Ben Affleck garnered criticism for his recent comments on his marriage with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. In a candid chat on The Howard Stern Show, he talked about his struggles with alcoholism. The actor who has been in and out of rehab a couple of times said that he would “probably still be drinking,” had he stayed married to Garner. “It’s part of why I started drinking because I was trapped,” he added. According to People magazine, he also said, “I was like ‘I can’t leave because of my kids but I’m not happy, what do I do? What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution,”

Affleck has three kids with Garner – Violet, Seraphina and Samuel. The actor did address his comments but not before understandably enraged netizens called him out for his insensitive remarks about Garner. Here’s how Twitter responded:

You know who the trapped one was? Jennifer. Not Ben. She dealt with his spiraling and put on a brave face while taking care of their kids and knowing her marriage was imploding. #BenAffleck #JenniferGarner https://t.co/EcayXwZ8Aj

— Truth Teller (@Draggerofliars) December 15, 2021

Did #BenAffleck throw #JenniferGarner, the mother of his children, under the bus? Says he felt trapped in his marriage, blaming her for his drinking? And something like, his children’s well being is the most important thing. Has he learned nothing from all the stints in rehab?

— Lisa G-S 🌻 (@hairrence) December 15, 2021

.⁦@BenAffleck⁩ blaming your marriage to #JenniferGarner for your drinking is one of the more pathetic excuses & not a good look w/your kids. She’s an awesome & substantive woman. You seem to be a whiny pathetic man who doesn’t admit his own failings. https://t.co/N5DaCRNPWH

— lh (@lucinda_herbert) December 14, 2021

The actor addressed the criticism in an interview with Jimmy Kimmel. He said that his comments were perceived in a different light and that he hadn’t realised how they came across. “I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mom,” he said. Affleck explained, “I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first.” He also said that only parts of the interview received attention and made him look like “the worst” guy.

“That’s not true. I don’t believe that. It’s the exact opposite of who I am, what I believe,” he added.

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Cover image: Twitter