Photo above is from 2011. The photos in question are on People.com
As we’ve seen for a week now, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are trying to control press coverage of their divorce to an almost absurd level. They’re doing a very good to excellent job, don’t get me wrong, but they obviously have a team of people parceling out quotes and information to the celebrity outlets. This time, though, they’ve gone too far. People Magazine has exclusive photos of them on vacation looking tense and breakup-y. Don’t mistake these for long lens photos taken by a hidden paparazzo; People has been running exclusive quotes and stories from the Garner-Afflecks all week. This photo op was carefully planned to fit their narrative. (The photos vaguely reminded me of Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston’s last vacation together in early 2005, but I just checked out those photos again and they’re clinging to each other, so it’s not the same.)
Here’s part of People’s report and you can see the photos on People’s site. It’s super bright out during Ben and Jen’s serious talk on the beach but neither of them are wearing sunglasses, which is suspicious to me.
“The family felt it was important to be together and they were together. The family is united and, no matter what, will protect the kids.”
Despite the tranquil setting – and their joint decision to prioritize co-parenting their three children – signs of their strained relationship were impossible to hide.
In a moment away from Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3, Affleck – who was still wearing his wedding ring – and Garner sat on stairs to the beach together but had “no physical contact” while having a “serious” and somber conversation that lasted for only a few minutes, an onlooker tells PEOPLE.
Though Affleck, 42, appeared to be “distracted” during the conversation, he and Garner, 43, “seemed to be cordial to each other. They would look at each other and speak and then both look away in silence,” the onlooker adds. “A lot of the time, they seemed to just stare off into space.”
“These are two people who really tried to save their marriage and worked really hard at it,” another source tells PEOPLE of the former couple, who privately separated months before their public announcement and are planning on entering mediation to ease the process of dividing their assets. “Ultimately they had grown apart and they did what was best for their kids.”
Meanwhile, US Magazine has another article about this divorce, published yesterday, which mirrors the “Ben doesn’t have many friends” story that we heard from People over the weekend. They also have the detail that Jennifer flew to Atlanta with the kids on Sunday to start filming her movie, Miracles from Heaven. Affleck left The Bahamas on Friday to go back to LA. He’s due at Comic-Con this weekend to promote Batman v. Superman. Outlets are breathlessly reporting that Affleck is still wearing his wedding ring. (Which wasn’t on when he was spotted in Canada a month ago.)
US’s source: “Ben is distraught over the divorce and is having a very hard time. He doesn’t have a lot of close friends to lean on right now, and Jennifer has always been the one he goes to…
“They’ve been married for a long time and tried to make it work for many years. They eventually realized this is the best thing to do for their family. They don’t want it to be contentious. A lot of people say that, but they are doing things to ensure that it won’t be. There is a lot of love there, but they are doing what is best for everybody.”
In case you missed the Garner-Affleck talking points, which have already been established: Ben is “distraught,” he has no friends “to lean on” (Matt Damon is in China filming now) and he was still wearing his wedding ring last weekend. These two will live on the same property so that they can co-parent and they are putting their children first. I do hope all this is true, I hope that they’re going to amicably divorce and that they’re going to work together to minimize the impact on their three young kids. As it is, the spin is so strong and heavy-handed. They could have accomplished more with less. I’m wondering if their divorce will take the cover of People this week, or if they’re content to just blanket the internet media. A People cover would be the logical next step.
People also ran a report late yesterday on Affleck’s solo outing to a Starbucks in LA, where he was seen without his wedding ring. Just stop. Update ET has the exclusive photos of Ben’s ringless trip to Starbucks. They describe him as “despondent,” because of course.
Photos below are from 2012 (beach in Puerto Rico) and April, 2015 (candids walking). Credit: FameFlynet
The photos don’t look staged to me, but who knows.
They’re staged. Baker Bay is a private resort community. One photographer? Come on people.
Either way it’s bizarre. Taking the kids on vacation is nice. Doing it to stage photos is gross.
They don’t look staged to me either. Who invites pap photographers to intrude on a family vacation? The photos were taken by someone on their cell phone – a resident or vacationer- and sold to People.
everything is staged with these people. Remember they say they have been separated for 10 months if that is the case why all the pap strolls? Why do you go places that the cameras hang out? Why the Starbuck strolls?
They’re actors. Their job is to pretend and make it look like they’re not pretending. And to answer “who invited pap photographers to intrude on a family vacation” – who goes on vacation like that with their very recent ex-husband,? Aside from someone that has a big giant gamble of a movie come out and is frantically trying to salvage their reputation. Those two look like they are only there out of obligation, not because they’re on vacation and having a good time.
I came to say the same thing. And their body language seems pretty real. He seems serious but tense and she looks serious but fairly relaxed.
Those photos of them in the water with the kids are so sweet, such a lovely family.
The photos of them with the kids on the beach playing in the surf are from years ago, back in happier times, after the birth of Samuel.
Yes, I did realize that. I just was commenting on how sweet they seemed, juxtaposed with the People photos.
Meh. There are times when they almost look like they’re looking directly at the camera. If the photos weren’t staged, I feel like Ben at least would have been seen with a “screw you, paparazzo” look on his face or making some kind of “wtf” hand gesture. But from where I’m seeing it, it looks like they’re acting out a scene for the camera. I’m losing sympathy for everyone but the kids. People get divorced all the time and of course it’s very sad when a family breaks up, but with the way they’re trying to manipulate this situation you’d think we were dealing with some massive global crisis. It comes off a tad narcissistic, IMO. Yes, you’re breaking up, we get it. We’re all so devastated for you. Give the staged photo ops a rest. Sorry if that sounds crass, but their shtick is a bit exhausting.
Yes, agree.
