Just in time for the Blake Lively-Penn Badgley breakup confirmation, Us Weekly has a shocking report about Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner. According to Team Affleck-Garner, everything is going fine and the marriage is not in trouble at all. This flies in the face of multiple reports about their relationship troubles, Ben’s alleged infidelities, his return to gambling and drinking, et cetera.
The Afflecks certainly don’t let work interfere with family time. With Ben Affleck, 38, in Oklahoma shooting a new and untitled film, Jennifer Garner, 38, and their girls make frequent visits. On the agenda? Group outings to local shops and restaurants. But the pair also relish their alone time.
“They’re very much in love,” an Affleck pal tells Us. Indeed, during a September 3 dinner date at Wilshire in Santa Monica, “They were looking into each other’s eyes, holding hands over the table,” says a fellow diner.
Adds the friend, “Things are great with them. Do they fight? Sometimes, but what couple with two jobs and two kids don’t? They’re in a really good place.”
[From Us Weekly, print edition]
I’ll buy that Jennifer Garner and the girls have “visited” the Oklahoma set, but honestly, there are photos of Jennifer Garner with the girls in LA almost every day. I look at the photo agencies every day – I know. Jennifer and the girls have been in LA for weeks, and Jennifer keeps trotting out the Dimple Parade every day. So maybe Jennifer and the girls have only visited him once? For, like, a day? In between photo ops?
But that’s not the point. The point is that this is the official line from the Affleck marriage – everything is going fine, and there will be no split announcements anytime soon. Interesting…
Header: Photo courtesy of WENN.
Two giant douchbags who married each other. They need to stay together and toast it all with some vinegar and water.
Of course they’re fine. Now stop it, Kaiser! 🙂
I have no idea, but a lot of the “evidence” seems like nothing more than photo assumption. He’s smiling more in pictures with Blake Lively and looks ‘miserable’ in pictures with his family, blah, blah, blah.
He could be cheating, or he could be flirty and it’s all nothing. There really isn’t any evidence of anything other than evaluating facial expressions, so I’ll just watch and see. There are plenty of times people could jump out from behind a parked car and catch me looking unhappy, but I’m just busy, running all over town and tired. Lots of parents look that way. Just saying.
Or he could be a cheating asshole, like the laundry list of cheating men lately. Who knows?
Well for their daughters sake, I hope this is all true. They certainly don’t give a vibe of love between the two of them to me. Ben is just there and Jen is just there….thats it. No romance.
divorce announcement either at the end of this year or after the oscars… FREE BEN!
It seems strange to me that he rarely seems to be around while she does the bulk of the parenting. And she’s smart enough to know that all the (I think sincere) good mommy photo ops would make it hard for him to leave her. That would make Brad Pitt’s crucifixion look like a tea party. But until they’re ready to split, of course they’ll deny–at least through awards season.
Both of them have a history of cheating in other relationships that has been whitewashed by the tabs who like how wholesome their family plays in photo-ops. All the evidence is circumstancial, but I believe that as long as Ben doesn’t get caught Jen is willing to look the other way for now. Ben seems fully aware that if he dumps her his career will be in the shit house since it’s taken him years to get his career back.
Yeah right…they’re doing just fine. Nothing to see here folks.
I hear this strange ticking sound now.
I hope they stay together, but it seems like the odds are against them, every day there’s a new split in LALA land.
He always looks so vacant and miserable around her.
jennifer is probably sick of him but just staying until the two kids are reared or at least a bit bigger. and in the meantime, turning a blind eye to ben’s antics.
that would be my guess. as for ben, he’s a big player who’ll never make it with anyone..didn’t gwyneth paltrow say his favourite night would be with two strippers and beer? or something to that effect?
Nothing to see here. Pay no attention to the marriage going up in flames. Keep it moving.
She should keep her bangs … much more flattering look for her than bare forehead.
