Ben Affleck clarifies controversial Jennifer Garner divorce comments

Ben Affleck has spoken out to clarify his comments about his marriage to and subsequent divorce from Jennifer Garner.

The actor sparked controversy during an interview with Howard Stern earlier this week when he said he'd "probably still be drinking" if the couple had stayed married instead of splitting in 2015 — something many thought was a dig at his ex-wife.

During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on Wednesday night (Thursday AEDT), The Tender Bar actor took the opportunity to address the online backlash.

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"I would never want my kids to think I would ever say a bad word about their mum," he told host Jimmy Kimmel.

The couple, who were married in 2005, share three kids together — daughters Violet, 16, and Seraphina, 12, and son Samuel, nine.

Affleck told Kimmel the comments — which he said had been isolated from a "meaningful" two-hour-long interview he felt really good about afterwards — had been taken out of context and "made it seem as if I was doing the exact opposite of what I said".

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"I had gone on and said how much we respect each other and cared about each other and cared about our kids and put them first," he explained.

He said the way the interview had been portrayed online "just made me out to be the worst, most insensitive, stupid awful guy".

"That's not true. I don't believe that. It's the exact opposite of who I am, what I believe," he added.

The actor said he takes a lot on the chin as the price of being a Hollywood celebrity but when it comes to his children he says "I have to draw a line, and be clear".

In his interview with Howard Stern, Affleck reflected on the end of his marriage and navigating different family units — a central theme in his latest movie, The Tender Bar — and how the couple make theirs work.

Affleck said if the pair had stayed married they "would've ended up … probably at each other's throats."

"I'd probably still be drinking. It's part of why I started drinking … because I was trapped," he said.

"I was like 'I can't leave 'cause of my kids, but I'm not happy. What do I do?' What I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."

He added that the couple took their time in making the decision to split but ultimately "we grew apart".

"We had a marriage that didn't work, this happens, with somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer. Ultimately, we tried, we tried, we tried, because we had kids. Both of us felt like we don't want this to be the model that our kids see of marriage."

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Affleck, who was supported by Garner through two of his three stints in rehab for alcohol addiction in 2001, 2017 and 2018, angered many of the actress's fans with his comments.

Many took to social media to vent their frustration at the actor and voice their support for Garner, who famously was pictured buying Affleck a burger on the way to rehab in 2018.

The couple's divorce was finalised in 2018 and they co-parent their three children.

Affleck is now dating his ex-fiancee, Jennifer Lopez.