Jennifer Garner finally got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on Monday, Aug. 20, while she was trying to help her ex-husband Ben Affleck through a difficult period in his life.
Garner was joined by her three children, Samuel, 6; Seraphina, 9; and Violet, 12, who made a rare public appearance at the ceremony on Hollywood Boulevard.
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Former co-stars Steve Carell, Judy Greer and Bryan Cranson attended to support the actress and share a few words about their friend.
“All of you here … are the most special people in the world to me, I hope you know that. The people who work with me and the people for whom I work, and my friends and my family, Violet, Sera and Sam,” Garner said, reports Us Weekly.
“And my parents and my sisters, my nieces and nephews — a special shout-out to my niece and nephew who are missing their first days of school to be here today because in the Garner family, fame matters more than education. Obviously, obviously that’s not true, they’re equal.”
Garner later turned her attention to her children, telling them to remember she loves them more than anything and she got where she is after years of hard work.
“For my children, when you walk over this star, I want you to remember, first of all, that I love you. And that this is about hard work and good luck and not a whole lot else,” Garner said. “You define me, not this wonderful spot in the payment. Also, for the record, don’t spend too much time on Hollywood Boulevard.”
The ceremony was a rare public appearance for Garner and Affleck’s three children, as well as her family, including parents and two sisters.
For years, Garner has been protective of her three children, hoping to keep them out of the eye of paparazzi. In July, she said the stress from tabloids and paparazzi was unbearable during their split.
“What I think I’ve learned is that the scrutiny in your private life puts a pressure to make something happen,” Garner told CBS News. “You feel a pressure to hurry up and get married, ’cause you think that’ll end the Are they engaged? Are they not? … And that’s true in the reverse, as well. If there is any inkling of trouble, or if the tabloids decide there’s trouble, it can create trouble.”
Garner has been working in Hollywood for more than two decades, and shot to fame with her Golden Globe-winning role on Alias (2001-2006). She has made more than 50 TV episodes and movies, including Dallas Buyers Club, Daredevil, Juno, 13 Going On 30 and the upcoming Peppermint.
While Garner’s career was the focus of the Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony, she was in the headlines all week for her hard work to help Affleck. The two were married for 10 years until they split in 2015. They reportedly finally reached a divorce settlement this week, when Garner convinced Affleck to seek help for his alcoholism. Affleck then agreed to check into The Canyon at Peace Park, a celebrity-friendly rehab center in Malibu.
Affleck’s recent struggles with alcoholism came around the time he split from Lindsay Shookus, a Saturday Night Live producer he was dating for the past year. His drinking was reportedly a “driving force” behind the split, which happened a couple of weeks ago.
Last week, Affleck was seen having dinner with a much-younger Playboy model, Shauna Sexton.
Photo credit: Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images
