Jennifer Garner Says Paparazzi Put Her Children at Risk During Their Childhood

Jennifer Garner has spoken about the intense paparazzi attention her family faced while her three children were growing up, describing it as dangerous and overwhelming.

Speaking on the Netflix podcast Shut Up Evan with Evan Ross Katz, the 54-year-old actress said photographers regularly chased her family, creating unsafe situations.

“It was a danger to everyone around us,” Garner said. She recalled that if she drove through a yellow light, multiple paparazzi cars would run the red light behind her. She also said photographers drove onto private property to keep up with her.

Garner, who shares Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 12, with ex-husband Ben Affleck, said the attention affected her children’s daily lives. She revealed that one child had to stop playing soccer after the league asked the family to stay away because about 20 paparazzi vehicles were showing up at practices.

She also described struggling to take a sick child to the pediatrician because photographers blocked the entrance. Garner said children at her kids’ preschool were sometimes knocked over by photographers trying to get pictures.

While acknowledging the privileges that came with fame, Garner said the constant attention became excessive. She noted that photographers often focused on her because she was “the chick with the kids,” rather than following Affleck or other celebrities living nearby.

Garner said she now has a long-standing relationship with two photographers who have covered her for more than 20 years. Although she has called police on one of them many times, she recalled once running to him for help when she believed someone else was following her.

The actress has long advocated for stronger protections for celebrities’ children. In 2013, she testified in support of a California bill aimed at protecting children from harassment by photographers. She has previously said the experience left her children fearful of cameras and recalled her eldest daughter, Violet, asking as a young child for the paparazzi to stop chasing their family.