Jennifer Garner is starring on one of the buzziest new shows of the summer — The Five-Star Weekend, which hit the 2026 TV schedule earlier this month. Reviews were overwhelmingly positive for the ensemble that includes Regina Hall, Chloë Sevigny, D’Arcy Carden and Gemma Chan. It was Garner herself, though, who drew the most praise, and apparently we have her ex-husband Ben Affleck to partially thank for making it possible.
Over the years, Jennifer Garner has prioritized the three children she shares with Ben Affleck over her career, and that hasn’t really changed as they've gotten older, she told EW. However, thanks to her ex-husband being such a trustworthy co-parent (and some filming compromises that were made), she was able to accept the main role as Hollis in the Elin Hilderbrand book-to-screen adaptation. She said:
When it was offered to me, it was supposed to shoot, I think, in Nova Scotia. I said, ‘I would love to do it, but like everything, I really only work in L.A. I have three teenagers, and I can’t leave for four months. It’s just not worth it to me.’
Producers must have really liked Jennifer Garner for the role, because they found a way to shoot mostly in Los Angeles. However, the actress would still have to do one month in Nantucket. Enter Ben Affleck, who was able to take in Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 13, to allow his ex to join The Five-Star Weekend. Garner said:
They can stay with their dad. He’s wonderful. He takes care of them. He’s a great partner in that way. And so that’s very freeing.
Jennifer Garner has been co-parenting with Ben Affleck for over a decade, since their 2015 split, and it’s lovely that the mom of three knows she can lean on him when she wants to do something for herself. That said, she doesn’t at all regret turning down jobs to focus on her kids. She said:
There is a time in your life where you just do get caught up in all of that. And that’s okay. Nothing is forever. That’s a season. And it’s a beautiful thing. And I wouldn’t trade a minute of it. But I feel like my kids are a little bigger [now]. Their dad has become this incredible co-parent.
In addition to her great relationship with Ben Affleck — which we especially saw following his divorce from Jennifer Lopez, when Jennifer Garner brought Affleck care packages, and he spent holidays with his ex and three kids — the fact that Violet, Fin and Samuel are in their teens and early 20s helps as well:
When they were younger, I wouldn’t have done a couple of weeks away without taking them with me. Now they’re [older]. You can’t really do that anymore. But I can [go off solo and film because of the co-parenting relationship].
The season of having young children to care for may be coming to an end for Jennifer Garner, and while that’s surely bittersweet, it does mean that options are opening up for her. That’s especially great news for her fans, who get to see her in projects like The Five-Star Weekend. The eight-episode series is available to stream in full with a Peacock subscription.
