PICTURE EXCLUSIVE: Ben Affleck enjoys lunch date with blonde mystery woman as she holds onto his arm https://t.co/T6UYZhYU7q pic.twitter.com/0PkvL8OmCM
— Daily Mail Celebrity (@DailyMailCeleb) January 6, 2017
Ben Affleck is so controlling of his public image that he had PBS censor the fact that he had a slave-owning ancestor. That’s what came to mind when I saw these exclusive Daily Mail photos (we don’t have access to them, you can see them on the Daily Mail) of Affleck out with a “mystery blonde.” The two went out to lunch, for sushi, and to a bookstore. The woman is grabbing his arm like she wants to indicate that they’re together and is looking at Ben for validation. He’s trying to look away and frown but he’s grinning slightly, like he’s trying to frown, but is happy to be caught out with her. In other photos he just looks defeated, like he knows he was busted and there’s no way out of this one. So is this a business thing and are they just playing up for the cameras?
I would say that the woman could be an industry-type person, like a producer, or she might be staff. She’s wearing jeans and he’s in corduroys, which isn’t particularly business-y, but people keep it casual in LA. It’s possible that they had some kind of lunch business meeting. Anything is possible, this might not be a hookup, but look at how she’s looking at him, for approval, and look at how he’s responding. They’re at least friends who are messing with the paps.
Remember when a story came out that Ben was spotted in Miami, in an Uber, with a “mystery blonde woman?” The two allegedly looked like they’d just had a fight. That was later denied as a case of mistaken identity, which you would expect even if it was him. Ben was also spotted getting a suite at the Beverly Hills hotel with a “hot blonde.” I suspect there’s more than just one.
Many of you will point out that he’s separated from his wife, they probably have an understanding, and this is technically not cheating, if that’s even what’s going on. Whatever agreement Affleck has Garner surely involves keeping up appearances and by getting papped out with this woman he’s breaking that. Plus he’s been working so hard to maintain his image ahead of Live By Night. That’s got to sting. Maybe he’s sick of keeping up appearances though. He can only play it straight for so long.
Update: Thanks to Charlotte and our original tipster for pointing out that the sign in the bookshop window reads September 29, 2014. These photos seem old. However here’s a link to photos of Ben in September, 2014. The last two sets are from the 27th and 29th of the month. He didn’t have a beard then and he wasn’t this filled out. It’s possible that it’s after September 29 though because his looks change quickly. I wonder what is going on and if these are indeed old photos or if we’re reading the date wrong. Ben also isn’t wearing his wedding ring, but he took it off some time ago.
Update 2: Page Six reports that the woman with Affleck is a detox nurse and sober companion. The Daily Mail has updated their original story to reflect this.
photos credit: WENN and FameFlynet
I don’t believe it just because I think she’s too age appropriate for him.
Bahaha love this comment
HA! That was my first reaction too.
Right there with you
Yep
ditto!
yeah, thought the same
+1
Same I scoffed Like : Ya’ll didn’t for a Second think he is gonna date a woman that age did you?
The Daily Mail link now says she is a sober companion.
In the pics posted by DM he doesn’t seem to be “enjoying” anything. He looks quite morose.
True. But then again when does he ever look happy? When he’s w Matt? Lol
Or goofing with Kimmel.
It gives me zero romantic vibe.
More like she annoys him and he can’t wait to ditch her somewhere.
Yeah she looks thrilled, he looks hungover. It’s like Ben and Jen all over again!
freebunny…that’s how it looks to me, too!
I’m not getting romantic out of it either. It looks like a “Let’s walk and talk” kind of moment from coworkers.
If I’m wrong, at least she’s age appropriate.
You are very generous. All I see is a man trying his hardest to shake a chatty acquintance who cant take a hint and even follows him into a bookshop.
Exactly. This is not the picture of romance lol.
He probably figured since the reviews of Live by Night have been underwhelming there’s no point in playing the devoted family man or continuing the will they or won’t they stay together charade.
I thought he and Jennifer were divorced, it seems like years now they’ve been apart. The guy slept with the nanny (the second time I wrote that today about two different men), so yeah he’s going to date and it is highly probable get married again. I see no problem with him being seen with a woman, had to happen eventually. Falls into the who cares bucket for me.
Me, too. I do think the photos are funny because she seems like she’s being clingy and giddy about being with a celeb and he’s just not that into her.
I was actually pumped for this as a break from the Pitt-Jolie stuff.
Garner, get out of dodge. You are teaching your kids that ‘being married’ is more important than being in a mutually loving and respectful relationship.
Batfleck, you pretty much suck. You should spend as much time with a therapist as you are mystery blondes.
This looks like a work thing
Their body language does not give me any romantic-type vibes whatsoever.
She could be holding his arm, or she could have slapped him on the back for a split second. She’s clearly not versed in the shutter speed of a paparazzi camera, and photo assumption.
I say 100% industry type. Jen and Ben will file for divorce before either one of them is seen with someone else.
True. She may have never touched him. Camera angles.
It looks more like she is escorting him somewhere or arresting him – perhaps for shoplifting.
lol
Or for public Loitering.
He looks awful.
I hope this is actually Ben testing the waters and going public just like his brother did, although Casey was outright pda with his new girlfriend. Ben and Jen need to move on, maybe he’ll file for divorce soon, new year, new beginning, timing is weird though and these pics will definitely be making the gossip rounds, maybe she’ll be his date at the Golden Globes, it will be interesting to see his interviews next week while he’s promoting live by night.
It’s crazy to read anything into paparazzi shots, since you can look positively giddy or completely hateful at any given second via shutter click, when neither is even remotely accurate to what was actually going on at the time that photo was snapped. Having said that, I looked at the pics and it’s hard to imagine that’s a romantic Affleck “caught in the act” based on body language alone.
