Ben Affleck jokes Jennifer Garner makes him feel like an inadequate dad

Ben Affleck had nothing but praise for Jennifer Garner's parenting in a new interview preview, even if it came with a self-deprecating joke at his own expense.

"Their mom is spectacular, and always makes me feel like I'm coming up a little short," the "Gone Girl" actor told "Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist" in a preview clip for the interview set to air Oct. 11.

Affleck said he tells his kids, Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14, "I think I'm doing about 75% as good as your mom. And they're like, 'Maybe 40%.'"

"I'm maxing out," he quipped. "B+."

Affleck split from Garner in 2015 after a decade of marriage, and their divorce was finalized in 2018. He said he "respect[s]" his ex-wife and is "grateful for" the "13 Going on 30" actress.

"I think the most important thing is, you know, having that mutual respect … being able to get along with that person."

Earlier this week, Page Six reported that Affleck, 54, discussed their shared custody arrangement in a Variety interview. He said the kids spend one week with him and one week with Garner.

"I work hard, and then I go home and pick up the kids from school," he told Variety. "We have dinner if they agree to hang out with me."

Affleck described his personal life as "really wonderful," adding that he "has nothing salacious or all that interesting in [his] life."

The former couple have stayed on good terms, regularly coming together for holidays and other family occasions. In June, Garner posted a Father's Day tribute to Affleck, writing, "I see the way my kids dote on their dad and I'm happy for them. To love and be loved by a great dad is a gift."

Affleck also remains friendly with Jennifer Lopez, to whom he was engaged in 2002 and married in 2022 before they finalized their divorce by early 2025. He told Variety he has "an enormous amount of respect and admiration for what she can do" as an actress.

Garner is currently dating CaliBurger CEO John Miller.