Garner: Paparazzi harassment prompts California law

Jennifer Garner has described the paparazzi frenzy around her family as having spiraled out of control, recounting how photographers would run red lights, drive onto lawns, and swarm youth soccer games and pediatrician offices to obtain shots of her children. She recalled incidents where kids were knocked over and her sick child blocked from entering medical facilities, highlighting the broader danger and intrusion it caused for ordinary moments of family life. Garner noted that two persistent photographers have tracked her for more than two decades, developing an uneasy, Stockholm syndrome–like dynamic even as she repeatedly called the police for help. Her testimony helped catalyze California lawmakers to pass new protections for children photographed by the press, a measure she described as addressing a crisis that affected her and other families. In discussing these experiences on the Shut Up Evan podcast, she emphasized both the privilege of fame and the high price paid by children, acknowledging the lasting impact of the law and ongoing challenges.