Jennifer Garner ‘considering big career move backed by JJ Abrams’ in twist after ex Ben Affleck linked to similar role
JENNIFER Garner is seriously weighing up a new career in politics, a source has told The U.S. Sun.
A Hollywood insider says that the Alias star, 50, has the backing of Tinseltown heavyweights such as power couple JJ Abrams and his wife Katie McGrath, who are urging her to go for it.
The 13 Going On 30 star is said to have caught the political bug a few years back while campaigning in Congress for funding of early-childhood education for kids who live in poverty.
A source said: "Even though Jen came from humble roots, she was filled with potential beyond just acting from a very early age.
“With her kids finally older and more independent, she's exploring stuff she missed out on in her thirties, like being much more politically active than ever, and trying to use her fame and reputation for good.
“Jen really does have a taste for politics, plus she's just such an appealing person to all her friends, conservative and liberal.
“When she speaks from the heart, you believe her and you take her seriously.”
Jennifer visited the White House earlier this month with her teenage daughter Violet for a State dinner.
But the rumors about her interest in getting more involved in politics have been swirling for some time now.
They have been boosted by encouragement from celebrity friends and her involvement in the successful campaign to elect Karen Bass mayor of LA.
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The source said: “JJ and his wife Katie have known Jen for close to 25 years and helped Jen become a major player in the LA mayor's race, where Jen supported and raised money for the eventual winner, Karen Bass.
“Here's the thing - Jen really wants to make the world a better place for her kids and she's reached her limit of how much she can do that as an actor or even a producer.
“Her next step is going to be some kind of political run because she really has a taste for it.
“It's pretty ironic since back when Jen and Ben Affleck first got together 20 years ago, everybody was talking about how Ben might run for a Georgia senate seat.
“But It's Jen who is really the politician at heart.”
Jennifer, who is on the board of trustees of the charity Save The Children, testified about the importance of education for poor kids on Capitol Hill in 2017.
She told a House Committee on Appropriations hearing then: “A brain in poverty is up against it. I’m telling you.
“A child who is not touched, who is not spoken to, who is not read to in the first five years of his or her life will not fully recover.
“Neglect can be every bit as harmful as abuse.”
The following year she went back to Congress to tell the Senate Finance Committee about the importance of home visiting services.
She wrote for CNN at the time: “I grew up one generation removed from poverty.
“I knew children in my own school in West Virginia who had to cut holes in the toes of their shoes because their families couldn’t afford to buy new ones for their growing feet.
“Some of my first-grade classmates didn’t move on to second grade when I did.
“I couldn’t stand up for those children when I was a kid, but I can stand up for their families and those like them now.”
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Jennifer's team did not immediately respond to a request for comment from The U.S. Sun.
The U.S. Sun has also reached out to JJ's team for comment.
