Jennifer Garner ‘Terrified’ That Ben Affleck’s Cigarette Smoking Will ‘Kill’ Him, ‘Begging’ Him to Stop

Jennifer Garner is continuing to look out for Ben Affleck amid his divorce from Jennifer Lopez, and a source exclusively tells In Touch that she’s putting her foot down when it comes to his cigarettes.

“Jen has very strict rules about him smoking, namely that he doesn’t do it anywhere near the children,” the insider says. “She always nags him about smelling like smoke and what a gross habit it is. But her biggest concern of all is his health. She’s appalled that he’d treat his body that way.”

The source adds that Jen, 52 — who was married to Ben, 52, from 2005 to 2018 — “works so hard to feed him good healthy food, and he hits the gym a fair amount too, so the idea of him pouring toxic fumes into his body by choice every day sickens her.”

“He’s not some young guy who can afford all the negative effects on his lungs and his heart,” the insider continues, noting that the 13 Going on 30 actress is “terrified” that smoking will “kill” her ex-husband.

“It’s not as though he’s having one smoke a day, although that would still be bad. The guy is going through a pack a day when he’s stressed. Jen is begging him to find other ways to deal with his stress. He has promised that he’ll quit and said it’s his resolution for 2025, so she’s hopeful,” the source concludes.

Although Ben’s smoking isn’t anything new, as he’s been spotted with cigarettes many times since the early 2000s, the Good Will Hunting actor’s habit has reportedly caused tension between Jen and J. Lo, 55, in recent years.

“Jen and J. Lo have very different views on it,” a source told Star Magazine in December 2023, per Radar Online.

The insider added that the Atlas star is “grateful” Ben is “sober” after he previously struggled with alcohol addiction, “and if he needs to smoke to get through the day, it’s better than falling off the wagon.”

Though Jen understood that Ben might use smoking as another coping mechanism, she still found it to be a “disgusting” habit, the source said.

Ben reportedly attempted to pull back on smoking in 2023 by chewing nicotine instead, but a source told Radar Online that J. Lo found this habit to be more bothersome than cigarettes.

“[J. Lo] says it bothers her to look at Ben and see he’s constantly chewing his cud,” the insider said, noting that Ben used to smoke a pack of cigarettes a day during his initial romance with the pop star, which lasted from 2002 to 2004. He reportedly smoked in front of J. Lo at times, but he eventually stopped doing it in front of her.

“Now, Ben only smokes outside and away from [J. Lo], and he’s cut his habit way down by using nicotine gum,” the source continued. “But he admits she hates all the gum-chewing as much as the actual smoking.”

Ben has no doubt been under additional stress lately amid his divorce from the “Jenny From the Block” hitmaker. In Touch first reported in May that the pair were headed for a split and that the Air actor had already moved out of their Beverly Hills home.

“The writing is on the wall – it’s over,” an insider exclusively told In Touch at the time. “They’re headed for a divorce – and for once, [Ben’s] not to blame!”

J. Lo filed for divorce on August 20 and listed their date of separation as April 26, In Touch confirmed.