Jen Garner advised against marrying a man ‘thinking you can change him’ before Ben Affleck Thanksgiving reunion
Jennifer Garner got candid about the marriage advice her mom told her, which, she admitted, she needed “to work on.”
The “Alias” star, 52, opened up about her “favorite quote or mantra” during a recent episode of the “Lipstick on the Rim” podcast and credited her mother, Patricia, for the sound advice.
“Never expect a man — don’t marry a man thinking you can change him,” Garner told listeners on Nov. 12.
She later joked that she needed “to work on that one,” seemingly referring to her past relationships.
Garner has been married twice: first to “Felicity” actor Scott Foley and then to Oscar winner Ben Affleck.
“The Last Thing He Told Me” star continued to spill more “vintage Pat Garner” sayings, noting, “They all come from Mrs. Ingalls from ‘Little House on the Prairie’ or ‘Anne of Green Gables’ or all of the above.”
Those quotes included “Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning” and “Happiness is your own responsibility.”
Garner wed Foley from 2000 to 2004. She later admitted they “would probably still be together” if they didn’t live the “fast-lane life.”
She went on to famously marry Affleck in 2005. They announced their separation in June 2015 after 10 years of marriage and didn’t divorce until 2018.
Despite calling Affleck a “complicated guy” in a 2016 Vanity Fair interview, Garner has remained close to her ex for the sake of their three kids: Violet, 18, Fin, 15, and Samuel, 12, whom she said were “resilient” and “amazing” children during the podcast episode.
The former flames even spent Thanksgiving together, reuniting on Thursday, Nov. 28, with their children while handing out food to the homeless in Los Angeles.
Garner and Affleck looked cozy, with the “Argo” director even being photographed whispering into his ex-wife’s ear during the event.
Affleck is in the midst of a divorce from his recent ex, Jennifer Lopez.
She filed to end their two-year marriage in August on the anniversary of their second wedding ceremony in Georgia.
Affleck wasn’t the only one who seemed jolly on Thanksgiving.
Lopez shared a smiling pic after her ex spent time with Garner.
“I hope everybody had a beautiful and Happy Thanksgiving. I am so incredibly grateful for all of you,” the single star wrote alongside a photo of her decked out in a holiday sweater by a cooked turkey.
Lopez spoke about her split from Affleck in September, revealing she has no desire to return to the dating world.
“Now I’m excited, when you say you’re just going to be on your own. Yes, I’m not looking for anybody, because everything that I’ve done over the past 25, 30 years, being in these different challenging situations, what can I f–king do when it’s just me flying on my own,” she said.
Affleck makes ex-husband No. 4 for Lopez. She was previously married to Ojani Noa, Cris Judd and Marc Anthony, with whom she shares twins Emme and Max, 16.
