Ben Affleck whines about 'hurt feelings' saying he did NOT blame ex Jennifer Garner for alcoholism

Ben Affleck has not apologised as he insisted he did not blame his ex-wife Jennifer Garner for his alcoholism, claiming the comments were taken out of context.

The 49-year-old actor told Jimmy Kimmel on Wednesday that his comments to Howard Stern the day before had been twisted, making him appear as though he was criticizing his ex.

Affleck said his feelings were ‘hurt’ after he was made out to be ‘the worst, most insensitive, stupid, awful guy’, when he said he ‘respected’ his ex Garner, 49, and always put his children first. 

It come after he faced a backlash after saying his alcoholism was a side effect of feeling ‘trapped’ while appearing on Stern’s Sirius XM show, comments that he has now claimed were taken out of context.

He received sharp criticism from social media users, with one source also telling Page Six that Affleck’s girlfriend Jennifer Lopez was not happy by his comments. 

But Affleck and Lopez presented a united front on their way to the set of on Wednesday, holding hands as they walked up to the late-night show’s studio in Hollywood.

Speaking to Kimmel on Wednesday, he said his interview with Howard Stern the day before was, ‘really cool, like long-form, in-depth,’ but he wasn’t ready for the ensuing backlash.

‘We talked a lot about my family, you know, alcoholism, struggling with real things, how you have to be accountable and loving, how I work with my ex-wife, how I’m so proud of the way we work together for our kids, the best that we can for them.

‘I was thrilled,’ he told Kimmel about his appearance on Stern. ‘I thought, ‘Wow, I should do more honest, exploratory, self-evaluating things.’ Then I start seeing all this stuff come up on Twitter. And I was like, what is this?’

He added was furious that the media had reportedly twisted his words and made him appear as though he was criticizing his ex.

‘I saw one of these websites had done the click bait thing – ‘You won’t believe what he said, click on this, come to our site.’ I looked on it, and they had literally taken the conversation that I had had for two hours and made it seem as if I was saying the exact opposite of what I had said. 

‘I had gone on, said how much we respected each other, cared about each other, cared about our kids, put them first. It said that I had blamed my ex-wife for my alcoholism, that I was trapped in this marriage, just made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid, awful guy.

‘It hurts my feelings.’

When asked if he feels the ‘media sometimes takes things out of context?’ 

He laughed, replying: ‘Occasionally.’

Affleck was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! promoting his film The Tender Bar, which comes out Friday. 

Affleck’s original comments drew sharp criticism from social media users, who immediately sided with Garner.

On Tuesday, Affleck went on Stern’s Sirius XM show. The shock jock happens to be pals with Kimmel, who’s often a guest on the show.

‘I was like, ‘I can’t leave because of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do?’ And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution,’ Affleck said Tuesday.

‘You blame your ex wife for drinking? You were a drunk before you married her!’ one impassioned Twitter user wrote. 

‘Speaking poorly about the mother of your children pretty much makes to [sic] a terrible father and a total d***head!’ the user continued, while several others demanded that Affleck take ‘responsibility’ for his own actions. 

Ahead of the Kimmel interview on Wednesday, Affleck and girlfriend Jennifer Lopez presented a united front on their way to the set. They held hands as they walked up to the late-night show’s studio in Hollywood.   

Also on Wednesday, Garner – who has rarely spoken about her 13-year marriage to Affleck – took a stroll with their children Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, 9.

Garner, 49, was married to Affleck from 2005 to 2018, but they separated in 2015. 

Sources have claimed that the Alias star is ‘not OK’ with Affleck’s comments and feels as though they were a ‘slap in the face.’

Lopez is also reportedly not happy, with a source telling Page Six that the Marry Me star is ‘pissed.’

‘She is getting pulled into this because she is dating him. She doesn’t want to be dragged into this,’ the source said. 

‘She has met Jennifer Garner. She is trying to get to know her and Ben’s kids. It’s reckless and cavalier of him.’  

But another source told the website, ‘This is simply not true and the focus is on the children.’

On Wednesday, Affleck and J.Lo were suited up with overcoats for extra warmth on the chilly afternoon.

He looked dapper in a tan overcoat with a baby blue shirt underneath, along with black trousers and black leather shoes. 

Lopez opted for a casual look featuring a lovely powder blue overcoat with wide lapels, which she wore open.

She complemented it with relaxed-fit pale blue jeans pleated around her waist, which she cinched with a tan belt. 

The Waiting For Tonight singer stayed toasty with a thick gray sweater and a fluffy striped beige scarf wrapped around her neck.

She carried a pale blue handbag that matched her coat and elevated her 5ft5in stature with gray suede boots.  

Lopez completed her low-key look by tying her caramel-colored locks back in a ponytail to highlight her impeccably made-up face.

She was seen flashing a winning smile at Ben, who looked more stone-faced. 

Although Ben was likely going to be chatting about his upcoming film The Tender Bar, which is directed by his friend George Clooney, he found himself making headlines for his appearance on The Howard Stern Show.

The actor, who has been to rehab for his addiction to alcohol multiple times, explained that feeling ‘trapped’ contributed to his drinking in the final days of his marriage to Jennifer Garner.  

Ben and Jennifer Garner split in 2015, just a day after their 10-year anniversary, and they finalized their divorce in 2018.

Following the interview, several fans and critics lambasted Affleck on social media for the comments, which many interpreted as him blaming Garner for his relapse with drinking. 

One disgruntled fan wrote: ‘@BenAffleck sounds like [you’re] blaming your ex-wife for your drinking! Scumbag!’

However, he never explicitly pointed the finger at Jennifer — whom he complimented on her parenting — during the conversation with Stern, and he appeared to suggest the two were simply over the long term.

‘I knew she was a good mom. I always hoped that she knew that I was a good dad; I knew I was,’ he told Stern. ‘I had to get sober, and I knew that too and I acknowledged that.’

It was the couple’s children — Violet, 16, Seraphina, 12, and Samuel, nine — who kept them together as long as they were.

‘Ultimately, we tried, we tried, we tried because we had kids, but both of us felt like we didn’t want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage,’ he added. 

On Wednesday, Affleck blamed the media for twisting his words.

‘I sort of researched through and saw one of these websites had done the click bate thing, ‘You won’t believe what he said, click on this, come to our site.’ I looked on it, and they had literally taken the conversation that I had had for two hours and made it seem as if I was saying the exact opposite of what I had said,’ he told Kimmel.

‘I had gone on, said how much we respected each other, cared about each other, cared about our kids, put them first. It said that I had blamed my ex-wife for my alcoholism, that  I was trapped in this marriage, just made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid, awful guy. 

‘Look. I know people do this. I get it. Me, I’m happy to be sad Batman, Dunkin’ Donuts and the meme,’ he said. ‘Really, it’s about my kids, I just got to draw a line.’ 

Prior to Affleck’s interview with Stern, he and Jennifer looked love-up at the premiere of The Tender Bar on Sunday in Hollywood.

He stars in the film, which is based on J. R. Moehringer’s memoir of the same name, with Tye Sheridan, Lily Rabe and Christopher Lloyd.