Affleck, who split in 2015 after ten years of marriage, hope their children "see and appreciate the work we do."
Navigating parenting struggles and establishing boundaries
Garner has been open about the unpredictable nature of raising children, advising fellow parents not to get overwhelmed by rigid expectations.
During a 2016 appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, she remarked: "As much as you think that, 'OK, I'm going to follow what this person says,' it's not up to you, dude." She advised parents to "let it go" when facing worries, adding: "You're going to struggle. It's going to suck, just like for everyone else."
To keep order in her household, Garner relies on clear rules and structure. Speaking to Us Weekly about her approach to parenting boundaries, she said: "You just have to do it. It's not pretty. I don't think that I'm always the best at it, but I try my best to be consistent and for them to know what they can expect from me."
When unexpected difficulties arise, Garner views each day as a new opportunity. "Every day is a fresh start," she told People magazine. "You always can say, 'Today, we're going to try this!' And if it goes horribly, you can say, 'Today, we're throwing that out, and we're trying this!' That's part of what I like about being a mom in general."
Her passion for family and motherhood also shapes her screen work. Discussing her preference for playing mothers in film and television, Garner told Today: "I'm really glad that I'm playing moms, because there's no more rich time in women's lives than when you have your babies."
