Jennifer Garner recently opened up about her former husband Ben Affleck’s enthusiastic membership in the Bey-Hive, the dedicated fanbase of Beyoncé. During a Thursday event at a Los Angeles bookstore with author Laura Dave, Garner shared some personal anecdotes that highlighted Affleck’s love for music.
Garner, now 53, mentioned Dave’s habit of writing while listening to music, a practice she says she is all too familiar with due to her famous ex-husband. “Do you guys do this? Do you listen to a song over and over again?” Garner asked the audience with a smile. “I’ve survived this. I lived through it,” she quipped.
Taking a trip down memory lane, Garner recounted a time when Affleck was working on his film “The Town” in Cambridge, Massachusetts. “Ben Affleck listens to a song over and over,” she said. “I had a three-month-old and a three-year-old living in a rental while he was shooting ‘The Town.’ And he listened to Beyoncé’s ‘Halo,’ and I would be nursing.”
The couple, who were married from 2005 to 2015, share three children: Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 13. Garner’s recollection painted a vivid picture of their family’s life during that period, with Beyoncé’s “Halo,” a major hit since its 2009 release, serving as the backdrop to their day-to-day life.
In 2010, during the production of “The Town” which starred Blake Lively, Affleck’s repeated enjoyment of “Halo” seemed to leave a lasting impression on Garner. It’s a testament to the power of music and how it can become intertwined with personal memories, even in the lives of Hollywood’s elite.
Back in 2010, Affleck directed his second film The Town, starring Blake Lively, while Beyoncé’s Halo, released in January 2009, was one of her biggest hits and, according to Garner, became the relentless soundtrack to his unforgettable Halo phase.
Jennifer Garnergot candid about her ex Ben Affleckbeing a devoted member of the Bey-Hive, Beyonce’s legion of superfans; (pictured Sunday)
The 53-year-old actress appeared at a Los Angeles bookstore on Thursday with author Laura Dave, noting that Dave’s habit of working while listening to music was one she knew all too well from her famous ex; (Affleck pictured Wednesday)
‘Ben Affleck listens to a song over and over. I had a three-month-old and a three-year-old living in a rental in Cambridge, Massachusettswhile he was shooting The Town. And he listened to Beyoncé’s ‘Halo,’ and I would be nursing,”‘ Garner revealed; (Beyonce pictured)
Affleck himself has admitted he often listens to the same songs on repeat while working.
‘I listen to music when I write and usually I will find a couple of songs that are inspiring to me and I just sort of put them on a loop and then I will write to music,’ he said in a 2016 Golden Globes interview.
‘And I find that it’s kind of hypnotic and it allows me to concentrate more and it puts me more in the kind of feeling of the scene that I want the story to have.
‘And so I think music is really, really helpful.’
The candid bookstore moment comes after the Daily Mail reported that Garner and Affleck’s other ex, Jennifer Lopez, whom he split with in 2025 after three years of marriage, were not photographed together at the Golden Globes.
The Daily Mail has since learned, however, that there is ‘no drama’ between the two.
‘They get along, they are cool with each other, there are no issues,’ a source told the Daily Mail.
‘They don’t want to drum up headlines by posing together at an awards show, that would be awkward. They don’t want to create a fuss because it would be hard for the kids,’ the source added.
In 2010, Affleck was behind the camera for his second directorial effort, The Town, featuring Blake Lively, while Beyoncé’s Halo, which had dropped the previous January, was dominating the charts
Lopez has twins Max and Emme with her ex-husband Marc Anthony, while Garner has Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel with Affleck.
The families reportedly all get along well, and insiders say the children’s friendships remain a priority for both women.
Meanwhile, Affleck and his longtime friend Matt Damon brought their trademark banter to The Today Show this week, sharing stories from decades of friendship.
‘Um, [he’s] not great at cleaning up around the house,’ Affleck admitted about Damon, who quickly shot back, ‘Hey! [That was] when I was younger.’
Affleck laughed off the defense: ‘Well, that’s all I have to go by. I mean, we could ask your wife and see if it’s gotten better.’
Damon, for his part, pointed out that his co-star’s tardiness can still be a challenge.
‘We got here this morning and Ben was three minutes early. He got here before me and that’s the first time in 45 years he has not been late,’ he joked.
The pair first collaborated on their 1997 hit Good Will Hunting, a film that earned them an Oscar.
The candid bookstore moment comes just weeks after the Daily Mail reported that Garner and Affleck’s other ex Jennifer Lopez (pictured), whom he split with in 2025 after three years of marriage, were not photographed together at the Golden Globes
Damon then shared a funny early story involving his wife, Luciana.
‘After we’d been together for a little while, probably a few months, she admitted that — I think I met her best friend from high school, and it came out that the two of them went and saw Good Will Hunting together, and her best friend thought I was the cute one, and she thought Ben was the cute one.
‘So she admitted to me… I’m like, “You got the wrong one?” She told me that 23 years ago.’
He added that the moment hasn’t affected their professional rapport today, noting that Luciana is a producer on The Rip, as well as Affleck’s upcoming directorial project, Animals.