Here’s a strange, crazy theory. Maybe, just maybe, they really are ok. His career is definitely on the upswing right now. He’s getting a lot of good buzz and he’s working hard. Chances are he’s pretty happy about that. And she may just be happy too seeing him happy. Maybe she’s supporting how hard he’s working. Keeping things steady on the home front while he’s busting his ass to become the creative force he was projected to be back in the Good Will Hunting Days. Maybe, just maybe, they are actually a grounded couple who have grown up, overcome bad choices made in the past and working the marriage. It’s not glamorous or glitzy but it’s real. At least I can hope. lol
Has there ever been a PR puff piece proclaiming that a relationship is just fine that was NOT followed by a divorce/break up? Come on. If a relationship is good, you don’t comment on it. If a relationship is teetering, you do.
Good Lord.They been saying that they were breaking up since they got married.If Ben came out alive and better from the JLo ordeal he can handle anything.Funny the more good recognition he gets ,the more ridiculous gossip that comes out.Hmmm…
Oh and you don’t have to look for pics of Ben at the photo agencies.There are no paparazzi in Oklahoma. If you want info of Ben just twitter his name. People have been chasing him all over town and there’s no sign Blake lively here..LOL .Maybe you should ask Ryan gosling 😉
they look miserable. despite (her) smiles the eyes say it all.
Saw the “The Town”, it is any reflection of who he is or wants to be, as the star, the director and the writer, then the bad guy who shoots people and robs banks is just really another hero from MA. Blake L portrayed a rat-ho in the movie. Hopefully his skewed vision in this movie is not what he believes IRL. My guess is that Jen is too good for him and he’s lucky to have her.
why this reassurance right after blakes split up? Didnt a post on that page say something like- here comes the affleck photo op?
As soon as the reports claim everything is fine, it goes to hell soon after. Countdown to the divorce 3..2..1
Most likely early 2011 is my prediction.
He looks miserable! I think he wants out but feels guilty about the children. She knew his issues when she married him-shouldn’t come as a surprise if he’s drinking/gambling/cheating. And I agree with a previous poster-if they are fine, why announce it? And big eyeroll on the “unnamed source” (her publicist) who saw them at dinner looking deep into each other’s eyes.
I think she looks really pretty in the top picture (she usually doesn’t photograph very well). But her skin looks bright and lovely and her hair looks very pretty. She looks a little like Robin Wright in the photo.
I don’t know I think it is more likely that you’ll never get a comment from either one on personal stuff because both of them have been burned in the past by gossip about their relationships. Let’s not forget that Ben and Jennifer Lopez were the original couple that the press started with this super obnoxious trend of mashing a couples name together because they think it’s clever. I think that while they or may not be having trouble they will never talk about it even if they seperate. I also think it’s funny that when she is obviously trying to keep her kids grounded and as normal as possible by doing everyday things like going to the park it is called a “photo op”. When Jennifer is going for a photo op she dresses up and puts on make up, when she is being a mom to her kids she wears normal mom clothes, hair and little to no makeup and I do really think that she doesn’t give an rat’s ass what anybody thinks of how she looks or dresses on those days (remember the underwear incident). I think she is one of the few good examples of a hollywood parent (Reese Witherspoon also comes to mind).I also think that a lot of these marriages suffer because there are so many opinions from the outside to effect them, it becomes like a huge meddling family like in “monster-in-law”. This is actually why I love this site because I do LOVE gossip, but I hate the kind of purposful lying, in their face, trying everthing they can do to ruin someones life false crap. True life is usually more intresting and crazy anyway (paging Charlie Sheen).
So they’ve joined the parade of celebs who claim that everything is happy, happy and then they announce they split three months ago. Didn’t Jennifer Anniston and Brad Pitt make a big public announcement a few weeks before they announced the divorce? Boobs Lively and that Penn guy? Mullet and Tish? I think Lainey said it yesterday- publicists are the biggest liars going.
Yep this is quite a frolicking duo! Cue– photo op of them at the park sharing an ice cream cone!
ok…they’re fine us weekly. we believe u…not.
@Bam Bam: LMAO at “rat-ho”! Love it.
I’d actually like to see a PR announcement (about any couple)saying, “All the rumors are true. There has been cheating, deceit, drunkenness, and various levels of douchery on all sides; please watch for a big ball of flames and tears. Coming soon to a theater near you!” You know, just for something different.
Um, Bam-Bam, you realize The Town was just a movie right, not real life? It was based on a book, not drummed up by Affleck because he wishes he was a “bad guy hero”.
Holy crap, the Affleck/Garner posts never fail to bring the Crazy…..
