Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner Stick to Their Breakup Script

 

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck. (Splash News/Getty Images)

Breaking up is hard to do — but it’s even harder when the whole world is watching … or is it? On Wednesday, Jennifer Garner dropped by Today to catch up with Savannah Guthrie. Naturally, the question on everyone’s mind was how Jen is doing after the very public meltdown of her nearly 10-year marriage to Ben Affleck.

Being a pro, Guthrie broached the topic with care. “So many people just adore you, Jennifer, and I think they just want to know how you’re doing,” the host began. “If they could give you a hug, I think they would.”

Jen wiped away a tear on Today. (Photo: Today)

Jen graciously responded to the softball topic opener. “Oh, that’s very kind. People have been so kind to my whole family, and we really do appreciate it.” She went on to add, “But you know what — we’re doing really well, thank you. The kids [Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7, and Samuel, 4] are great. They’ll be getting up in the morning and going to school soon, and Ben is there and he’ll be taking them. We will make it work.” 

Still fishing for more insight, Guthrie speculated that it must be difficult to go through this in the public eye. “You know what? It’s not easy to go through it, period. I have found going through it in the public eye, it’s just another facet of it,” Jen responded. “For anyone, when your life shifts in any way, it’s tricky enough, but I have found people to be so warm and loving that it hasn’t been nearly as bad as you might imagine.” (In other words, please stop asking me about this.)

Ben did some spinning on Ellen. (Photo: Ellen DeGeneres Show)

Meanwhile, during an appearance on Ellen, Garner’s ex-husband reiterated their main talking point that they were both putting the children first. Though he looked pretty tense when Ellen DeGeneres casually mentioned his divorce, Affleck managed to get one sentence out before moving on to other topics.

“We’re good friends and we’re doing our best, and our kids are fabulous and we’re working our best for them,” he said through gritted teeth.

But this is hardly the first time the pair have spoken about their separation. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Garner shared, “He’s just a complicated guy. I always say, ‘When his sun shines on you, you feel it, but when the sun is shining elsewhere, it’s cold.’ He can cast quite a shadow.” Even then, however, she insisted they were helping each other through this transition. “He’s still the only person who really knows the truth about things. And I’m still the only person that knows some of his truths,” she explained before noting: “It was a real marriage. It wasn’t for the cameras. And it was a huge priority for me to stay in it. And that did not work.”

But just because their marriage didn’t work doesn’t mean they were done with each other. Since news of their divorce broke, they’ve both been saying time and time again that their number one priority is completely synced up. “The main thing is these kids — and we’re completely in line with what we hope for them,” Jen mused to VF.

And while Ben hadn’t wanted to discuss their falling-out (also “for the sake of his three children”), during a New York Times interview, he did reveal that he had known about Jen’s Vanity Fair story before it went to print.

“She felt like she wanted to discuss it and get it out there and get it over with. So she could say, ‘Look, I already talked about it — I don’t want to do it again,’” he revealed. “It’s fine. She’s allowed to talk about it.” Still, he added, “It never seems like a great time to have your privacy invaded. Obviously this is a particularly hard time.”

While on Ellen, however, Ben had other things on his mind — like how he was deceiving their 4-year-old son, Samuel. When the host asked if Samuel thought it was cool that Ben was Batman, he didn’t miss a beat.

“My son thinks it’s cool. My son thinks it’s really cool,” he said. “When I leave, he’s like, ‘Dad, are you going to the Bat Cave?’ and I’m like, ‘Yes, I am.’” He laughed and noted that Samuel would probably be in therapy later when he learned his father had lied to him. No word yet on what Jen thinks of that