overview
Violet Affleck is the eldest son of actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. Although she was raised from the spotlight, she recently entered the public eye as a thoughtful and passionate advocate for public health. In September 2025, she addressed the United Nations to discuss the long-term impact of Covid-19.
Violet Anne Affleck, the eldest son of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, protected much of her life from the public eye. Growing up in Los Angeles with two young brothers, Seraphina and Samuel, Violet has emerged as a public figure as her own right as a thoughtful and passionate advocate for health and climate. At just 19 years old, Violet appeared to deal with lawmakers and publish academic writing. In September 2025, she even spoke to the United Nations.
Let’s learn more about her first.
Violet is a student at Yale University.
Violet is currently a student at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. In May 2025, she published a research paper in Yale’s Global Health Review entitled “Chronic Illness: Covid Organizations Organised as a Model Climate Reaction in Los Angeles.”
In her work, Violet reflects the Los Angeles wildfires that broke out earlier this year, and her family evacuated Palisades in the Pacific. She also linked the event to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“I spent my January fire in Los Angeles arguing with my mother in my hotel room,” she began. “She was surprised by the scale of the destruction of the neighbours who raised herself and my brother. She was surprised at her surprise. As a member of Z’s lifelong Angelana and Climate Documents, my question wasn’t whether Pallisard would burn.”
She then wrote: “Our embarrassing response to a crisis like La Fires says that we may be used to being used to a climate crisis like the Covid-19 pandemic, as the question of how quickly we can get back to pretend that the problem is gone.
She has been advocating for public health since her teens.
In July 2024, Violet spoke at a meeting of the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors in the Public Comments section. At the time, local officials were debating a potential mask ban, particularly in the setting of protests. Identifying a “Los Angeles resident, first time voter, 18 years old,” Violet delivered a clear and passionate message against the proposal.
“One in ten people infectious diseases lead to long-term covid. This is a devastating neurological and cardiovascular disease that can deprive people of their ability to work, move, see and even think,” she said.
She also revealed her experiences in 2019 with post-virus conditions. “I’m fine now, but I saw firsthand that medicines don’t always have an answer to minor viral outcomes.
Violet concluded her speech with a list of policy requests. “To tackle the long covid crisis, we will require availability of masks, air filtration, polar UVC light, masking mandates at county health facilities, in government facilities, including prisons and detention centers.” She said, “We need to expand the availability of high-quality free testing and treatments, and most importantly, the county must oppose mask bans for some reason.”
She grew up mostly outside the spotlight, but has always used her voice.
Violet was raised away from social media and the public eye, but at a young age she began defending herself and others. Her mother recalled a particularly formative moment in a 2021 interview with the Hollywood Reporter, explaining how young Violet faced paparazzi. “She stood on a chair in a slightly velvet dress, put her hair behind her, wearing glasses, and she said: “We didn’t ask for this. We don’t want these cameras, they’re scary,” Garner said.
That moment prompted Garner to defend California law. Minors protected against fraudulent photographs and were later passed to the law.
Her parents say she is a “self-star.”
Garner and Affleck proudly talk about Violet’s independence and drive. In an interview with Kelly and Mark in November 2023 about her live show, Garner described her daughter as a “self-starter,” adding, “I’m proud of her.”
Affleck also praised Violet’s academic strength, and occasionally joked about the challenges of raising a stubborn teen. On the Kelly Clarkson show, he recalled how she began to kick him out in Spanish. “She’s getting better and I’m at a level where I think I might be overtaking me,” he said. “And I said, ‘No, this isn’t happening!”
She’s not on social media.
Throughout Violet’s adolescence, her parents limited their exposure to social platforms. “I just told my kids in 2023, “I’ll show you articles that prove social media is good for teenagers, then have a conversation.” Garner added that Violet “thanks” for not growing online by then.
Violet addressed the United Nations in September 2025.
On September 23, Violet gave a speech to the United Nations about the long-term impact of Covid-19. She urged her leaders to create better cleaner air structures and encourage masking.
“We’ve been told by our leaders that we are the future, but when it comes to the ongoing pandemic, our present is being stolen right in front of our eyes,” she told people.
She then criticized the unrelenting beat of her back, “ignoring disregard for disregarding both the prevalence of airborne transmission and the threat of long community.
Violet also expressed concern after contracting the virus that he “don’t know the world without debilitating pain or fatigue, and that he doesn’t know a world where his body can’t play, explore, or imagine.”
She said, “I’m furious on their behalf. I looked at the kids and they knew how to protect you. We didn’t do that. We have access to technology to prevent airborne illnesses.
She finished her speech. “My hopes about this event and my belief in this community have imposed the belief that we must do something again, allowing us to recognize filtered air as a human right.
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