Fresh out of high school, Violet Affleck is already making a difference in the world.
Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s 18-year-old daughter attended a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting on Tuesday, July 9, to speak out against face mask bans in L.A. To support her point, Violet opened up about her own health struggles.
“I contracted a post-viral condition in 2019,” she told the board in a clip of her speech shared via X. “I’m OK now, but I saw firsthand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown that into sharper relief.”
She went on to cite the dangers of “long COVID,” a term used to describe lingering symptoms and health problems patients can experience after contracting the virus.
“[It] is a devastating neurological [and] cardiovascular illness that can take away people’s ability to work, move, see, and even think, stands to exacerbate our homelessness crisis, as well as the suffering of many people in our city,” Violet stated, noting that the illness affects “communities of color, disabled people, elderly people, trans people, women and anyone in a public-facing essential job the hardest.”
Violet proceeded to ask the board to “demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers, and mask mandates in county medical facilities” in order to help fight long COVID.
She continued: “You must expand the availability of high-quality free tests and treatment and, most importantly, the county must oppose mask bans for any reason. They do not keep us safer, they make vulnerable members of our community less safe and make everyone less able to participate in Los Angeles together. Thank you.”
Along with Violet, Garner, 52, and Affleck, 51, also share Seraphina, 15, and Samuel, 12. The exes, who split in 2015 and finalized their divorce three years later, have primarily kept their kids out of the spotlight, but Violet has been spotted sporting a face mask in public in recent years. She wore a white face mask while giving her speech on Tuesday.
Violet’s board meeting appearance comes nearly two months after she graduated from high school. Garner went viral for her reaction to her daughter’s milestone while sharing multiple photos of herself crying before, during and after the ceremony.
“Tell me you have a graduate without telling me you have a graduate. 🎓 (bless our hearts 🥺♥️🤣),” the actress captioned her May 20 Instagram slideshow.
Though it is unknown whether Affleck was present for the graduation, he and his wife, Jennifer Lopez, attended Violet’s grad party later that month amid marital issues. Lopez, 54, was later seen leaving solo after the graduation celebration.
Violet previously made a rare public appearance with Garner by joining her at a White House state dinner in December 2022, making headlines for her resemblance to her famous mother. Violet celebrated her 17th birthday at the event by sporting a black dress, red heels and clear-rimmed glasses.
