Ben Affleck’s daughter Violet hinted at her viral condition with a book months before calling for mask mandate

Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s eldest child hinted at her viral condition months before calling for a mask mandate — by using a very pointed book.

Violet, 18, was spotted walking with the “Alias” star in May wearing a mask and carrying Steven Thrasher’s “The Viral Underclass,” an award-winning 2022 nonfiction book about how inequality affects the survival rates of viruses such as COVID-19 and HIV.

With the book’s cover directly facing the paparazzo’s camera lens, it appears the recent high school graduate was sending a message not only about her recovery from an undisclosed illness but also society’s handling of the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Violet appeared at a Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors meeting and delivered an impassioned speech to “demand” mask mandates in county medical facilities.

While also advocating for increased mask availability and free COVID-19 testing, Violet revealed she “contracted a post-viral condition in 2019.”

“I’m OK now, but I saw first-hand that medicine does not always have answers to the consequences of even minor viruses. The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown that into sharper relief,” Violet told the local politicians.

“One in 10 infections leads to long COVID, which is a devastating neurological [and] cardiovascular illness that can take away people’s ability to work, move, see, and even think,” she continued, before concluding with a “demand” to “oppose mask bans for any reason.”

Wearing a mask during her address, Violet stated that banning masks “do not make us safer” and instead “make vulnerable members of our community less safe and make everyone less able to participate in Los Angeles together.”

Violet has been spotted out with her parents wearing masks on multiple occasions, including while attending Michael Rubin’s annual white party last year with her father and Jennifer Lopez.

Politics appears to be a passion for the teenager, as she also made a statement in January 2024 when she wore a pro-Palestinian sweater while out with Garner, 52.

The mother-daughter duo were seen visiting Chanel in Beverly Hills, Calif., while Violet sported a black “freedom melon crewneck” from Wear The Peace ($38), featuring an image of a watermelon.

One hundred percent of the profits from the sweater purchase goes to aid in Gaza, according to the website.