Real-Life Loves
Who Is Zac Affleck? Meet ‘DWTS’ & ‘Mormon Wives’ Star Jen Affleck’s Husband
Jennifer Affleck is making a run for the Mirrorball trophy on Season 34 of Dancing With the Stars, and she has her husband Zac Affleck’s full support in the ballroom. Jen and Zac have certainly been through some ups and downs in their marriage (including a separation in 2024), but have since welcomed their third child and seem stronger than ever.
Fans have gotten to know Zac on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, although he admittedly has had some issues with MomTok over the years. Scroll down for everything to know about Zac, his relationship with Jen, and more.
Is Zac Affleck a doctor?
No, Zac Affleck is not a doctor, but he did briefly attend medical school. In July 2024, Jen revealed that her husband had graduated from Brigham Young University and had been accepted into medical school.
“It’s been a long and challenging journey with two little ones, but we did it!” she wrote on Instagram at the time. “I couldn’t be prouder of you and all the hard work you’ve put in. Excited for this new adventure that awaits!”
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During a Season 1 episode of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Jen revealed that Zac got into medical school in New York, adding that it was “one of his top dream schools” at the time. “Medical schools are super hard on marriages, so it makes me question if going to medical school is worth it,” she explained. “It’s hard because I am the provider, and if we are going to do medical school and these hard things in life, we do need to be on the same page, especially if we end up moving to New York, where I wouldn’t even have the MomTok group.”
They did end up spending time in New York, but Zac eventually shifted gears and began attending medical school in Arizona. This also meant that Jen was away from her home in Utah, and Zac later dropped out to focus on their marriage amid their 2024 separation.
“I reached out to my dean and put in my application to leave medical school,” Zac told his wife on a Season 2 Mormon Wives episode. “My feelings toward MomTok haven’t completely changed, but I feel like a lot of our marriage I made about me and what I want to do. I don’t know what I am going to do with my life, to be honest. I am here to support you and support your career.”
Is Zac Affleck related to Ben Affleck?
No, Zac is not related to Ben Affleck. However, when Mormon Wives first premiered in 2024, Jen claimed that there was a familial connection between the two.
“My husband has never even met him,” Jen clarified to TV Insider in 2024. However, she added, “He is a distant cousin. He is actually my husband’s dad’s second cousin. Only his dad has met him once when he was very little. It’s more of a joke than an actual family relative. Technically, celebrity blood runs through his veins.”
On a Season 2 episode of the reality show, Zac and Jen argued over whether Ben was actually a blood relative. “You’re not gonna make me feel stupid when that’s all I’ve been told from your family,” she said. Zac retorted, “No one’s ever taken it seriously until you ran with it.”
He further explained, “I have no idea if I am or am not related to Ben Affleck, and that had been, like, a running joke in my family. It’s never been something serious. And so, when Jen started telling people that, I did tell her, ‘I don’t think you should say that anymore. I think that’s probably gonna backfire.’”
While promoting Season 2, Jen told People, “I brought it up once and press ran with it, and I feel like that’s all I’ve ever talked about since then.” An online genealogy sleuth also confirmed to the outlet that there is “no relationship” between Zac and Ben.
“[Zac’s father] is David Affleck. Zac’s grandfather is Gordon Affleck. Zac’s great-grandparents — which would [establish] second cousins — his name is Alan Burt Affleck,” the source explained. “Then Ben’s dad is Tim Affleck. His grandfather is Myron Junior. His great-grandparent is Myron Senior. No, Alan Burt and Myron Senior aren’t brothers or anything.”
Jen also admitted to Us Weekly that she was “still shocked” and “just confused” that her husband and Ben had no relation. “That’s something we’ve actually talked about where we’re like, ‘Wait, we need to figure this out’ and have a conversation with his family,” she shared. “I’ve only been told that throughout our whole marriage, so maybe [it’s not a lie], I don’t know. It’s still confusing to me.”
How did Zac and Jen Affleck meet?
Jen was just 18 when she met Zac, then 21, on the Mormon dating app Mutual in 2018. They got engaged in early 2019 and tied the knot that June.
Amid their 2024 struggles, Jen honored the marriage with an Instagram post. “We were just kids when we got married. Young, naive, and inexperienced, we truly had no idea what we were getting ourselves into,” she admitted. “Coming from completely different backgrounds, families, and upbringings, it didn’t seem to make sense. We were polar opposites. How could we make this work? How could we see the same picture? We didn’t always see eye to eye, and a lot of times, we still don’t. But that’s what marriage is, we keep trying. I truly believe there were lessons we both needed to teach each other.”
She also added, “We still have struggles like so many marriages. But do we love each other? Yes. Are we willing to put in the work to be better? Yes. Have there been moments when we wanted to walk away? Of course. But there’s so much more to our marriage and what we offer to each other than people realize.”
Do Zac and Jen Affleck have kids?
Yes, they are now parents to three children. When Jen gave birth to baby No. 3, they had three children, all under the age of three.
The couple’s first child, daughter Nora, was born in November 2021. Jen gave birth to son Luca in July 2023 and then daughter Penelope in July 2025. Jen began her Dancing With the Stars journey at just two months postpartum.
Dancing With the Stars, Season 34, Tuesdays, 8/7c, ABC
The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Season 3 Premiere, Thursday, September 13, Hulu
For more Dancing With the Stars, pick up a copy of TV Guide Magazine’s Dancing With the Stars: 20th Anniversary Special Collector’s Issue, on stands now or available at DWTS.TVGM2025.com.
