Jennifer Garner says her children find her fully cringe and ‘embarrassing’
The 13 Going on 30 star revealed that she recently asked her children whether they intended to watch the second season of her Apple TV+ series, The Last Thing He Told Me. However, their reaction was far from enthusiastic.
Mumbai: Hollywood actress Jennifer Garner has candidly admitted that her three children think she is “fully cringe” and “only embarrassing”, offering a light-hearted glimpse into life as a celebrity parent.
Garner, who shares her children with actor Ben Affleck, made the remarks during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show. When asked what she does to earn “cool points” from her children, the actress responded with characteristic humour: “I am fully cringe. I am only embarrassing.”
The 13 Going on 30 star revealed that she recently asked her children whether they intended to watch the second season of her Apple TV+ series, The Last Thing He Told Me. However, their reaction was far from enthusiastic.
“I asked my kids if they were going to watch this season of the show, and they were like, ‘Do you need us to?’” Garner shared. She added that children generally prefer not to see their parents in emotional or romantic scenes. “Kids don’t want to see their parents in… right? They don’t want to see us cry, or see us have a romantic scene, or anything. We’re just embarrassing,” she said.
Despite her children’s playful teasing, Garner believes her appearance on Jennifer Hudson’s chat show may have earned her some “cool points”. She also noted that starring opposite Nikolaj Coster-Waldau in The Last Thing He Told Me might have boosted her standing at home. Coster-Waldau is widely recognised for playing Jaime Lannister in the hit fantasy drama Game of Thrones — a series Garner revealed her son Samuel is currently “really into”.
Last month, Garner described her children as “so cool” in an interview with Marie Claire UK, while acknowledging that her parenting style has evolved as they have grown into teenagers and young adults. She explained that parenting older children requires greater restraint.
“Parenting now has shifted. It’s more about parenting with a button on my mouth. You have to let them grow up and make their choices. You don’t get to control it,” she said.
The actress added that she is immensely proud of her children and how they conduct themselves. “I’m so proud of how they walk through the world, and proud of them for trying hard,” she stated.
However, Garner admitted that navigating life in the public eye remains challenging for her family. While she acknowledged that it is not the hardest struggle in the broader context of the world, she described it as “tricky” for both herself and her loved ones.
Garner’s candid reflections offered a relatable insight into modern parenting — even for one of Hollywood’s most recognisable faces.
