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After years of relative silence on his life and career, Ben Affleck emerged in February and gave one of his most candid interviews ever. He broached a number of topics in a chat with The New York Times – from his sobriety struggles to the reason he dropped out of The Batman. But perhaps the biggest bombshell came when he called his divorce from Jennifer Garner the biggest regret of his life.

While Garner allegedly had a positive reaction to the remarks, a new report says they agitated her boyfriend, businessman John Miller

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner on the red carpet in November 2014
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner on the red carpet in November 2014 |Jim Spellman/WireImage

First, what exactly did Ben Affleck say?

Speaking to The New York Times on Feb. 18, Affleck talked about the role alcohol played in his split from Garner, whom he married in 2005 and with whom he shares three children.

Affleck admitted that he used to drink “relatively normally,” but began to consume more alcohol as he and Garner experienced marital problems.

“What happened was that I started drinking more and more when my marriage was falling apart. This was 2015, 2016. My drinking, of course, created more marital problems,” he said.

It got to a point where the relationship could not be saved, and the two filed for a divorce in 2015. It was granted in 2018.

Even though it’s been years since then, Affleck confessed that he still feels guilty about the dissolution of his marriage. “The biggest regret of my life is this divorce,” he said.

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner at an event in 2013
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner at an event in 2013 | Jason Merritt/Getty Images for John Varvatos

Jennifer Garner’s reported reaction to his comments revealed

Garner has not publicly commented on Affleck’s remarks. But a source told HollywoodLife on Feb. 20 that she’s thrilled to see Affleck working on himself and confronting his demons.

“The fact that he is admitting to his struggles and mentioned his biggest regret was losing her, although it is sad, it is also something she really appreciates hearing,” the insider said in part.

“It’s not going to lead to them getting back together,” the source added, “but it’s going to improve their friendship that they have been trying to work on while being co-parents. Seeing him fight his demons that she has wanted him to fight for so long shows that her words haven’t gone unheard.”

“She really respects him a lot more than what she has over the last couple of years. It is inspiring for Jen to see how Ben is changing his life for the better,” the source added.

Jennifer Garner’s boyfriend is allegedly ‘uncomfortable’ with Ben Affleck’s remarks

Garner might be OK with Affleck’s comments, but her boyfriend allegedly isn’t. A source told Us Weekly in an interview published on Feb. 26 that Miller, who began dating Garner in mid-2018, is “uncomfortable with Ben’s interviews.”

“John is empathetic to Ben’s struggles with sobriety, but he worries about how Jennifer has once again become the focus. … The spotlight on Jennifer is intense and Ben needs to consider her feelings before speaking so publicly,” the source explained.

Jennifer Garner on the red carpet
Jennifer Garner on the red carpet | Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Turner

Even though Garner has moved on and appears to have a happy relationship with Miller, the source said the businessman is still “worried.”

“John believes Ben would remarry Jennifer if she wanted to get back together,” the insider went on. “John wants to marry Jennifer but knows she isn’t ready yet.”

Oof.

Well, if it’s any solace to Miller, it seems like Affleck didn’t mean any harm by his comments and was simply trying to answer questions that many people have wanted to know. But given this latest report, maybe it’d be best to skip such questions the next time around. Y’know?