Do I think he’s doing hot blondes on the sly? Probably. Do I think this is one of them? Doubtful. Co-worker, employee or relative would be my best guess. He’s mildly annoyed because the cameras are there and knows this will be made into “a thing,” and she’s laughing because she’s super uncomfortable and not used to getting followed by photographers so doesn’t know how to act … At least that’s my first instinct/best guess.
Worked in TV, so I’ve been there. The urge to shout out, ‘I’m no one!,’ is huge and if anyone had actually published photos of me escorting so-and-so from one place to another, I’m sure I would have looked like a grinning idiot because I was so freaking uncomfortable with being surrounded and stalked even though he was gritting his teeth and telling me to ‘ignore them and keep moving,’ under his breath, while I constantly repeated ‘sorry’ over and over because I’d accidentally lead him into this. And, while I was supposed to be leading him to the shooting locale, he ended up leading me, because he was comfortable strolling through paparazzi and I wasn’t, so it conceivably could have looked like I was “with” him. BTW, this is not a glam or brag-worthy story, as I ended up getting reamed out, badly, for my screw up and still feel awful thinking about it to this day.
OK, now I’m doubly sorry I invoked my embarrassing personal story of career failure, which was first thing I thought of when I saw the shots, since, as pointed out below, these appear to be very old photos based on the “starting September 29, 2014” sign in the bookstore window.
No. I get that. I would hate dealing with it. It was a cute story,
Naw, don’t be sorry. Thats an excellent story that shows a lot of us who aren’t familiar with hollywood what goes on.
Naw, you were right on target according to the most recent update. She’s a sober partner. Probably embarrassed just like you said.
Whatever is happening, I don’t think body language is a key indicator. There is zero romantic vibe when he’s with Jennifer either. I’m sure we’all see some Gossip Cop denial soon. He just spent two weeks in Montana with Jen and Matt and Casey and others. Maybe they just finally said it’s time to move on publicly after being separated for two years – no big deal there.
who says its not part of the plan? Garner will not be the first one to be seen with a new partner, Ben has to be the first one. so im sure she is all for this, if this is even happening. could even mean Garner found someone, she just does not want to be seen as the first one to date someone else.
Even if everything about this didnt scream chatty employee, Ben is done with monogamy. He is terrible at it, he hates it and he doesnt need to force the allusion of it while still married to Jen. So until Jen meets someone she wants to be public with, Ben will be content with divorce limbo while screwing discreet call girls or however it is he gets his rocks off these days.
There’s lots of photos walking, going into book store, going to lunch. He sees the paps trailing him, in his face, and he is highly irritated as usual. So he gives them nothing. He never once looks at the woman on purpose in any of those photos because he’s mad about the paps and isn’t going to let them turn a photo of them into a story. She could work in their offices that he and Matt have for producing their movies and TV shows. He gave an interview at those offices the other day. Who knows? I don’t think he and Jen are back together anyway. But I’ve been wrong before.
She looks way more into him than he is to her, almost seems like some sort of sponsor. Doesn’t look like anything is going on there, plus a few people pointed in the comment section of the daily may that these pics were from 2014.
That woman is far above his dateable age range. His karma-face is a thing of beauty. He looks truly miserable in every picture these days.
That woman is far above his dateable age range. His karma-face is a thing of beauty.
Very old photos!!!!The sign in the bookshop’s window says Sept. 29,2014!!
Wow, you’re right. How did I not notice — or the DM — when it’s so prominent?!?! Clearly, something is majorly off about the photos. I mean, even if it’s not from 2014, who would have a chalkboard sign that said “Starting September 29” in January (or late December)? I am a terrible celeb detective!
Daily Fail strikes again and I was sucked into clicking, too.
I’ll update with that, thanks!
Google maps shows that that sign was in the window in their November 2014 street view map but not in the subsequent street views. The most recent sign on the chalkboard in google maps is something entirely different. So, very old pics indeed. For shame, DM!
Oh my gosh, you are totally right. Based on what you can see of the red-lettered sign, it’s gotta be the Super Care Drugs on Canon, right down the street from Sugarfish Bev Hills. (So, yeah, also not a bookstore.)
I don’t even care about Ben Affleck that much, but the investigation part is pretty fun. LOL.
That sign is in the store window in the November 2014 street view (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0683062,-118.3985457,3a,15y,61.19h,78.72t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sCH6AeHmX8isrlN9WwlWSew!2e0!5s20141101T000000!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1). It’s still there, but says something totally different, in the most recent, March 2016 street view (https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0683243,-118.3985595,3a,15y,61.19h,78.72t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sk3RBOsUIxohHEoqsUsRq7g!2e0!5s20160301T000000!7i13312!8i6656!6m1!1e1) and since it’s a handwritten (chalkboard paint) sign, that they’d recreate a 2014 message for 2015-16 makes ZERO sense.
There is something SUPER fishy about these photos.
Love the CB Super Sleuths! Good job with all the research. I’d say the photos were taken very recently, given Ben’s looks. It’s odd that the old sign would be in the store window, but it details open hours so maybe they just keep it there for show?
And remember DM and other media outlets don’t take these pictures, paps do and sell them to agencies who are supposed to verify them, label them properly and sell them to the DM and other sites.
Yeah, that’s odd, but that means DM is flat out lying since they say the pics were from yesterday. Not that I’d put lying past a rag. 🙂 I’m not saying anything is going on here, but he wasn’t wearing a wedding ring in the pics, and also, Ben Affleck did not look like this in 2014. He was in his prime then. These pics are what Ben Affleck looks like now/today.
