EXCLUSIVE Jennifer Garner reveals parenting struggles after fight with daughter Violet Affleck
Jennifer Garner revealed the truth about raising her children, days after her daughter Violet Affleck penned a candid essay in which she recalled a tense argument with her mom.
Garner, 53, opened up about her struggles during a discussion about her organic children's food brand, Once Upon a Farm, on Thursday night.
During a rapid fire game she was asked: 'What's harder - raising kids or raising capital?'
Garner quickly responded: 'Kids!' Her business partner, John Foraker - the co-founder and CEO of Once Upon a Farm - agreed, adding: 'Kids, absolutely.'
The Alias actress is mom to Violet, 19, Fin (formerly Seraphina who announced they identify as non-binary last year), 16, and Samuel, 13, whom she shares with ex husband Ben Affleck, 52.
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She went on to reveal the one particular difficulty she struggled with in the early days of motherhood - baby food.
'I had made my kids baby food. I did not like that process. I love to cook; I do not like to make baby food. It's very confusing,' she said.
As a result she teamed up with Foraker and Once Upon a Farm which is estimated to be worth $100 million.
Garner's talk came days after her daughter Violet drew a strong reaction with her Yale Global Health Review essay, which was published on May 18 and detailed a tense argument she had with her famous mom while waiting out the LA fires in luxury accommodations in January.
While her mom, who volunteered to help, was 'shell-shocked' and 'astonished by the fires in Los Angeles, Violet said she was 'surprised at her surprise as a lifelong Angelena and climate-literate member of generation Z, my question had not been whether the Palisades would burn but when.'
'My question had not been whether the Palisades would burn but when,' Violet — who made a public plea for 'mask mandates' last year — added.
Elsewhere, she mocked pregnancy rumors about her.
When asked about the 'quiet rumors' of there being 'a possible IPO on the horizon,' referring to a potential Initial Public Offering (IPO) where a private company offers shares of its stock to the public, Garner quipped: 'They also say I'm pregnant.'
Roughly five years ago, fans commented on one of her Instagram photos in which they thought she had a baby bump that was covered by her denim overalls.
Garner addressed the rumor in the comments section, writing: 'I am 48, have three healthy kids, and am not-and never will be-pregnant. We can lay that pupper to rest. Have [I] gained the Covid 19? Possibly. But that is another story.'
Garner also addressed government cuts after the moderator, Kim Last, asked for Garner and Foraker's thoughts about the current proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid that could negatively impact the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC).
'I think that it's like there's being dictated high on the mountain in a way, which is great. We should be feeding kids simple, fresh, nutritious foods. I mean it's kind of a no brainer,' she insisted.
'But at the same time we're looking to cut SNAP and WIC benefits and SNAP already is about...what - we'll be saving about $6 a day a person - and so we've got to feed our kids. We can't just say no ultra processed foods and by the way, we're going to cut any government assistance for you.'
She shared her worries over kids 'growing up hungry in this country,' adding: 'I mean, 90 percent of kids who are growing up with food insecurity in their homes are living in rural America.
'And a lot of those kids, even where the food is grown — the salad bowl of our country, which is Central Valley, California — the place that you shop there is a convenience store.
'There's not a potato, there's not a carrot, there's not an apple. There's not one thing that's really that fresh.'
In addition, she shared her own experiences and her work with Save the Children - especially how she advocates for kids in Washington D.C. - and how important it is to keep 'programs alive' that focus on feeding kids in rural America.
'I've had the most amazing experiences of being on the Save the Children trips twice - once in Central Valley, California, once in Navajo Nation in New Mexico,' she told the crowd as she noted that the local food pantries informed her that Once Upon A Farm was the only fresh food that the kids there had ever had.
Garner's goal, through Once Upon a Farm, is to 'raise the access of healthy, simple, real whole ingredients' and the business' goal is 'to serve a million meals to kids in rural America,' which she and John say they'll be able to reach in June this year, especially with help from their new partnership with Feeding Millions.
Garner ended the conversation with telling the crowd that everyone should check out Angel City Football Club (ACFC) as Once Upon a Farm partnered with the stadium after Natalie Portman (someone she called ''so incredible and elegant') convinced her to invest in it.
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