I think these two have serious problems, but I think its clear that Jen is the more family-oriented partner, and Ben find satisfaction outside the home. Ben seems to have a renewed sense of ambition. While Jen’s fame, her star is tied to Ben. There will be another child. She has 2 girls, spaced almost exactly 3 years apart. There will be one more child born next winter. Then they will split. Only after she has what she wants- a little dimpled nuclear family.
Kaiser, you really want them to break up, don’t you?
The pictures of them together are always so weird–he looks like a scared deer who wants to bolt, and she looks like she wants to make sure she’s in the photo with him as a “couple.” Awkward.
@mamalama David Arquette tried and look at how much everyone hates him.
I’m not a fan of Ben’s by any means, but I don’t hate him either. I kind of always wanted it to work out with him and Jen.
@mln: Aw… we don’t all hate David Arquette at all. I might think he went overboard with the confessions and self flagellations, but I have to admire the guy and I feel for him.
As soon as they say something like that, something happens. I hope it works out, though.
They’re just tired parents of young kids, people. It’s like dancing with your sister, there’s nothing in it. She looks very plain and wrung out in that second photo, which is a far cry from the glamorous movie star we see in her promo shots.
RIIIGGGHHHTTT
Bite me, little judgemental kitten, the whole movie was a big rah rah promotion for the MA people where he comes from, you must be from there.
I still remember all the buzz about him wanting a political career. If that’s the case, I see him doing what it takes to keep his marriage together even if he wanders, in some sense of that word, every now and then.
@Bam Bam: get your facts. The Town is a fictionalized account of gangsters in Bawstawhn adapted for the screen by Ben. Didn’t glorify the lifestyle at all.
Jen wants this relationship to work out way too much to let him walk away now.
So funny, DD!
Yeah, mamalama, I would love that. Heck, I would pay for that.
Uh, all of the comments about their relationship based on the pics you see…My face would always look pissed as all hell. I live in LA. The paps swarm like angry hornets, and yell and scream. When I was 8 months pregnant, they almost trampled me down to get a pic of taylor swift. All I’m saying is that a picture certainly does not indicate the state of your marriage. I can’t imagine not looking furious and grumpy.
I’m with Strawberry on this one. I saw The Town and there was nothing about that movie that glorified the gangster lifestyle in Boston whatsoever. If anything, it showed you how incredibly horrible that kind of lifestyle is and how it affects the people living in those types of neighborhoods.
Bam-Bam you need psychological help. And perhaps some medication..the movie was based on the book Prince of Thieves by Chuck Hogan.
@strawberry- exactly!
How convenient- reports surfaced that Blake (who has long been rumored to have been banging Ben) is single and now in timely fashion-Ben & Jen are on the cover of a gossip rag claiming they are “stronger then ever” Hmmmmmm…..kinda makes you think the exact opposisite huh?!
Bam-Bam, go home and take Pebbles with you.
I have no idea if Ben’s cheating or not. But in every photo with his wife it looks as though he rather be somewhere else. Poor boy needs a little strange.
They both look so unhappy to me. I hope they work it out for their kids’ sake.
I’m thinking with Blake he’s on promotion duty or a joke or telling her she looks like a hooker and her laughing cuz she thinks it’s a joke. and he’s not smiling with the fam because who wants the paps chasing you and your wife and kids all over???
c’mon kitten you’ve been around long enough to the know the real crazies come out during the weekly brangelina posts. true story.
Seriously? Nobody knows what goes on inside a marriage. I crack up reading people who think they know stuff from a stupid papz photo. Expressions in those are bound to be the worst ever, and not natural but STOLEN, big difference.
I find it laughable to suggest Blake Lively is even into Ben Affleck. The girl has WAY hotter options on her plate. (Ryan Gosling? Chace Crawford? Sam Page?) And way younger, too. Wouldn’t believe it for a second even if I saw it. Sure she may be tempted to have that one night-stand on a drunken night, but I would never even for one sec believe she’d want to be in an actual relationship with someone like Ben Affleck.