No. He did NOT look like this in 2014, he was very fit & healthy back then. Google pics from 2014 and see.
OK, I have now spent waaaayyyy too much time looking at random Ben Affleck photos, LOL. It does say something like, “Starting Monday, September 29, 2014 operating hours will be …” September 29 WAS a Monday in 2014, but it could also just mean that sign has been in the window for more than two years announcing the then-new store hours. A little odd, since there’s also an operating hours chart/sign above but, hey, what do I know?
I don’t know what to make of this – if this is really a girlfriend- great for him and let’s all move on. However, the timing is really suspect – Ben has LBN premiers and promotions all week next week – it does not make sense that he would premiering a new girlfriend now. Also in one of the DM pics by the restaurant there is an older man who has been photographed with Ben, Jen and the kids a few times last year at restaurants etc, he seems to be a family friend or a relative.
According to DM, this restaurant is a celebrity hot spot – so he had to know he was going to be papped. And by the way he looks miserable , maybe even worse than he looks when he is out with Jen.
Probably a friend or someone on his management team. Not a date at all,sorry..
A commentator on DM is saying she is Anna Pasternack – Ben’s cousin. Can anyone verify he has a cousin by that name?
Probably a sobriety coach or something. He’s been looking like hell lately.
The Daily Mail gets worse by the day.
I thought he and garner were quietly reconciling.
Gossip Cop has confirmed it’s just a family friend
..and no mention if the divorce is still on or not..
I think his current side piece is Sienna Miller.
Oh I thought it would be January Jones cause that would be hilarious
He has perpetual sad face. Even when he smiles he looks sad.
Interesting that Gossip Cop said she’s a family friend, but there is no mention of these being old photos, which I’m sure Ben’s team would have loved to cite if that were the case, but apparently it’s not. Despite the strange sign, he’s not wearing a ring and looks how he looks today. Hey always wore rings, into Fall of 2015, so I think the pics are current. Today is apparently Seraphina’s bday, so maybe we’ll see some “happy family” pap strolls.
Happy Birthday Sera!
There are pics of Ben on a movie set today on Zimbio – claiming he is working on a new movie. Which one would that be? He looks pretty bad – un-trimmed greying beard. Almost same outfit as yesterday.
He was on a press junket with some of cast members of Live By Night. You can watch the interview here:
https://www.facebook.com/iTunes/
My first thoughts when I looked at these pictures was that she was a sober companion. He seems totally out of it and she appears to be guiding him. I then looked at the pictures on Zimbio and he looks the worst I have ever seen. He appears to be falling out of the vehicle. Maybe all the bad reviews of Live by Night have gotten to him? He looked awful when the separation was announced in 2015 and he looks awful now. Maybe WB is insisting on rehab, hence the hedging on the solo Batman.
Hmmm….Page six has some interesting info about the blond lady. She is a nurse who offers 24 hour in home detox care (as well as other types of care). I predict a Ben hurt himself skiing story in 3,2,1…
Mystery solved, she’s a private nurse for detox and addiction patients, 24 hour in home care, Page Six confirmed. Purely speculation on my part but I think Ben went on a bender during the holidays and probably was belligerent towards Jen and maybe even the kids that Jen had to say you’ll lose the kids in the divorce if you don’t get help, just like what’s happening to Brad Pitt, Ben clearly is not doing well, he’ll lose his kids and more important to him his career if he can’t get his sh!t together. He was probably drinking heavily when he directed live by night and that’s why the end product was not to his standards. I think Jen will divorce him but in order for him to have joint custody he has to clean up his act.
Or maybe he wasn’t really in Montana for a full two weeks? Maybe in some kind of rehab for some of it? I had the same thought about Montana though – that maybe two weeks with Casey and Matt (and Jen), etc might have caused some issues. I like Ben and will always root for him, but it’s hard to believe that after everything, Jen is going to continue to stay at this point – because this will be a lifelong battle. :/
There was a rumor that he was nasty to Jen in Montana and not very rude to the people over there. He was a drunk mess.
Really? Wouldn’t surprise me, but where did you hear/see that?
It would be nice to see Ben start living his own life again and dating. Him and Jennifer need to have their own time away from each other and separate time with the kids. Ben just looks miserable he just isn’t meant for marriage.
There was a tweet that he was really rude to Jen over the holidays in Montana and bad mouthing her to his friends and that he was really rude to resort staff etc and that he was a drunken mess the whole time.
Who tweeted that???
I saw that tweet too, I saw two tweets one about him being rude to the staff at the ski resort but Justin Timberlake apparently is nice. Sounded like somebody that has friends that work at Big Sky and he got some inside info. The other tweet I thought was probably an observation someone had who was vacationing there or knew someone who vacationed there, if Ben was drunk at a bar and Jen was with him I’m sure he was rude to her and probably told her to f-off if she was giving him a bad time about drinking too much. Also when you’re drunk you got loose lips someone probably over heard him talking sh!t about Jen to Matt and his brother.
If true, yikes. I wonder why she is hanging on to him? She can do better.
Where is this tweet? What exactly did it say?
My FIRST thought was that she was a drug/alcohol/gambling/addiction doctor. It blows my mind that girls find him attractive. He always looks miserable and he’s not even attractive physically or emotionally. He has selfish brat written all over him. Sooooo not worth it. I just don’t get it ????
Ben Affleck did NOT look like that in Fall 2014. I don’t know what the deal is with the sign in the window, but those pics of him and the blonde were definitely from Thursday. Plus that leather jacket that he’s been wearing for months now is a brand new thing from Vuitton. Pics from Friday at the press junket have him looking exactly the same as in the pics with the sober coach, complete with the jacket and the same shoes.
