Violet Affleck dons mask as she enjoys NYC trip with dad Ben three months after bravely advocating for mask mandates at UN

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Violet Affleck donned a mask as she stepped out in New York City on Monday.

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck’s 20-year-old daughter was seen leaving The Whitby Hotel with her dad, Ben, who is 53.

Violet, whose siblings are Fin and Samuel (ages 16 and 13, respectively), was wearing a black coat over a pink top, multicolored blue jeans, and a backpack decorated with a pink charm. Fin was previously known as Seraphina.

The Yale student, finishing her freshman year at Davenport College, paired black-and-white sneakers and clear-framed glasses with her neatly parted hair for the event.

Her father, Ben, dressed in a blue coat, a navy shirt, jeans, and brown boots.

Ben Affleck recently appeared on The Howard Stern Show with his friend and frequent co-star Matt Damon, 55, to discuss their new Netflix cop drama, ‘The Rip’.

During Monday’s show, which happened to be Howard Stern’s 72nd birthday, Matt Damon revealed he’s consistently supported Ben Affleck through difficult times, including his divorces and periods of treatment for alcohol addiction.

Damon said he’d been present throughout the entire situation, and that public opinion wouldn’t change things between them.

Affleck replied, ‘That means a lot to me – that’s sort of what a real friend is.’

Just four months after speaking to the United Nations in New York City about the need for masks and other precautions during the Covid-19 pandemic, Violet was spotted in New York City again.

Violet spoke at an event called Healthy Indoor Air: A Global Call to Action, which took place on September 23, 2025.

Violet said that it was essential to remain wearing masks to curb the spread of Covid.

Violet stated that telling children, “We knew how to keep you safe, but we failed to act,” is a terrible form of neglect.

Violet observed that people today seem surprisingly quick to return to normal life, despite the months everyone spent isolated during the recent pandemic, and she worries this shows a lack of responsibility.

Violet explained to the audience that the push to return to normal life for adults has involved overlooking, minimizing, and hiding important facts about how easily the virus spreads through the air and the ongoing danger of long Covid. These decisions, she said, have been a series of choices made with incomplete information.

Last year, a teenager gained attention after publicly calling for hospitals and clinics to require masks. She explained that this request stemmed from her own health issues, which began with an illness in 2019 that left her with ongoing symptoms.

Photos taken by the paparazzi frequently show the oldest daughter of the famous family wearing a mask at events, sometimes even when no one else is.

The young activist uses clothing to share her political views. For example, last year she wore a mask and a black sweater with a watermelon design as a way to show support for Palestine.

After a photo of the shirt went viral, Wear the Peace, a clothing company based in Chicago, saw a huge increase in orders and had to bring on additional employees to keep up with demand.

A few months later, she was spotted in a pink summer dress and a mask, carrying a book called The Viral Underclass by Steven W. Thrasher.

This book explores how health disparities around the world are connected to race, and how HIV is often unfairly targeted by policing and the criminal justice system.

In 2022, Violet and her mother attended a stylish state dinner at the White House, hosted by President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, to welcome French President Emmanuel Macron.

Violet has expressed her feelings about her parents’ divorce from Jennifer Lopez through her clothing choices.

Last summer, she was seen in a Dolce & Gabbana dress previously worn by her stepmother, age 56, on a Valentine’s Day date with Ben. This was just a few months before her stepmother’s brief marriage ended.

The teenager apparently became very close to the singer, even spending a vacation with her in the Hamptons despite her father no longer having a relationship with her.

Speaking at the UN, Violet powerfully stated that we are losing our present moment as we watch.

She explained that young people haven’t had genuine options or enough information to understand the choices being made on their behalf.

As a long-time advocate for clean air, I was really struck by a Yale student’s recent speech. She put it perfectly: just like we all understand the need for clean drinking water, we should instinctively recognize clean air as a basic human right. It just makes so much sense!

We can build clean air systems that are everywhere and so essential, future generations won’t even understand why we ever had to worry about air quality.

In May, Violet published an article in Yale Global Health Review detailing how Los Angeles coordinated its efforts to address both the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.

According to Violet, completely getting rid of the virus requires a few key things: people wearing masks, employers offering paid sick leave and healthcare for everyone, and efforts to improve air quality through environmental protection.

She encouraged everyone to keep organized and give masks away to those who need them.

Honestly, it hit me so hard when I read this. Violet put it perfectly – it’s like, those of us who are really careful about COVID, or who live with disabilities and understand risk, we celebrate when a chain of infection is broken, right? It’s a huge win! And she says climate scientists feel the exact same way. Every tiny fraction of a degree of warming we manage to avoid? That’s a victory. It’s not just about the big picture, it’s about acknowledging and appreciating every single step forward, and it just… resonated with me so much.

As someone who’s spent years observing what truly makes things thrive, I’ve realized it’s no longer enough to just care about the results we want. We need to actively connect with the people doing the work, understand how they’re doing it, and support the values that drive their efforts. It’s about getting involved and backing the principles that make positive change possible.

Last year, Violet addressed the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors, urging them to address the ongoing challenges of long COVID and proposing changes for the future.

Violet asked the board to provide masks, improve air filtration, and install Far-UVC lighting in all government buildings, including jails and detention centers. She also requested that masks be required in county medical facilities.

During the July 2024 meeting, Violet explained that laws preventing required mask-wearing put vulnerable people at greater risk and limit everyone’s ability to fully participate in Los Angeles life.

She warned that the proposal would likely worsen the homelessness crisis and cause significant hardship for many city residents. It would disproportionately impact communities of color, people with disabilities, seniors, transgender individuals, women, and those working essential public-facing jobs.

Violet urged government leaders to stock up on protective gear, like masks and gloves, to be prepared for any future health crises.

Violet emphasized the need for more free, high-quality testing and treatment options. She also strongly urged the county to resist any attempts to prohibit mask-wearing, stating that such bans don’t actually improve public safety.

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2026-01-13 08:20