Jennifer Garner Revealed How It Felt to Hear Matt Damon Was ‘The Only Person Who Ben Affleck Hasn’t Been Unfaithful to’

Not long after Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck separated, rumors began to surface that Affleck was having an affair with the couple’s nanny. While Affleck vehemently denied this, his alleged infidelity was the subject of a joke at the Golden Globes. While introducing Affleck’s longtime friend Matt Damon , host Ricky Gervais referenced the affair rumors. Garner shared what it was like to hear the joke.

Jennifer Garner spoke about a joke Ricky Gervais made about Ben Affleck at the Golden Globes

At the 2016 Golden Globe Awards, Gervais welcomed Damon to the stage. He referred to the actor as “the only person who Ben Affleck hasn’t been unfaithful to .” Garner, who won a Golden Globe in 2002 for her work in Alias , admitted to watching the ceremony. She said the comment didn’t sting, though.

“I laughed,” she told Vanity Fair . “People have pain — they do regrettable things, they feel shame, and shame equals pain. No one needs to hate him for me. I don’t hate him. Certainly we don’t have to beat the guy up.”

She said that she didn’t need people to worry about how things like this might affect her.

“Don’t worry — my eyes were wide open during the marriage,” she said. “I’m taking good care of myself.”

Jennifer Garner said she hadn’t heard rumors of Ben Affleck’s infidelity before they separated

After the affair rumors surfaced, Affleck’s rep said the story was “complete garbage and full of lies” (per People ). Garner said that while she had certainly heard the rumors, they were not the reason for her divorce.

“Let me just tell you something,” Garner said. “We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny. She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation.”

She seemingly confirmed that there was truth to the rumors, though.

“Bad judgment? Yes. It’s not great for your kids for [a nanny] to disappear from their lives,” she said, adding, “I have had to have conversations about the meaning of ‘scandal’ [with my kids].”

Garner still considered Affleck a friend

Though Garner said the divorce was incredibly emotionally difficult for her, she did not want to harbor bad feelings toward Affleck.

“It’s not Ben’s job to make me happy,” she said. “The main thing is these kids — and we’re completely in line with what we hope for them. 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.”

Ben Affleck Denied That Gwyneth Paltrow Was Horrified by His Engagement to Jennifer Lopez

Over the years, Affleck and Garner have continued to maintain a friendly relationship. In 2024, they spent Father’s Day together and she has reportedly supported him amid rumors of a divorce with Jennifer Lopez.