More evidence that Gossip Cop is garbage? “Family friend”… hm… no… sober coach/nurse. I can totally believe that he ruined their holiday vacation with his drinking and drugging. He certainly doesn’t look like he had a very relaxing time!
Just catching up on all of this! Gossip Cop makes me laugh. They clearly have NO idea what’s going on, and I don’t understand why anyone takes them seriously. First they reported that the blonde woman was a “family friend,” then following Page Six’s big reveal, they revised it to “friend.” I actually hope that Ben IS dating this woman, just so Gossip Cop can be exposed yet again as frauds. Kind-of like those BS “inside sources” who tell People, US Weekly, etc how Ben and Jen “seemed to have a good time together” on whatever holiday it happens to be that they spend in the same zip code as their kids. People Mag must have seen that tweet people mentioned above about Ben was treating Jen like crap in Montana and decided not to run their usual nonsense. Normally they would have posted the latest pics of Jen gym strolling or doing her coffee run for the paps and use it as an opportunity to mention how great their winter vacay was. Didn’t happen, that I could see.
It’s all beginning to unravel now, though… I feel like this is the beginning of the end. He looks like hell, one literal step from a room with padded walls. Why on Earth has Jen not filed for divorce and told him to move out yet?!? At least Ben has the excuse of being an alcoholic and an addict, what’s Jen’s excuse for this continued stupidity? Doormat is as doormat does. My god, but she is PATHETIC. When her daughters grow up and marry men like Ben and make the same mistakes that she did — because that’s what they learned at home — maybe then she’ll figure it out.
Last thing in this ESSAY of a post: how in the world did Page Six figure out who this woman is? There’s no way anyone on Ben’s team told them that she’s a sober coach. Jen’s PR? That’s my guess. That’s cold. Which is worse for PR? That he’s dating or that he’s in such a state that he actually needs a sober companion following a family holiday vacation? How crappy is their home life right now? I feel sorry for their kids, honestly.
Jen’s pr must have told them. There is no other explanation. Ben’s told Gossip Cop that she was a family friend. How cruel of Jen.
Maybe someone who knew her told Page Six who she was. She has apparently been doing this for a number of years and other people know her. A little extra cash to sell a name? More likely than Jennifer, I think.
Where do you see the tweets?? I can t find them. On Friday ,Sera’s birthday,Jen was at Lax with her.On Friday too, Ben’s interview with Extra where he talks about his kids
Where are these tweets now?
Beyond that, in an ET interview yesterday, Ben said that Sera was “going away on a trip with her mom tonight” for her (Sera’s) birthday. Seems slightly odd timing given that they just came back from two weeks in Montana, they haven’t been seen together as a family since they got back (like they usually are), there is this sober coach thing going on and the Globes are this weekend.
Oh, one other thing. It does seem a little odd that the pics of Ben and the sober coach were DM exclusives – i.e. there weren’t a bunch of paps or photo agencies there, which makes it seem like someone tipped off the DM specifically. Who else is papped by the DM every single day without fail? Jen. I hate to think that way, but it does seem a bit suspicious. Also, in the pics, to me, Ben doesn’t look surprised by the paps, he almost looks like he’s being forced to do something in front of them – kind of like when you were a kid and your parents made you play a song on an instrument during a dinner party with their friends.
I had a sober companion for a while. I’m not a celebrity, FYI.
It was nice to have someone around to attend meetings with, have coffee with, and talk to. Mine was not an RN, but she had a degree in psychology. She was present for my intervention, and she saw me all the way through rehab, and beyond. I’m very grateful that I had her around. She made sure that I stuck with certain routines, and addressed possible issues down the road, and helped me navigate through a bunch of stuff.
I had had long term sobriety, previously, so she understood that I was prone to relapse, and worked with me to build a safety net, so that another relapse could be prevented.
I’m coming up on a year sober. I credit her for some of that. She helped me build a super solid foundation this time around.
Good luck to Ben. Sobriety is totally do-able, and sober companions can be a huge plus.
Congrats on a year of sobriety!
The nurse’s online site states that they provide nursing and wellness support, therapy services,not only sober companion and detox. So,who knows..??
Would love to know what went down on the Montana trip that he requires a detox nurse when he comes home. Most people who spend a couple of weeks in luxurious isolation with their alleged beloved family don’t. Why is Jen jetting out of town with one kid and leaving behind two others to be cared for by their clearly unstable and unwell father? He’s obviously in no condition to care for himself, let alone a couple of young kids. What is going on here?
They’re probably all with her. I would guess she wouldn’t leave the others at home because – outside of the obvious issues – Ben has too much going on this weekend with upcoming promotions for LBN and the Globes, etc.
Jennifer only took Seraphina with her – that’s clear from both paparazzi pictures and Ben’s interview. If he’s sober (as evidenced by a sober companion), there’s no reason he can’t care for kids for a night or two. Also, they still have a nanny.
They’ve split the kids up before when traveling to deter the paps. Plus, he doesn’t look like he’s in any condition to be trusted with the kids on his own. Can’t even take care of himself, hence the detox nurse. This is the worst that I’ve ever seen him look since he’s been in the public eye.
I obviously have no idea what’s really going on, nor do any of us, but being with a sober companion in no way means that someone is sober. It means that someone is helping you to achieve or maintain sobriety.
A sober companion is there to help prevent relapses and establish new routines when ordering a meal out etc, so her presence indicates that he is sober now.
To the person who doubted that Jen took Sera alone to NYC, they were photographed by a fellow diner having dinner together by themselves.
