Violet Affleck, the 20-year-old daughter of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner, made a rare mask-free appearance in Los Angeles over the weekend during her summer break from college.
Violet, a rising junior at Yale University, was photographed on a solo stroll carrying her face mask in her hand rather than wearing it. She has previously called for the return of Covid-19 mask mandates.
For the Sunday outing, Violet wore a colorful, flowing minidress suited to the warm Southern California weather. She also showed off what appeared to be a newly cut summer bob haircut.
The outing came shortly after Violet traveled from New Haven to Los Angeles for the summer ahead of the upcoming fall semester, and following the death of her paternal grandmother.
A history of public health advocacy
Violet has been an outspoken advocate on public health issues in recent years, continuing what the family has described as her grandmother's legacy of activism. She has directly reached out to lawmakers and public officials about her concerns over mask mandates.
In 2024, Violet pushed back against mask bans introduced in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The following year, she addressed the United Nations, calling on world leaders to argue against accepting continual infections of the airborne disease.
Grandmother's death from pancreatic cancer
Violet's latest outing comes after her father's mother, Christopher Anne "Chris" Boldt, died at age 83 on June 2 following a battle with pancreatic cancer. Boldt was a Harvard graduate, civil rights activist and public school teacher.
She is survived by her two sons, Ben Affleck, 53, and his younger brother Casey, 50, as well as Ben's three children and Casey's two children, Indiana and Atticus.
Violet is eldest of three siblings
Violet is the eldest of the three children shared by Affleck and Garner. The former couple, who were married for 10 years before separating in 2015 with their divorce finalized in 2018, are also parents to Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14.
Prior to Violet's solo walk, Garner, 54, and her daughter stepped out together in Los Angeles for a casual lunch.
Family 'grieving deeply'
A source close to the family recently told People that Affleck and his younger brother have been taking their loss "really hard" but are grateful for their children. "Losing your mom is an unimaginable loss at any age, and they're grieving deeply," the source said.
The insider added that Affleck and Casey are "surrounded by an incredible support system." The source continued, "The family is leaning on one another, and they'll get through it together," noting that the brothers have been leaning on their children during the difficult time.
