On Tuesday I was praising Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner for only leaking the details of their Christmas plans to one outlet, E! Online. I wrote “E! has an exclusive at least, this isn’t on every other site with slightly different source wording like all the other articles following the Garner-Affleck split of 2015.” Well I was wrong, US Magazine, despite having the story after E!’s original coverage, now claims to have the exclusive about the Garner-Affleck’s Christmas plans. They also had the exclusive this summer all about how Jennifer figured out her husband was sleeping with the nanny, so we might be able to pin this US cover on her.
While E! had the vague details of a shared Christmas in Montana, US says that they’ll all be together on Christmas morning to open presents and create memories for their kids.
“Christmas morning they will all be together to open presents,” an insider explains to Us of the family’s plans to spend the holiday as a unit at the exclusive Yellowstone Club in Big Sky, Montana. “Ben and Jen want every Christmas to be a time of joy and family. They want their kids’ childhood memories to still be good.”
The parents to Violet, 10, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3, announced they were divorcing after 10 years of marriage this past June. In a joint statement to Us Weekly at the time, the couple expressed that “after much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” but that they will “go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to coparenting” their children.
Their split, however, was in part due to Affleck’s gambling and drinking, as well as his alleged romance with their former nanny, Ouzounian. Garner, who is known for putting things behind her, isn’t looking for a reconciliation though.
In fact, their happy holiday plans are strictly for their children, another source assures Us. “Ben and Jen are together only for the kids, not romantically,” the insider maintains.
Pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly for more details on their post-split life, including where Affleck is currently living and how they’re proceeding with their divorce.
The print edition isn’t out digitally on Zinio yet, but if there are more details about the divorce proceedings we’ll let you know next week. It’s reassuring to hear that Garner isn’t taking Affleck back and that their divorce is presumably moving forward.
On the face of it, this is really nice. A lot of therapists tell divorcing parents to get along for the sake of their kids, especially around the holidays. It’s comforting for them to know that their parents love them and can put aside their differences. Other people say it’s confusing for the kids. I think it would be better overall for their family if these two would just do their thing and not tell the press the details. We are even hearing the exact location of their resort so there may be paparazzi photos. There are images to maintain though, especially after the nanny debacle this summer.
Jennifer Garner is shown on 12-11, 12-16 and 12-17. Ben Affleck is shown on 12-2 and 12-3. Credit: FameFlynet and WENN
I think it is wonderful for them to remain friendly for their kids. BUT if this is not something they are going to be able to continue onward I think that is the part that is confusing to children. Kids see the world in Black/White. If their family is celebrating together then they are together. These children are still very young. But why tell the world. I know they want to counter the Nanny Gate stuff; but at this point is it still necessary.
His face….I can’t look away…what is that, fillers plus a heavy peel? Something done to his hairline?
Re their Christmas together, this isn’t for the kids, it’s to drag out the suspense of whether they will get back together (answer: no). If she wants to keep making Christian movies, the errant husband returning to his loving wife narrative is better than the one about him boning the nanny.
Agree about The Face. It must be weird to have Daddy 2.0 with a new face.
Agree. He’s had too much botox or something.
It’s definitely something, but don’t think Botox? Look at the photo with the fan, it’s as though he’s trying to wrinkle his forehead to prove he isn’t botoxed to hell and back.
Where does Jen even find these clothes?! That list pic. So bad.
Oh no, jeans and a cardigan while carrying her son. How dare she not wear a gown and stilettos for that.
I totally agree. And we can farm this off on “mom clothes,” but honestly, I am her age and have two kids and a LOT less money than her but trust me, I wear cuter stuff than thE garbage she wears outs. Sheesh GAP fit and Old Navy sale rack would be an improvement.
I am so over the criticism of her clothes. Why does she need to dress for paps/glamour shots that would fit whatever image you guys have? She is in casual, comfy clothes. Some of us really don’t care for more than that. My jeans are clean, my tee is soft and my cardigan is warm. I put my hair in a simple bun and no makeup for errands and school pickup. So what?
And no, Gap and Old Navy ill fitting clothing made with child labour would not be an improvement over anything, thank you.
Because she is so obviously curating a frumpy look and it’s also frustrating to think about how much money she spends to dress that awfully. It’s no different then how people diss other celebrities for wearing awful clothing during pap walks.
Different tastes for different people. I like the clothes she wears and I would happily wear them myself.
If this were solely for the kids, I don’t think we be hearing about it ahead of time. Definitely some image and damage control there. Regardless, I hope it’s a nice holiday for their kids, and that everyone is able to get along peacefully.
That’s what I think every time another chapter comes out. If it was really “for the kids”, they’d just get on and do it without letting the world know. This whole saga is like watching a weirdly scripted reality show with regular installments and relatable story arcs.
Do their publicists simply insert a holiday or event and location in each press release? The core seems to always be so similar.