@A – It’s not exclusive to that at all. The definition of a sober companion also clearly states that they also help people “in the midst of addiction in order to prevent them from further harm.” It can also include those who have just come out of rehab (but not limited to that obviously.) It’s for any type of addiction at any stage of addiction.
That was probably me who guessed maybe Jen had all the kids with her, but yes, I see it’s just Sera. I don’t think that means he’s the sole caregiver for the others though. I’m pretty sure they have a nanny that stays too – like the one that went with Violet and Ben to London over the summer.
So he had a relapse? Something dramatic must have happened over Christmas.
He hadn’t stopped drinking at all. He was drinking champagne with Matt Damon at an event in New York in October. This wasn’t a recent relapse.
He has been drinking since filming Gone Girl.
It’s interesting that when these pics went viral and everyone was assuming this was Ben’s new girlfriend, People, Us weekly and ENews did not run with this story, Gossip Cop ran a denial and Page Six busted who the woman was, but no one has any details beyond that. I’m guessing on Wednesday when the new mags are out, both People and US weekly will have stories and inside information about what’s really going on, what possibly went down in Montana that lead to Ben seeking this kind of help and clearly wanting it to be known publicly by doing a pap stroll with her. I wouldn’t be so quick to blame Jen on leaking this, Ben knows how to play the game too, his PR is more savvy than Jen’s. Get these pics out, verify her identity and show Ben as being serious about getting help, what’s wrong with that? Everyone knows he has issues now you know he’s seeking help, I think all of this is by design and well timed. I put this on Ben PR team, it explains why he’s been looking like hell, his indecision with Batman, his new movie not being up to par. Maybe having Matt, Casey there at Christmas was some sort of intervention…. I think I remember hearing that Casey doesn’t drink anymore too. Ben hit rock bottom, we should admire this unless of course he sleeps with his private nurse too, which well, I certainly wouldn’t put it pass him.
Completely insane and illogical. People, US and everyone else was doing a mad scramble to figure out who she was. Ben’s PR told Gossip Cop that it was a “family friend” because they did not want it out there. I predict NONE of the kneepads publications will even reference the pics or the woman — this will be buried like Casey’s sexual assault stories. If they wanted it known, they would have got out ahead of it and issued a statement to one of their PR-friendly rags per usual. Page Six isn’t one of them.
LOL, Casey drinks.
Casey has been sober for nearly three years.
To think that this was planned is absurd and the ultimate reach. Someone as image-obsessed as this is not going to use a pap stroll and the NY Post to “get it out there” that he’s circling the drain. The majority of the public doesn’t know that Batman has substance abuse problems. Why would they? He and his rep deny everything. Up until Thursday, they were still playing the happy family game and post-detox nurse pics, Ben was still yapping about his kid’s birthday like nothing was amiss. There isn’t a doubt in my mind that Jen’s PR was contacted about the blonde possibly being a girlfriend and they were the ones who told Page Six that she’s a detox nurse. And that’s just wrong. No wonder she fled town.
@Kate – I thought you said you suspected Jen’s PR in the above post? I agree the celeb-friendly/kneepad outlets are probably preparing their stories as we speak, and I think they’ll have a positive spin, all about Ben bettering himself. I think it will be damage control. I personally don’t think they’ll mention anything going down in Montana, even if somethung did. My guess is it wasn’t an intervention -at least not a planned one – since Ben publicly talked about spending xmas with Casey and Matt before they left. Either way, I don’t think any of this is new. It just happens to have gone public this time (for whatever reason) – like the nanny. It’s well known he’s battled addiction – whether gambling, alcohol or infidelity – their entire marriage, and also that he’s sought help on and off the whole time (therapists, etc.) I just find it ihard to believe that Jen continues to stay at this point. After the nanny, they’ve tried hard to build a narrative that he’s a changed man, but once again, we see things are very different behind the scenes than what they appear. I wish him the best though and hope he’s ok.
@JoJo Two different Kate’s we are not the same poster
If they were going to do damage control it would have started by now. Still nothing official from reps. They aren’t going to let days go by and then re-open it all on Wednesday for more speculation. With the Golden Globes on Sunday, and BAFTA nominations on Tuesday, the press will have other things to write about. Plus his movie is opening in a couple of weeks. This is not the kind of press he wants to dominate the papers when that happens.
@Kate – Ha! Sorry, didn’t realize there were two of you! 🙂
A sober companion for someone who obviously isn’t sober. That’s certainly a new and inventive idea. Won’t work. She’s just a babysitter. From his physical appearance it is clear that he’s still getting loaded whenever someone isn’t there to hold his hand. His life is filled with enablers (Jen, his agent and rep) and now, minders. No wonder he’s never gotten well. I doubt he ever will. Someone will have to prop him up forever.
I don’t see anything wrong if it was JG’S team who leaked it to Page 6. Why hide it anyway? Ben Affleck is a drunk mess and has substance abuse issues. I can’t imagine how it is at home and how the kids are coping with their dad’s behavior. JG must have her reasons why she is staying for now. That lady who is supposed to be a sober nurse doesn’t look too professional in my opinion. She was very touchy, too friendly and too giddy. It will not surprise me if they get together. Lol!
Per Instagram, it looks like JG took Sera to NYC for her birthday.
You don’t see the problem with announcing to the world that Ben is a fall-down drunk who needs a babysitter, right before his movie comes out? You don’t think that’s making his life and everything that he has to do that much harder? Dear lord. Some things need to stay private family matters and this is one of them.
I wonder if Jen stopped by the Post’s offices and high-fived some staffers for doing her a solid.
