Jennifer Garner's Daughter Violet Has Been Through Some Tragic Things In Life

It's easy to assume that since the children of celebrities are most likely living the luxe life that everything is constantly golden for them. However, when it comes to their three children, Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have prioritized not spoiling their kids. Violet Affleck, the oldest of Garner's children, whom she shares with ex-husband Ben, has grown up both within and sheltered from the public eye. While her parents have done their best to provide her with a relatively normal childhood — as close as you can get it when you're raised by a couple of celebrities, anyway — life hasn't always been easy for her.

While Violet is a stunning mini-me of her mother, being raised by Garner offered some challenges — and the divorces her father Ben went through also provided their fair share of bumps. Violet has been through several harrowing experiences, from health scares to the death of a beloved pet, and some family drama to top it off — it's safe to say she's survived some tragedy. However, it does appear as if Violet has an incredibly solid head on her shoulders, despite everything she's been through. Here's just a handful of the hardships Violet has had to overcome throughout the years.

In a 2023 interview with Allure, Jennifer Garner admitted that she might have been a more difficult mother to have than expected. While it's clear Garner has done her best to raise her three kids to have sturdy values, she got off to a difficult start with daughter Violet Affleck, whom she and ex-husband Ben Affleck co-parented. Since Violet was the oldest, it seems Garner was a bit of an overprotective mother, admitting, "[Violet] didn't have a shot. She couldn't have a free thought — I was all over her." While this type of intense mothering can be quite common, it continued to play a role in the dynamic between Violet and Garner, even into adulthood.

In 2025, during the horrific wildfires that devastated so much of Los Angeles, Violet and Garner apparently had some big feelings simmer over — possibly indicating long-running resentment. According to an essay Violet wrote for Yale Global Health Review, she admits, "I spent the January fires in Los Angeles arguing with my mother in a hotel room." While Violet admits her mother was "shell-shocked, astonished at the scale of destruction," she appeared to have a rather composed and clinical view of how to handle things. It's proof that perhaps Garner's early-on mothering might have ultimately led to Violet's calm demeanor under pressure — even if it does come with some bickering.

While Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner did their best to keep their children Violet Affleck, Fin Affleck, and Samuel Affleck out of the public eye during their youth, the early 2000s were still a time of rampant paparazzi shenanigans. When Violet was born in 2005, it was the height of celebrity worship, with photographers hounding the likes of Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, and stars with growing families — like Garner and Ben.

In an interview on "Tell Me More With Kelly Corrigan" in 2020, Garner revealed that Violet had to miss out on childhood staples like team sports due to the relentless hounding of photographers. "My one daughter tried to play soccer, and it was such a zoo for the families that they just said, 'Can you please not?'" Garner said at the time. However, even though Violet has undergone quite the stunning transformation over the years, it seems she has had a determined spirit since a young age.

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in 2021, Garner recalled a time when a young Violet told her that as children, "We didn't ask for this. We don't want these cameras, they're scary. The men are scary." This eventually led Garner to speak before the California State Assembly Committee on Public Safety to advocate for a bill that would make it illegal for paparazzi to photograph a child without their consent (the bill eventually passed and went into effect in 2014).

One of the many untold truths of Violet Affleck is that before the COVID-19 pandemic made recovering from a viral infection common discourse, Violet Affleck had a viral scare all her own. In 2024, Affleck spoke in front of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors to discuss policy around public health. During her public comment, Affleck admitted that in 2019 she had "contracted a post-viral condition." These can occur right after someone appears to have recovered from a viral infection but is still experiencing pain, malaise, and other difficulties, according to the National Library of Medicine.

Affleck was quick to follow up by saying, "I'm okay now," but she detailed the reasons why she believed certain public health and safety practices should be kept in place in a post-pandemic world. While Affleck is still lucky to have recovered from such an ordeal, the timing of it does mean that she had to struggle with health issues during her formative middle school years, and then entered high school just as COVID hit. Like many in her generation, much of Affleck's youth will be marred by the struggles of finding a normal rhythm during difficult times.

When Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez got divorced after their brief but sparkling reunion, it set off a series of events that ultimately involved Ben's oldest daughter Violet Affleck. As the divorce was unfolding, J. Lo was making it clear that she still wanted to be in Violet's life — and Violet appeared to be on board with that, so much so that J. Lo's sister Lynda Lopez even visited Violet at college, according to the infamous Instagram post. Of course, Ben and Jennifer Garner had some reservations around Violet being so enmeshed with the Lopez family, but it seems they trusted their daughter to make her own decisions. This plan of action only backfired a little bit, in that with some hindsight behind her, Violet now might be harboring feelings of being used by Lopez and family.

According to the Daily Mail, a source alleges that even though Violet was seen hanging out with J. Lo and her family on multiple occasions post-divorce from Ben, she's now maybe stepping away. The source mentioned "that Violet ... hanging out with J. Lo and wearing her clothes was odd to the family," but indicated Ben and Garner were intent on letting Violet do her own thing. However, "Violet started to see how upset her father was," at how publicized the divorce was becoming, according to the insider, and this might have caused her to potentially reconsider the motives behind why J. Lo was so intent on parading her around. Whatever the truth might be, Violet has put some distance between herself and her flash-in-the-pan stepmother.

During a trip home for the Thanksgiving holiday, Violet Affleck and her family suffered a tragic loss; their beloved dog Birdie passed away just a few days before Affleck's 19th birthday. According to a very bittersweet Instagram post by Jennifer Garner, it seemed as if Birdie and Affleck had quite the intense bond, which makes the loss all the more devastating. "The vet told us that dogs often hang on until their person comes home from college, and we believe Birdie did just that," Garner wrote in her post. This indicates that Birdie waited until the all-grown-up Affleck returned home from Yale for the holidays to say her final goodbye.

While it's clear that Affleck has overcome quite a bit in her life, the death of a pet during a time that's supposed to be spent celebrating can be truly difficult. It especially might be hard to recover from a loss with such a brutal anniversary date, however, it seems that Affleck is well-adjusted and capable. She can stand her ground in hotel fights with her mother and hold the grief of a lost pet. Proof that even though her father, Ben Affleck, has had some messy divorces, his oldest daughter just might have turned out okay.