Jennifer Garner Blasted for ‘Using’ Her Daughter ‘As a Shield’ from Paparazzi - The Girl’s 17 & Towers over Mom

• Jennifer Garner was criticized for "using" her daughter as a "shield" from paparazzi in new photos.
• Recently, Garner and Jennifer Lopez's different tributes to Ben Affleck sparked debates among fans.
• Garner revealed the surprising way her three kids side with Ben Affleck over her.

Photos taken on Monday show Jennifer Garner jokingly hiding behind her 17-year-old daughter, Violet, while the paparazzi captured their pictures. The mother-daughter duo was spotted shopping in an eyeglasses store before Garner tried hiding from the cameras.

Garner and her daughter, who she welcomed with her ex-husband, Ben Affleck, were dressed casually for their day out. The actress wore a full-sleeved black shirt with black fitted shorts and blue sneakers.

Meanwhile, Violet, who is taller than her celebrity mother, wore a red-and-white polka dot dress with a ruffled neckline. She kept her look casual by pairing her dress with grey sneakers and clear-framed eyeglasses.

The "13 Going on 30" actress was seen holding her teenage daughter by her arms as she took cover behind the girl. Violet was seen smiling in the photos taken by the paparazzi as the duo quickly walked on the street.

When netizens saw Garner taking cover behind her daughter, they slammed her online. They didn't like that the actress hid behind her daughter to avoid the cameras. One netizen said:

"She called the paps, then used her daughter as a shield. What kind of a mother does that?"

"Why is she using her daughter to 'hide' from the paps?" another netizen asked. Meanwhile, a third Instagram user said Garner was "using her daughter to 'hide' from them [the paparazzi]."

After viewing Garner's photos with Violet, a Facebook user said, "A mother is supposed to protect her child!" The comments showed some netizens weren't too happy after seeing the mother-daughter duos photos.

How Did Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez's Tributes to Ben Affleck Differ?

Photos of Garner with her daughter came a few days after the "Daredevil" actress shared a photo of her dad on Father's Day. In the post's caption, Garner paid tribute to her father and her ex, Affleck, for loving her kids.

Garner's fans loved her heartfelt tribute to Affleck. One of them commented, "Love your shout-out to BGA. You are just all class!" Meanwhile, another netizen said:

"Happy Father's Day to your dad. Always classy and very nice. Especially to your ex-husband and the father of your kids. Love your kind."

On the same day, Jennifer Lopez also greeted Affleck for Father's Day, but her tribute didn't receive praise. Instead, netizens slammed her for posting a shirtless photo of the "Gone Girl" star.

One Instagram user said, "Why would you post a shower pic of your husband? That's appreciating him as a dad? Weird. Lol," while another commented, "JLo is absolutely sick for calling Ben Affleck daddy."

Some netizens also asked the "On The Floor" singer to post a photo of Affleck with his kids instead, while one user advised her that "some things are best kept privately," referring to Affleck's "half-naked" photo.

A few users also called Lopez a "narcissist" for posting photos of herself with Affleck. "Not that 'daddy' … narcissistic behavior at its best," a netizen commented.

The Surprising Way Jennifer Garner's 3 Kids Side with Ben Affleck over Her

In an April 2023 interview, Garner revealed that her children, Samuel, 11, Seraphina, 14, and Violet, preferred watching their father's movies and TV shows over hers. The actress explained why her kids didn't like watching her on their screens.

"They don't want to see me sad, and they don't want to see me in a romance," Garner said before adding that her kids did not like to watch her act as a mother on-screen.

Since her kids don't like watching her projects, she doesn't bond with them over her movies or TV shows. The actress revealed that she read "The Last Thing He Told Me" by Laura Dave with Seraphina before bedtime, which helped them connect. She shared:

"I read it aloud with my middle child at bedtime, and we could not stop."

Only after reading the book with her daughter did Garner accept her role in the thriller TV show with the same title, which is available on AppleTV+.