Ben Affleck sets record straight on blaming ex Jennifer Garner for alcoholism

Ben Affleck talked about an old interview in which his remarks about his drinking problem and its affects on his marriage with Jennifer Garner were misconstrued by the media.

Affleck said he become “guarded” after his conversation with Howard Stern in 2021 that "he’d still be drinking if he’d stayed married" to Garner were taken out of context.

The Gone Girl star made it clear that in no way he meant that the 13 Going on 30 star was responsible for his alcoholism, saying that only he was to blame for his addiction.

"I had a really painful experience where I did an interview where I was really vulnerable," Affleck, who has been open about his struggle with alcohol addiction, told Hollywood Reporter.

“And the entire pickup was something that was not only not right, it was actually the opposite of what I meant,” he added. "The idea that I was blaming my wife for my drinking.”

"To be clear, my behavior is my responsibility entirely," he said. "The point that I was trying to make was a sad one. Anyone who's been through divorce makes that calculus of, How much do we try?"

"We loved each other. We care about each other," he spoke of his relationship with Garner, with whom he shares three kids. "We have respect for each other.”

Clarifying his remarks that he originally wanted to convey in his previous interview with Stern, he said, "I was trying to say, 'Hey, look, I was drinking too much, and the less happy you become, whether it's your job, your marriage, it's just that as your life becomes more difficult, if you're doing things to fill a hole that aren't healthy, you're going to start doing more of those things.' I think I was pretty articulate about that," he claimed, alluding that the media misconstrued his actual intent.”

"Mischaracterized it in order to make it clickbait, and everyone else then picked it up, and it didn't matter how many times I said, 'I do not feel this way. I'm telling you, I don't blame my ex-wife for my alcoholism.' So, yeah. It's hard," Affleck explained.