Six months after she made an impassioned plea for governing bodies to strengthen protections during the pandemic, Violet Affleck hopes the devastating LA wildfires will encourage others to understand the importance of avoiding face mask bans.
The 19-year-old, whose parents are Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck, both 52, was pictured wearing what appeared to be an N-95 mask as she was comforted by her father outside his Brentford rental home on Saturday.
The Oscar winner was forced to evacuate from his $20 million Pacific Palisades mansion as fires destroyed the popular celebrity enclave and burned thousands of properties.
Violet, who gave a speech last summer about imposing ‘mask mandates’, has ‘pressured’ her famous parents and siblings Fin, 16, and Samuel, 12, to protect themselves with face coverings amid the dangerous air quality caused by the terrifying flames.
“Violet Affleck has been pressuring her family to put on a mask since she got back home because the air quality is unhealthy right now,” an insider told DailyMail.com.
“She clearly won’t give up advocating for mask mandates. It has become part of who she is and what she stands for.
Violet was pictured wearing what appeared to be an N-95 mask as she was comforted by her father Ben Affleck outside his Brentford rental home on Saturday.
“She is so passionate about this and she feels vindicated for her work for masks because she truly believes her opposition to the ban is justified.
“She hopes the fires will serve to show people that masks can be used in times not just related to the spread of a virus.”
In July, Violet began her crusade when she called for an end to all “mask bans” in medical facilities in a speech to the Los Angeles County governing body.
During her speech, the teen cited her experience contracting “a post-viral condition” as she urged the administration to “cope with the long COVID crisis” by strengthening protections in pandemic-era hospitals and government buildings .
“I demand the availability of masks, air filtration and Far-UVC light in government facilities, including prisons and detention centers, and mask mandates in medical schools across the province,” Violet said at the time.
“You must expand the availability of free, high-quality testing and treatment, and most importantly, the province must oppose mask bans for any reason. They don’t keep us safer.”
The frequent wearing of Violet’s mask became a hot topic of conversation online, with Violet and her parents not discussing it publicly, sparking numerous rumors that she was a ‘hypochondriac’, while others claimed that she did not want to be recognised.
She was most notably seen wearing a mask at Michael Rubin’s White Party in 2023 and again in May 2024 when she was pictured with Steven Thrasher’s award-winning 2022 book, The Viral Underclass.
Violet, 19, who gave a speech last summer about imposing ‘mask mandates’, has ‘put pressure’ on her famous parents to protect themselves (pictured with Jennifer Garner)
Violet called for an end to all ‘mask bans’ in medical facilities and government buildings during an impassioned plea to the Los Angeles County governing body in July 2024
In July, she was spotted wearing a face covering as she attended Taylor Swift’s concert in Kansas City with her mother Garner.
She wore the protective mask again later that month during a trip to the Hamptons with her father’s estranged ex, Jennifer Lopez, and again during an outing for her 19th birthday in December.
More recently, she was pictured wearing what appeared to be an N-95 mask as she hugged her father outside his Brentwood home.
The actor and producer have lived in the property since he moved out of the $60 million mansion he shared with Lopez before they split last year.
Affleck rushed to his ex-wife and three children when the fire first broke out in the Pacific Palisades last Tuesday.
He has since been allowed to return to his property, which survived the catastrophic inferno that swept away homes belonging to Paris Hilton, Anthony Hopkins and Leighton Meester and Adam Brody.
Garner has spent time volunteering with Chef Jose Andres and his World Food Kitchen to provide food to evacuees at various pop-up locations in affected areas.
In an interview with MSNBC, the heartbroken star revealed that a friend of hers from church had died in the fire.
“She hopes the fires will serve to show people that masks can be used in times not just related to the spread of a virus,” a source told DailyMail.com (pictured with Garner in May)
Violet’s frequent mask-wearing became a popular topic of conversation online last year (pictured with Jennifer Lopez in the Hamptons in July 2024)
“I lost a friend, and for our church it’s very tender, so I don’t feel like we need to talk about it anymore,” the Deadpool and Wolverine actress said.
‘I have indeed lost a friend. She didn’t get away in time.’
The Palisades Fire, which swept through the Garner area, has continued to grow, while others are popping up and threatening Calabasas and Hidden Hills.
The wildfires have burned 100,000 acres in LA’s most affluent neighborhoods, with the death toll standing at 24 as of Monday.
The Palisades Fire is only 13 percent contained and strong winds are forecast Tuesday that could cause explosive growth.