Trisha – he was papped with this woman who nobody has ever seen before, that alone was cause for speculation, which it did, which was the whole point. Does Ben look like he was caught with his pants down in those pics? Does he look surprised? Did he duck or cover his face? No, he didn’t look exactly happy but what else is new, he spent the entire day with her, walking around, going to a bookstore AND THEN they went for lunch/dinner at a sushi joint, c’mon ?? The whole pap stroll was meant to be caught. If that doesn’t scream planted to you, then you need to get sped up on how this gossip machine works girl… This guys movie is probably not going to do well at the box office, do you think that’s sitting well with him? a movie he thinks he worked hard on is getting trashed and the added pressure of being Batman. Think man think
Um, this is definitely a PR nightmare, nothing more and nothing less. Ben definitely did not look happy to be photographed in those pics. He seems to be very depressed and lethargic for the past several months and probably never thought that anyone in the situation would sell him out. Total lunacy to think that all of this was actually planned. I mean, was all of the nanny stuff planned, too?! To let the world know about their troubled marriage? Nah, I think you’re the one who needs a refresher course in PR.
And I’ll bet we’ll never see the detox nurse again.
Announcing in 2001 that you’re entering rehab to be “proactive” = Good PR
Bennifer 1.0 = Bad PR
Caught with strippers = Bad PR
Bennifer 2.0 = Good PR
2013 Oscar campaign, happy marriage happy family man = Good PR
Caught pressuring producers to edit ancestors owning slaves = Bad PR
Wife spilling gory details to tabs about alcohol abuse, gambling & infidelity = Bad PR
The Nanny spilling gory details to tabloids of an affair = Bad PR
Getting papped with a detox nurse insinuating that you are seeking help for your addictions = Good PR
As you can see Trisha, Ben has been down this road before and so has his PR machine, end game is always redemption, the phoenix will rise again
He didn’t ‘announce’ he was going to rehab. They got photos of Matt Damon visiting him and his rep had to clarify what was happening. Bn has never gone into detail about his alcoholism and brushed rehab off as a ‘pre-emptive’ thing.
Semantics “announced” “released a statement” whatever, you’re missing the point. He sought help and left the next day, “brushed rehab off” that’s sounds even worse knowing now that he still battles with it, it all amounts to the same thing, it’s a vicious cycle a disease that he inherited from his father and that he’ll pass onto to one of his children, that’s the worse part.
Pretty sure he completed a month-long stay in rehab last time around.
I read the post above of AIN’TNOTELLING. I really do not understand what’s wrong if Ben is accompanied by professional help on his way to fight against his issues.And something dramatic do not necessarily have to be happened in Montana.
probably the journey of Jen and Sera was already scheduled, I do not believe she ran away from LA
I think people are being a bit unkind about this. Getting help for addictions should be commended. He has had issues with alcholism all his life so at least he’s taking proactive steps to overcome his issues. For what it’s worth, he did a press junket the day after these photos were taken and seemed less uncomfortable in his skin than in other recent junkets.
I don’t think there was necessarily a big ‘blow-up’ that led to this. He didn’t fall off the wagon over Christmas – he was posing for photos while holding alcohol last fall. He drank during his marriage to Jennifer. They drank wine while out together as a couple and she chatted casually about him drinking beer while watching sports. The first obvious signs that things weren’t under control was in early 2013 – Lainey had blinds about presciption pills and he was was very drunk presenting on stage during the 2013 awards season.
My only concern is that Lainey’s blind post divorce announcement about hard drugs like heroin has truth to it.
This. I’m sure he has a problem with alcohol but based on Lainey’s blind, and what a general f*ck up he’s been, I think he has way bigger problems that booze.
.
All I know is what kind of professional like what she is and would need to be discreet, is smiling at the paps,etc, grabbing on to his arm? She owns that business. Ben was furious he was spotted. He never once looked at her. He wasn’t handling the pap intrusion well, even worse than usual. I think she leaked it. He’s not a steady client of hers. She’s never been seen with him before. There is no way he wanted it out there he had a sober companion all day.
Ben has been doing interviews for months and really seemed in a good place. One interview I read a few weeks ago he was talking about what a great place he was in his career and could see where he was going with it. He seemed happy.
Maybe the bad reviews had him feeling shaky again and turning back to crutches.
Good for him he turned for help if he was slipping again. I don’t know if he was ever completely on the wagon, but he seemed better and to be working on his issues and the separation issues. He’s been photographed leaving his therapist’s office over the past year.
@Trisha: “Um, this is definitely a PR nightmare, nothing more and nothing less. Ben definitely did not look happy to be photographed in those pics. He seems to be very depressed and lethargic for the past several months and probably never thought that anyone in the situation would sell him out. Total lunacy to think that all of this was actually planned. I mean, was all of the nanny stuff planned, too?! To let the world know about their troubled marriage? Nah, I think you’re the one who needs a refresher course in PR.
And I’ll bet we’ll never see the detox nurse again.”
I agree a hundred percent with everything you said, except I don’t think he’s been depressed and lethargic in any of his interviews. I watched a long interview with him in some forum talking about his career and he was like the old Ben. It was fairly long and I really enjoyed it. Out and about, I can never tell with Ben, because once he spots all the paps he turns sour. He despises the paps.
Someone sold him out and it’s not Jen or his friends or family.
