Zac Affleck is offering a public mea culpa to his estranged wife, Jen Affleck, prior to the premiere of her new reality show The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County.
“Over the past several days, I’ve seen the conversations online surrounding my family, my marriage and my past actions that have unfolded onscreen,” Zac, 30, wrote in a Wednesday, November 11, Instagram Story. “I understand why certain moments have been difficult for people to watch, they’re difficult for me too.”
He added, “As I reflect on this time in my life, I fully acknowledge that my words and actions were unacceptable, and they hurt those I care about the most.”
The Afflecks’ marriage troubles have been a recurring story on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives over the years and now look set to feature on its Orange County spinoff, which documented the months leading up to a pregnant Jen, 27, filing for divorce in Utah on November 3. (Jen and Zac share daughters Nora, 5, and Penny, 1, as well as son Luca, 3. They have a fourth baby on the way.)
“I have taken responsibility for my behavior and I deeply regret how my actions negatively affected Jen throughout our relationship,” he noted on Wednesday. “There is no excuse for the moments where I failed to show her the kindness, respect, and compassion she deserves.”
Zac revealed he “did not film” any scenes for Mormon Wives: Orange County season 1 and had yet to see any of the episodes before the Hulu show’s Thursday, November 12, premiere.
“The show was filmed during an especially difficult time for Jen and I, and I will watch for the first time when all you do,” he confirmed to his Instagram followers. “However, no matter how certain events may be portrayed and edited onscreen, one fact remains the same: Jen is the mother of my children and someone I’ve loved and shared a life with for years.”
Ahead of the couple welcoming baby No. 4, Zac said he did not want to “unintentionally” cause his pregnant ex any “stress.” Zac claimed that he’d “acknowledged my mistakes directly” to Jen and is intent now on being “the best coparent for our children.”
“Given the nature of Jen’s career, our relationship dynamics have played out in front of an audience but we have many private conversations daily,” he acknowledged. “Jen and I are constantly working to be on great terms and we share a deep sense of respect and appreciation for one another.”
His statement concluded, “My children may see this online someday and all I want them to know is that their parents love them more than anything, and I am committed to showing up as the best version of myself for our family unit.”
For her part, Jen exclusively confirmed to Us that her pregnancy played a huge role in her decision to end her marriage, insisting that “the same reason why I filed for divorce is the same reason why it was really hard.”
“It was this fourth child. I had to ask myself very hard questions like, ‘Is this the type of relationship I want this child to look up to?’” she told Us. “When I realized it was a no, that’s when I realized that I needed to make a change. You’ll see a lot of that unfold in season [1 of the OC spinoff].”
Jen recognized that filming Mormon Wives “for sure sped up” her decision to move forward in her life without Zac.
“When you’re filming and you’re rewatching your life unfold in front of millions of people, it’s the difference between looking in a mirror,” she noted. “It highlights things.”
Jen went to clarify, “It’s like one year of therapy feels actually like 20 years of therapy because it’s so much more magnified when you’re sharing it in front of the world. I feel like if I hadn’t done reality TV, I would have still made this decision. It just would have been way longer down the road.
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives: Orange County premieres on Hulu Thursday.