Affleck and Garner are married and have kids. They behave like a very normal couple, which is exactly why things have worked out well between them so far. Or have people forgotten Affleck’s comments about how he HATED being under the spotlight all the time like he was with JLo? Really… US Weekly doesn’t have a comment from a publicist.. they have bribed a friend to talk. That means A)said friend sucks and B)that US Weekly obviously just picked the moment that was more convenient for them to publish this and elicit EXACTLY the reactions people are having on here. Maximum exposure, bribe a friend and voila. Sell copies.
Really, moving on… Free Ben? I’d say free Jennifer if anything, since she traded down BIG time when she left Michael Vartan for Ben Affleck. That is the one thing I will NEVER understand. Oh wait, yeah, she wanted more spotlight back then. Doesn’t always pay off.. I do think they’re doing just fine, but if not, then I definitely think the one who traded down big time is Jennifer Garner.
If parents look like THAT every time they are together, may not be such a grand experience for the kids. It’s not like they don’t try to do the occasional photo-op. Just looks like they can’t stand being near one another & it is so bad they seldom even succeed in faking it during a brief Happy Family paparazzi outing.
Affleck always looks particularly miserable; perhaps it is best for them & the kids that mom & dad only seem to hang out when split rumors warm up in a slow celeb news cycle.
Yeah these two are not meant to be together in any such way. I agree with the poster who said they will have another child before they split. They came together to have kids, and they will probably only have kids with each other, but I certainly do not think these two will be together in.. say, 2016. They are broken but still together for the sake of their family. Their physical chemistry really has completely disappeared.
Jen. G. is a B-movie actress – never saw her as smart or witty enough for Ben. I think she’s way too “apple pie” for him. It never seems like there is any chemistry or sparks between them – but I do see reasons why they’ll probably strain to keep it together, even if it isn’t working for them anymore. First, the kids. And for Ben, she was the “grounded, down-to-earth” girlfriend to counter his whole JLo fiasco that allowed him to get out of the media spotlight and get his career back on track. I’m not saying Ben is a saint – quite the contrary – but I still don’t think they make sense as a couple. Yes, opposites can attract but in many cases, it’s short-lived, and in this case, they just look bored – and have for many years. And now that he’s back on track with his career, they just seem even more mismatched than they have in the past. I mean, she’s done Alias and a string of B-movies, and he’s an intelligent, politically-minded screenwriter, producer, director, actor, etc. They’re just weird together.
I think Ted C. of Awful Truth has it right. He says that Jennifer knows her value will never be as a sexpot or femme fatale and while her core fan base forgave her for being a cheatin’, divorcin’ ho once they wouldn’t like her getting a second divorce – her value is as the dimpled, wholesome cutie and 2 broken marriages doesn’t jive with that. So, for her reputation’s sake, she fights to make this marriage last. Ben is flippin’ miserable with Jennifer but loves having a Wife and Kids and doesn’t want to lose that even though he adores getting some action on the side. Jennifer knows that if they split, she has to look like wholesome mom and the wronged party, so she’s working hard at making the public know that she spends her days in jeans and running shoes, playing in the park with her daughters.
I think a real barometer of a relationship is the children involved. I think the Ben/Jennifer oldest child always looks so full of joy and happiness, and these are not papparazzi photo-ops. Children are sponges and they absorb everything around them. I don’t think she would consistently photograph so dearly (don’t you see lots of other celeb-tots looking like holy he–) if there was a problem between the parents. Just mho.
yeah right
I think Blake Lively knows better than to get near Ben again. Her publicist probably said, “You will torpedo your career if you’re seen as the other woman, when the man is married to Jennifer Garner.” Garner appeals to the Woman’s Day Good Housekeeping set more than the Vogue set, and at the end of the day, in America-Good Housekeeping readership has a lot of say in mainstream media perception and in the success of movies and tv. If Blake Lively broke up this marriage, she’d have trouble being cast as anything but a “rat-ho.” (Not knocking Good Housekeeping, just saying it’s a different demographic.)
Don’t think Ben Affleck can stand the paparatzi after the Jlo fiasco and is trying to avoid ever getting that kind of press coverage again. Violet seems to be the most balanced and happy child in Hollywood,if things was bad at home it would show-up in Violet. Suri looks sullen and unhappy almost never smiles somebody is getting mixed messages.
How would you like everyone to nose into your daily lives?
Leave Ben and Jen alone. I think they are fine and are just raising their family and living life a normal as they can.