Just a thought. If they were out and about all day or a long part of it, walking through the streets, going into a store, going to lunch/dinner, etc., isn’t it possible that someone at one of the stores or restaurants could have called the paps (DM) to let them know Ben was there? This seems plausible since DM was the only outlet to get the pics, but they had no idea who she was when they first reported on it. Once Page Six started digging into who she was, obviously someone gave up the info. Also, it’s all just photo assumption really, but Ben didn’t look beyond angry to me. He looked incredibly uncomfortable, yes. Just wondering why he didn’t just abort the whole thing or at least ask her to go somewhere out of the public eye once he knew the paps were around. The pics show them going into a store during the day but a few other pics are dark – in the evening/night – so he was first aware they were on his trail earlier in the day. Ben is pretty elusive when it comes to press, except when with Jen/kids, so it just seems a bit off, but…
@JoJo, she loved the pap attention. Maybe she did call them then. But if Ben discontinued with her services, it could be she is the one putting out there who the mystery blonde is and what she does to promote her business. The restaurant could have been lunch and just how the photo turned out inside. The paps following him might have been not all that long as far as time, in other words, not all day, into evening for dinner.
I saw that Q & A too! I agree that he has seemed more comfortable in recent interviews. It’s kind of incredible how much he changed post-divorce – he seemed constantly sad, uncomfortable and on edge. He was literally shaking in an interview on Live with Kelly to promote The Accountant. The nanny thing was despicable but he has been in the midst of what looks like a major depression episode since.
The detox nurse looked like fame hungry. Not too professional looking in my opinion. If she had been doing this professionally for years with high profile people then, she should know how to present herself and should have known how to behave in front of paparazzis. She was loving it and very touchy feely. You don’t touch your patients because there are boundaries and you give them space. She looked like she wanted to be friends with Ben than being a care giver. Even if they were friends in real life, just act accordingly as Ben is a public figure. Bad impression all around.
Just remembered that Matt Damon was photographed at a hospital in Montana before Christmas. Possibly related?
I found the tweet – some random person with no name – could’ve true, maybe not. Though this whole sobriety coach and getting popped with her is interesting. Is she going to accompany him to to the Globes? To the premiers? To London this week?
From the way Ben talks at the junket – they all live together in the house – “we had a birthday thing this morning “. They take kids to the set to see mom or dad and get them out. He also seems like he has a really bad cold.
I think it’s nice that Jen took Sera on a mommy and me trip to NYC (though they might have trouble getting out – we had about 8 inches of snow here near JFK). Maybe to see a show or visit the American girl doll store. She seems to do this a lot with her girls. I would not worry about the other 2 kids – they have at least 2 nannies.
Do any of them show up to church this Sunday?
Detox nurse = church strolls (and the like) x 100. He’ll be bending over backwards for the paps now. Anything to keep the tabloids from printing another word about her.
Other boards are talking about some of the comments on here but I had to see them for myself. Only the completely delusional would try to spin being spotted with a detox nurse as good press. W…T…F… I cannot with this board, lol.
What other board discusses Affleck/Garner?
Have you seen this woman’s LinkedIn profile pic? JC it’s like she’s at an awards show, all done up, Ben probably saw that and said “score”, it wouldn’t be the first time Ben blurred the lines between professional and personal, hello he slept with his kid’s nanny, lest we forget. If this woman is in his home supporting him through his darkest times, don’t tell me Ben isn’t going to cross that line, and seeing how she was gazing at him in those pics, she’s just as thirsty and giddy as the nanny was. Ben is a piece of work, and he’ll continue to hurt and embarrass Jen forever, it pains me that she doesn’t have any self respect and she couldn’t follow through with her VF profile of being strong willed enough to cut ties. They are both weak and any admiration I used to have for them I’ve lost.
I would not be surprised if he is dating the nurse. The whole outing was so suspicious. They were photographed all afternoon doing silly errands. Why? He looks so awful I don’t know who thought it a good idea to be out in public together.
Yeah, it really was, no other pap agency had the pics they were “exclusive” only to one agency that just happened to be there. Like Lainey says’ coincidence or conspiracy? Casey used the paps too to reveal that he was dating Floriana Lima, I think that pda outing was twofold, going public and possibly to distract from the sexual harassment case during his Oscar campaign, but the public didn’t really care that much about Casey’s new gf and we haven’t seen any pics since, those pics were also exclusive to just one agency. So was this Ben’s way of going public with her on his terms? He wasn’t exactly ducking and hiding in those pics, testing the waters maybe? If she’s going to be seen out and about with him at after parties possibly even at his movie premier as his “companion” then he controls the narrative, she was my sober companion and we became close and now she’s my girlfriend, end of story. File for divorce, share custody of the kids, be with a woman that will be seen as a “positive” influence given her line of work, it actually kind of makes sense.
The outing/revelation coinciding with his daughter’s birthday? That would be questionable judgment if great dad is what you’re going for, right? He seems more savvy than to have put that image and association with a sober companion out there and then talk about his kids the next day in an interview. I hope he is pursuing wellness. I do think he does not want his kids to have the experience he had with his own dad.
I agree Diane, he doesn’t want his kids to go through what he’s going through, of course, what parent would want that? But it all so fishy , maybe she’s been his sober companion for a few months now and not just a few days, we’re just being introduced to her now by Ben himself as opposed to the way we were introduced to the nanny, splashed all over the tabloids.
I believe he wants to be a good dad, and I also think he’s super complimentary to Jen in public as the mother of his kids because that’s the least he could do, right? I hope he actually tells her that she a “great mom” to her face and not just saying it for public consumption, a nice sound bite in an interview, after being such a horrible husband to her, that’s the least he could do. Personally, I think he’s dating the nurse.
He could be dating the nurse. She looks way too giddy in front of the paps, much like the nanny was. It is weird. You’d think someone ~working in the capacity of a detox nurse/sober companion (for someone who obviously has issues), she wouldn’t be practically bouncing around. Whether she’s working or on a date, it’s strange to be spotted out with her.
I can already see the headlines “He’s Dating The Nurse!” He totally buys into “Go Big or Go Home.”