‘They get along — but not romantically — for the sake of the children. They want the children to have normalcy. So for (insert holiday or event) they will unite for the children at (insert specific location).’
I really don’t know why they keep flogging this dead horse. Don’t they each have lives to get on with? As far as the kids are concerned, they are not being fooled by the “happy family” routine, and it will just serve to make them even more confused about their family dynamic. Honesty, and age appropriate communication is the kindest way to handle this situation if they want to nurture a future healthy relationship between ALL parties. Children are not stupid, and they can sense a tense atmosphere, without a word having to be said. I recall a similar pantomime with my parents when they were splitting up. Not a word was spoken, but you could cut the atmosphere with a knife, and my brothers and sisters, and I, remember this vividly, and how excoriating it was to all of us. We are all fully grown up, with our own families, but those memories remain, and they are certainly not pleasant ones. We would have been happier if the ‘rents had just got on with it, and gone their separate ways.
Definitely weird that they’ve publicized the exact resort they’ll be at. It’s like they’re inviting paparazzi attention.
They probably got a free stay for the plug. Rich celebs get nearly everything for free if they are willing to whore themselves, which most are.
It’s US magazine…I do not believe anything, any of these tabloids or their “sources” have to say…
I read somewhere that they owned property there. Why would they publicize exactly where they were staying? Seems unlikely…
These two make me sick–obviously using their “family Christmas” for PR/image control. Yes, by all means call the paps and magazines to trumpet what wonderful parents they are to give their kids a great Christmas together. I’d have a lot more respect for them if they kept the kids out of the spotlight and kept family time private.
By the way, calling Jen’s street style “mom clothes” is an insult to moms because most dress way better than she does, on a limited budget too.
Can someone please explain Affleck’s hair? There was a time when he had a widow’s peak, right? So is it plugs? A piece? I just don’t get it, but I don’t believe for one second that it is real.
He had something done a long time ago, not sure what exactly. Sometimes it looks good, sometimes very fake. It’s in fake stage, and combined with whatever he’s doing to his face, he looks…off.
I used to think it was fake too but i don’t think so anymore. You can clearly see his roots. He dyes it which makes it look fake imo.
My guess is he may have done plugs but it probably didn’t give him the lush locks he was after so he also wears an extremely high-quality toupee. He has had to deal with this since his 20s, I think.
One half of me believes they’re over. They seem to have zero/nada/NO chemistry at all as a couple anymore, so it’s hard to imagine them staying together at this point.
The other half of me doesn’t believe Jen will ever be done trying to force a square peg into a round hole. Holidays are always sentimental and nostalgic and can make you feel like things are better, more magical and more possible than they really are until you wake up in the hard reality of mid-January. That part of me wonders if we’re going to be hearing New Years resolution stories about how the Montana vacation made them realize they’re going to give it another (millionth!) try. I can’t help but suspect that Jen is playing the hard to get, “I’m over it game” while secretly hoping to get Affleck to care again. While I think he’s been hit hard by the blows to his image lately, I can still see him moving on from Jen. But I still can’t see her doing the same.
Why announce where you’re going for the holidays at all? Do people really care?
Why do we need to know this?
Jen, Please don’t waste any more of our lawmakers already-precious time with your “save the children from the paps” bullshit-while you literally make known to the entire world what resort you’ll be staying at for the holidays.
She is SUCH a hypocrite. I hope people start waking up to this.
She’ll always be Hollywood’s Lady Macbeth to me.
exactly! ridiculous.
He looks twelve years old. Cute as a button.
He wasnt exactly hottness before and now he looks like a flea market knock off Ken doll with the work he’s gotten done. It’s so sad he obviously has too many issues to count-and his work doesnt make him look younger at all…he looks like he has something to prove and it’s pathetic. Its likr he walked into the doctors with a picture of paul rudd and said I want to look like this…
#thiswhatamidlifecrisislookslike
Now Celeb Dirty Laundry and Radar are coming out with stories saying Jen is secretly using the vaca as a way to reunite (as I suspected above.) This wouldn’t surprise me in the least except that I don’t believe a thing that comes from CDL.) Funny though that Jen or Ben’s camp thought it was worthy of refuting via Gossip Cop. And then a counter story positioning Ben as the one who’s devastated runs immediately after the CDL story. How convenient. I don’t trust much from Gossip Cop either at this point. It’s simply a mouthpiece for whatever messages the celebs or their publicists want to sell. Gossip Cop also said Ben and Jen were absolutely NOT splitting up (right before they did) and that neither of them have had any work done to their faces. Um, ok sure – and pigs fly. I think these two still seem like a complete disaster. If they stay together, it’s not going to be because they’re so in love. I think it will be because Ben sees no other way forward image-wise at this point, and Jen will once again resume her rightful role as political wife.