In a surprising turn of events, Hollywood star Ben Affleck was observed performing an unusual manoeuvre while behind the wheel of his car on Thursday. The 53-year-old actor was seen pulling a cigarette directly from its packet using his mouth as he navigated his black sedan through the streets of Los Angeles.
A Return to Old Habits
Later, Affleck was photographed puffing on a Marlboro Menthol cigarette with the window rolled down, all while dressed in a sharp dark blue suit. This sighting is particularly notable given Affleck's well-documented history with smoking and his previous successful efforts to quit the habit.
The Hypnotherapy Success Story
Back in 2005, Affleck successfully gave up smoking with the assistance of hypnotherapy, a method suggested by his close friend and producing partner, Matt Damon. His primary motivation at the time was a desire to adopt a healthier lifestyle for the sake of his children with then-wife Jennifer Garner.
During a 2008 appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Affleck candidly admitted that smoking a pack a day had become "part of who I was." He revealed, "I finally decided to quit smoking when I was gonna have a child. That was the thing that sort of put it over the top for me."
The Quitting Process
Describing the hypnotherapy process, Affleck explained, "You sit in, like, a Barcalounger and he (the hypnotist) sips water and just talks to you for an hour, and explains how nicotine is poison. All of a sudden, you thought, 'This is asinine that I've been doing this to myself for all these years.'"
He proudly declared, "My last cigarette was on November 10, 2005... I feel a huge difference in my health now that I don't smoke. I feel like I'm in better shape than I was five years ago."
The Relapse and Recent Sightings
However, the star of films like The Accountant regrettably resumed smoking in 2016. Since his high-profile divorce from his second wife, Jennifer Lopez, in 2025—undoubtedly a stressful period—Affleck has been spotted lighting up on multiple occasions, including this recent driving incident.
Jennifer Garner on Co-Parenting
Meanwhile, Jennifer Garner has opened up about the challenges and dynamics of co-parenting her three children—Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel—with Affleck. The couple split after a decade of marriage in 2015 but have remained focused on raising their family together.
Garner, also 53, recently addressed what it is like being a single parent, noting that often Affleck fulfills the role of both a "dad and mom" to their children. During an appearance on Bustle’s One Nightstand podcast, Jennifer elaborated: "When your kids grow up in two separate households, I become mom and dad, and he becomes dad and mom."
Adapting to New Family Structures
She continued, "You kind of can’t help it, right? Because you don’t have the benefit of both sides, the yin and yang being in the same house, so you have to have a bit of both in the way you parent. There’s a little bit of loss in that, but there’s also something gained in that... You also just learn, it’s made me let go and not focus so much on the bringing up."
This insight from Garner highlights the adaptive strategies the former couple has developed to support their children's wellbeing despite the complexities of divorce and separate living arrangements.
