Jennifer Garner Explains Why She Developed 'Stockholm Syndrome Thing' With Longtime Paparazzo Who Followed Her For 25 Years — 'Have an Odd Respect for Each Other'
Jennifer Garner opened up about life with paparazzi.
July 23 2026, Published 3:37 p.m. ET
Celebrities can sometimes develop a strange relationship with paparazzi who follow them regularly, according to Jennifer Garner.
The 54-year-old actress revealed that one particular pap has been following her for around 25 years, and while she isn't necessarily thrilled about being watched, she confessed they share a strange type of respect for each other and compared it to a "Stockholm Syndrome thing," RadarOnline.com has learned.
Jennifer Garner Reflects on Relationship with Paparazzo
Garner frequently gets photographed on the street.
Garner, who said she has two photographers around her regularly, spoke about her experience with Evan Ross Katz on his Netflix podcast show, Shut Up Evan.
“I have a very interesting relationship with my main guy," she shared. "I mean, I’ve done anything to ask him to leave and, at the same time, we have an odd respect for each other. I don’t know. We’ve had some really real-life moments together.”
She even confessed to feeling a sense of safety with her longtime pap. In fact, when she had a run-in with a stranger, she "ran to him," knowing that he wouldn't hurt her.
Garner has called the cops on the same pap she feels safe with.
It's not all peachy between the pair, Garner admitted. While she feels a sense of safety with him, the actress also recognizes his job is a nuisance for her.
She added, “I’ve called the cops on him a million times and been like, ‘Can you please just give me a walk around the block with my kids and my dog?’”
Garner Worries for Her Children
She claimed her family was affected by her fame.
Garner further reflected on how her children are "paying the price" for her fame. She recalled the "ludicrous" actions of paps who would take extreme measures to get photos of her family.
"It was a danger to everyone around us. If I went through a yellow light, 15 cars would go through the red behind me," she said. "They would drive up onto people’s lawns, even on a hillside."
Garner, who shares children with ex Ben Affleck, recalled their difficulties getting their kids to go about their lives, including extracurriculars and doctor's appointments.
"If you show up and you’re trying to get into the pediatrician and you have a sick kid on your shoulder and you’re scared, and you can’t get into the door because you’re blocked by photographers, there’s something wrong with that," she explained. "And the kids are paying the price."
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Her ex-husband admitted he, too, struggled with the paparazzi.
The Alias actress suggested there was a gender element to the paps' stalking. After all, as Garner pointed out, they were far more likely to follow her than Affleck, 53. She even argued they weren't following Matt Damon with such vigor.
"They wouldn’t. They were like, ‘There’s the chick with the kids.’ And that’s when you know it’s just not right," she said, noting she lived on a street with far more famous people who didn't receive the same type of attention.
Affleck also spoke against the paparazzi, telling Theo Von on the This Past Weekend podcast in 2025, “(They) follow somebody around and antagonize them. Then hopefully they’ll have like a nervous breakdown and go crazy on you and then your video will be worth more money, you know?”
