Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner issued strict guidelines for their daughter Violet ahead of her impassioned speech about mandating a “mask mandate,” demanding she educate herself on the topic and wait until she was 18.
Violet called for an end to all “mask bans” in medical facilities and government buildings earlier this week in an impassioned plea to the Los Angeles County governing body, detailing her experience contracting “a post-viral illness” in 2019.
Despite growing up in the spotlight, the teen has remained somewhat quiet. She reportedly decided to speak out publicly to quell the ongoing speculation about her frequent mask-wearing and accusations of “hypochondria.”
“She’s wanted to do this for a while, but her parents wanted her to wait until she was 18,” an insider exclusively told DailyMail.com. “This shows she’s choosing this for herself and not doing it because she’s told to.”
The insider confirmed that her parents used their influence to facilitate the situation, continuing: “Her parents support her in whatever she chooses to do and were able to pull some strings to get her in front of the LA County Board of Supervisors. They are proud of her.”
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner supported their 18-year-old daughter Violet when she made an impassioned plea to the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors is the governing body for Los Angeles County, where Violet lives. The Board holds regular meetings where the public can register to speak on specific issues.
During her speech, Violet cited her experience of experiencing “post-viral illness” and urged the administration to “confront the long-term COVID crisis” by strengthening protections in hospitals and government buildings during the pandemic.
“I demand that there be sufficient supplies of face masks, that air be filtered and that far-UVC light be used in government institutions, including prisons and detention centers, and that face masks be mandatory in the region’s medical schools,” Violet said.
“You need to expand the availability of free, high-quality testing and treatment, and most importantly, the county must oppose the ban on masks for any reason. They don’t keep us safer.”
The source explained that Violet is tired of the constant questions about why she wears a mask outside.
“Violet has to constantly defend her mask and in doing so, she has to constantly discuss her personal health issues,” the insider explained. “She’s been called a hypochondriac, paranoid, and other names just for protecting her health, and it’s been really annoying to her for years.
There were also ridiculous rumors that she covered her face to avoid talking to people who could easily recognize her, since she looked exactly like her famous mother.
“By speaking out, she had the opportunity to stand up for something she believes in, while simultaneously silencing all the talk.”
Violet called for an end to all ‘mask bans’ in her speech, in which she also described her experience of contracting ‘a post-viral illness’ in 2019
Insiders told DailyMail.com that her devoted parents insisted she wait until she was 18 to start her campaign, and that she also educate herself (pictured in August 2022)
A second source close to the situation explained how Ben and Jennifer have worked hard as co-parents to raise their children and fight for what they believe is right.
“Ben and Jen are amazing parents and have taught their children to stand up for what they believe in,” the source began.
“Violet has been an advocate for the mask mandate for so long that all they wanted her to do was study and learn everything that has to do with it, so that she is well-informed when she talks about it, and others can benefit from her knowledge on the topic.”
The insider also revealed that her parents were thrilled to see their child growing up so willing to use her voice to fight for others, as they continued: “They’re proud of her for taking this stand because it means so much to her. Violet is trying to do good and using her voice as a beacon for change. Ben and Jen think that’s incredible.
“They still can’t believe she’s 18, but they’re incredibly proud of the woman she’s become and is becoming. They hope she continues to speak out on issues that are important to her in the future.”
Not surprisingly, Violet’s unexpected speech was met with both praise and criticism, with some calling her “brave,” while others called her “absolute madness.”
Her request came just weeks after Dr. Anthony Fauci admitted that the restrictions he imposed during the lockdown did little to slow the “spread” of Covid, and lawmakers signaled they were open to reimposing a ban on face masks amid mounting confrontations at protests.
Violet has reportedly grown tired of the constant questions about why she wears a face mask outside (pictured with her dad and stepmom Jennifer Lopez in 2023)
She appeared to nod to her condition in May 2024 when she was photographed wearing a mask and holding Steven Thrasher’s 2022 book The Viral Underclass while visiting her mother.
Violet argued that the anti-mask measures “make vulnerable members of our community less safe” and “impede everyone’s ability to participate together in Los Angeles.”
She also said she had seen “with my own eyes” that medicines don’t always have an answer to the “consequences of even small viruses” when she herself developed health problems in 2019.
Violet’s mask-wearing has become a hot topic on the internet, but neither Violet nor her parents have spoken openly about it.
She was spotted wearing a mask at Michael Rubin’s White Party in 2023 and more recently when she attended a Broadway show with Ben and her stepmother Jennifer Lopez.
She appeared to clarify her condition in May 2024 when she was photographed wearing a mask and reading Steven Thrasher’s award-winning 2022 book The Viral Underclass while spending time with her mother.
Violet’s brothers Fin (formerly Seraphina), 15, and Samuel, 12, are not seen in the photo wearing masks.
The teens’ parents, who first met on the set of Pearl Harbor, married in June 2005, just six months before Violet was born.
In 2015, they announced that they were separating after almost 10 years of marriage. In 2017, they officially filed for divorce.
Jennifer has since moved on with businessman John Miller, while Ben rekindled his romance with Lopez in April 2021.
Jennifer and Ben also share Fin (formerly Seraphina), 15, and son Samuel, 12 (pictured in 2018)
The two tied the knot in Vegas in July 2022, followed by an extravagant ceremony in Georgia the following month.
But their marriage has been plagued by divorces for the past two months as the stars no longer live together.
Lopez lives in their $60 million home in Bel Air, California, while Ben stays in his $100,000-a-month rental house near his ex-wife Jennifer.
The Argo star has been photographed spending time with his children in recent weeks, with Violet wearing a mask during the outings she accompanied her father on.
Last month, sources told DailyMail.com that Jennifer had made a conscious decision to distance herself from the “circus” surrounding her ex-husband’s marriage to Lopez after it brought up “painful” memories of the divorce for the actress.
Insiders previously revealed that the Elektra star was acting as an ‘advisor’ to the troubled couple as she desperately tried to help them resolve their alleged issues.