Ben Affleck has blamed the media for taking comments about his divorce from Jennifer Garner out of context, according to a new interview.
The Last Duel star came under fire after a recent interview with Howard Stern where Affleck remarked that his marriage was a contributing factor to his alcoholism. That interview spawned a huge public backlash from fans who publicly defended Affleck’s ex-wife, noting that Garner had even taken Affleck to rehab years after the two had split.
But in a new appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Affleck blamed the media for taking his earlier comments out of context.
“I had gone on and said like how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first,” Affleck said. “They said that I had blamed my ex-wife for my alcoholism and that I was trapped in this marriage. Just like made me out to be like the worst, most insensitive, stupid, awful guy.”
Affleck then went on to explain the repercussions that something like this has on his life and that there is a moral line that shouldn’t be crossed.
“If it’s about my kids, I gotta just draw a line… I would never want my kids to think that I would ever say a bad word about their mom… Being the subject of that is just sort of the cost of doing business a little bit as an actor but like not with my kids. Don’t do that, it’s wrong. It hurts me, it hurts them. Stop that.”
The whole experience has clearly upset Affleck, and he has a right to be angry when his relationship with his kids could be damaged by the ordeal.