Jennifer Garner opened up about the financial panic she felt after her 2018 divorce from Ben Affleck.
The “Alias” star, 54, detailed her money worries during Tuesday’s episode of the “Aspire” podcast with Emma Grede. Garner explained that stepping back from Hollywood to raise her three children left her unprepared for the financial reality of single motherhood.
“I was suddenly like, ‘Wait a minute. I have to take care of myself. I have to take care of these kids. I didn’t get some huge payout,'” she recalled on the podcast.
“I panicked when I was first out of my marriage and realized I had taken such a step back in my work.”
Garner also became worried about ageism in Hollywood and her ability to continue earning at her previous level.
“And suddenly I realized, like, I don’t know how long I’ll be able to work. 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,'” she said on the show.
The actress faced additional constraints as a single parent to Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13. She could no longer “leave [her] kids for six months at a time” for shoots far from Los Angeles, where the family is based.
The lifestyle concerns extended beyond just her own needs.
“It’s not like you can just un-famous yourself,” she explained. “Life is expensive, and you still have to kind of figure out how you’re gonna live. And just because you’re well-known by people does not mean that there is some great living being provided for you.”
Garner confessed that prior to the split she was “someone who had never given a lot of thought to money.” However, “it became very serious to [her] really quickly” that she needed to become an “earner.”
This realization drove her deeper into her role with organic kids’ and baby food company Once Upon a Farm, where she has served as brand officer and co-founder since 2017. The company went public in February at a $724 million valuation. Garner earned $1 million annually last year and is expected to make $2 million to $3 million per year through 2028, according to Fortune.
In the viral moment that preceded these podcast revelations, Garner has steadily rebuilt her acting career while maintaining her business ventures. She starred in “Wonder Park” in 2019, her first project after the divorce was finalized, and has since appeared in “The Adam Project” (2022), “Deadpool & Wolverine” (2024), and “The Five-Star Weekend” (2026).
Despite the early panic, Garner has found a workable co-parenting rhythm with Affleck, also 54. Speaking to the outlet last month, she credited her ex-husband for enabling her latest role in Peacock’s “The Five-Star Weekend,” which shot for a month in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
“They can stay with their dad,” Garner said. “He takes care of them. He’s a great partner in that way. And so that’s very freeing.”
In June, she shared an emotional Father’s Day tribute to Affleck on social media with never-before-seen photos of him with their children.
“I see the way my kids dote on their dad and I’m happy for them,” she captioned the post. “To love and be loved by a great dad is a gift.”
Garner and Affleck met on the set of “Pearl Harbor” in 2000 and married five years later, announcing their separation in 2015 after ten years of marriage.
Garner is expected to continue her role in “The Five-Star Weekend” promotional cycle with upcoming Peacock marketing events.