Here is a pic of Jen at the airport on Friday – is that a gold band on her finger?
http://www.stalkcelebs.com/photo-gallery/24442/5/jennifer-garner-at-los-angeles-international-airport—january-06-2017
On her right hand though.
Saw that, but no – whatever it is, it’s not on her ring finger, and there are two other pics of her on the plane right after that where passengers requested selfies, and she has no rings on that hand.
It’s on her right hand – which is obscured in one fan photo – but it is on her hand in the other photo. Just food for thought.
@J Perhaps I’m being obtuse here but what exactly is your point?
The pic I see of them walking through LaX – it looks like a possible band on her left hand but it’s her middle finger. She used to wear one in the months after they took their wedding bands off that was a gold band that had a gap with a ball on each end – didn’t connect all the way around. I remember because the DM would constantly say it was a wedding band, but it was on her middle finger and clearly wasn’t a wedding band. You can see the other pic on Instagram with a male fan after boarding the plane. Her left wedding ring hand is fully visible and there are no rings.
Loads of Jen sightings at the Met (Twitter) yesterday and a sighting at the gugenheim today – quite a cultural trip for an 8 year old. Therefore zero expectations of seeing her at the globes tonight. And almost zero of her being at the LBN premier on Monday.
Who expected her to be at either?
Jennifer seems to have been making a concerted effort for some time to not be coupled with him and to reinforce her separate identity. They are over and she wants to make that clear to us. Whatever is going on that the divorce filing hasn’t happened, who knows, but they are not reconciled. She looks uncomfortable to be with him, even.
It would make no sense for her to accompany him to either event. I believe they’re privately giving their marriage another try but, either way, they won’t be supporting each other at Hollywood events anytime soon.
IF she was so uncomfortable around him, she wouldn’t have dinner out with him alone and on a double date with her parents. That’s not necessary for effective co-parenting.
He didn’t even support her at her Baby2Baby Gala … they are over. A premiere is one thing but a big award like that for charity? He would have been there if he cared.
A charity gala isn’t a big life event. He has been present for her birthday party and important holidays. The only reason he’d attend the Baby2Baby Gala with her is if they wanted to make the cancellation of the divorce official and they’re not ready to do that yet.
@A I agree that if she was uncomfortable being with him there would have been no double date with her parents – that outing was very telling.
But do you have inside info – that you say he was at her birthday party last year ?
Anyway this who nurse/ maybe girlfriend muddies the waters.
Naw, her last birthday Ben took the kids to dinner in LA. He wasn’t there at her side. The holiday stuff is so the kids don’t have to be split up. As for the gala, he didn’t have to walk the red carpet with her. He could have just been inside supporting her. It was clearly very important to her and probably the biggest event of her year.
What double date with her parents? lol Why didn’t the tabloids pick up on that? Eh, if they were in town they could have wanted to speak about how the separation is going.
Ben was photographed that morning, taking the kids out while Jennifer was getting ready and the party was being set up. Photo captions said he then took them back to the house. Jennifer’s older family friends who certainly attended the party (photographed with her many times) were out with Ben and the kids that day. I don’t think Jennifer would have asked Ben to entertain her guests for the morning if he didn’t even have a party invite himself.
No way is this woman Ben’s girlfriend/hookup. Even if I’m wrong about a reconciliation with Jennifer, photo assumption makes it clear he’s not into this woman. I think it’s positive that he’s addressing his addictions – it’s not breaking news to anyone that he has issues to overcome.
Jennifer’s parents visited for Thanksgiving and were photographed leaving Soho House in Malibu with Jennifer and Ben. No children.
Not getting the supposed significance of the Baby2Baby Gala. It was just another back-slapping Hollywood fundraising event. None of her family – parents, sisters – were there. If Ben had been inside sitting at her table, it would have been a huge story.
according to People magazine he was not at the party. he took the kids out to dinner. take it up with them if you don’t buy it.
as for photo assumptions, considering how cold he and Jen look when they are out together, body language suggests that THEY aren’t together either.
They look super unhappy in those pics with Jen’s mom (People mag says it was just her mother, so no double date). Wow. Jen looks like she’s about to bawl and Ben looks terrible as usual. You’re actually trying to use these pics as proof of something?? lollll I hope you’re okay when they divorce.
Her father was visible in the back of the car. I could point to lots of pictures where they look happy together but time will tell…
At her birthday, People said he took the kids out for an early dinner/late lunch. Some of Jennifer’s family were with them though, and they were obviously intending to go to her party later that evening.
Dude, it’s celebrity gossip – I’ll be fine either way 😉
No, dear. If Ben had been there, People mag would have been all over it. Instead, the headline reads: Jennifer Garner Celebrates 44th Birthday with Intimate Dinner with Friends (and a Marching Band!) The last line of the article is: “While Garner enjoyed her party, Ben Affleck took their three kids, Violet, 10, Seraphina, 7, and Samuel, 4, for an early dinner at a restaurant in L.A.” I mean, if he had wanted to be there, the nannies could take the kids to dinner while he stayed. lol If you for some reason think that you have super secret insider info that needs to be presented on legit websites, then try to get a job at a tabloid. You frankly seem like a lunatic who is too invested in these two strangers. it’s concerning.
You’re so quick to dismiss the blonde as not being a date due to body language but conveniently ignore my statements about Ben and Jen looking like they hate each other when photographed together.
😀
Ben is literally grey in the face, looks like he’s about to keel over, actually requires a detox nurse… and Jen leaves town? He is clearly on his own these days. She could not care less. As for the Thanksgiving “double date” (from hell from the looks of it), Jen’s parents were in town and if they wanted to discuss the divorce but not in front of the kids, they’d obviously just do it over a nice meal somewhere. That gets a big shrug from me.