Definitely staged. The photo that looked like Ben was tearing up was too much. Ben is definitely trying to become saint Ben … too late, Affleck, you can’t erase years of rumored cheating, drinking, and gambling with this PR spin. He is disgusting and desperate to clean up his image.
I think it’s not so much a matter of wanting desperately to control everyone’s responses; it’s more like they know the paps and the media machine are going to be all over them anyway, so why not control things from the start. It’s that thing of taking control or be taken control of. And yes, the pics seem to be staged. People is also moderating every comment on their site to please their source.
I feel so badly for Jen, she has always struck me as a woman who wants a fairly normal life and who puts her energy into raising her children, being married and making a nice home. It is a shame that Ben has so many problems, i.e. gambling and strange. I really hope that she is able to heal from this and find a normal guy who will give her some stability and appreciate her.
She had a normal guy, but wanted Ben the mess instead. It is what it is. She choose this known selfish mess as the father of her children.
I just feel bad for the kids.
Scott foley, her ex-husband, once said that Jen G was determined to marry a movie star and be in those circles, but hey….her ‘normal mum’ argo ‘normal person’ image is so strong that people can’t see beyond it.
Yes people seem to forget that. But you have to hand it to her. She’s done a great job of convincing people she’s little suzy homemaker.
Yep she social climbed her way into continued relevancy and a career and people have bought it hook line and sinker. She had a nice normal guy that was a working actor and would have given her a normal family life but it wasn’t enough she wanted a movie star. Sorry but Ben isn’t some evil mastermind picking on sweet innocent jen. She got exactly what she wanted out of this relationship!
I was just thinking that IF this is PR driven, there are skeletons all around.
It’s kind of sad (and a bit pathetic) if it was indeed her determination to “marry a movie star” not “BE a movie star” on the strength of her own skills and charisma. I mean I never thought she was a spectacular actress but that certainly hasn’t stopped many of them.
Never heard Foley say that and honestly surprised he would call her out on it. Garner really is a hands-on parent, but she has knowingly and purposefully used that to sell her image as a down-to-earth mom to the minivan majority. If she had not married Affleck, she would be a forgettable B/C-list star. I imagine she would have went down the same career path as other Felicity stars such as Keri Russell; a few movies here and there but nothing that would score her a regular invitation to the Oscars or VF afterparty. Despite his faults, Affleck has assisted Garner in becoming a household name long after Alias. I will give Garner credit for helping brand Affleck’s image for the last ten years, but both used each other to further their own ends, and I feel like she did that more than he. Garner has become a master at using the paparazzi and the media. Despite her cheating past and reputation as a not so nice person in many circles, she comes off as a saint in the press.
I remember Scott making those comments too, LAK. Shortly after it was confirmed that Jennifer was dating Michael Vartan, I also remember reading an article where Scott wished Michael “luck,” and implied she was really infatuated with Ben. I was so conflicted in those days because I adored Scott from Felicity, but I shipped Sydney and Vaughn so hard on Alias. LOL. Anyway, that interview with Scott was an eye-opener and it was the first thing I thought of when Jennifer dumped Michael for Ben.
KJ: Scott Foley was never my thing during the Felicity years. Always preferred ‘Ben’, but i’m am shallow and will always go for the pretty one. LOL.
Anyhue, I recently binge watched all of ‘Scandal’, having spent all these years avoiding it, and I finally get Scott Foley’s appeal. Or perhaps it’s the fact that he’s grown out of his puppy dog ‘Noel’ looks.
And yep, he made those remarks when she dumped him for Vartan. I think he went as far as describing Vartan as a place holder for her ultimate goal which was ‘movie star’ hubby.
Mia4S: i’m right there with you as far as the direction of her ambition. I like to think that she recognised her own shortcomings in the sense that she could never be a movie star herself, and so the next best think was to marry one. At least she was realistic on that point unlike Jen Aniston who thinks she’s a movie star in her own right.
Ps: it’s a pet peeve of mine when people marry for status . Perhaps i’m naive, but I tend to think those types of people are incredibly cold and calculating.
I exclude arranged marriages in my judgement because in that scenerio everybody is aware of the arrangement unlike set ups where a person, irrespective of gender, sets out to entrap another person in a romantic arrangement that’s all about improving their own material status. Cold.
Ben was IT on Felicity! So cute. FAR cuter than annoying Noel.
Do you have a link to that Scott Foley quote, LAK?
All I could find was Scott saying that Jen got famous and it ruined the marriage:
“Nobody else was involved,” said Foley, 31. “Jennifer became a huge celebrity. She became a huge star, and she deserved everything she got. There was no other relationship, there was no infidelity, nothing. People get divorced, you know? Through no one’s fault and everyone’s fault.”
I wonder how much of that was Scott covering for Jen though….
One thing I know for sure is that Jen was crushing hard on Ben when she was still married to Vartan. Plenty of evidence to support that.
And to be clear: I like Jen. A lot. But I don’t buy into the wholesome, innocent, sweet lady image. I think she’s probably a very loving mother, and a loyal wife, but I also think she is controlling, driven, and at times domineering. I think she would be a difficult person to be in a relationship with. In that sense, Ben met his match.
Kitten, I always felt that Foley was covering a bit for Garner with those remarks. Similar — and I’m getting ready to dodge a few BALLS with this — to how Aniston “confirmed” Brad didn’t technically cheat while they were married. I think celebs generally aim to play nice in the aftermath of breakups, no matter how messy or complicated they are in reality.
I completely agree, Esmom, with your comments about Foley and Jenballs. lol
Something about how he never addressed the rumors until he was directly asked and then, he just kind of awkwardly brushed it aside.
For someone with no real family money/connections, average looks/talent, she sure has social climbed her way to the A list.
(I’m sure she is a lovely person, wife, and mother. I just don’t buy the act.)
Kitten, minor correction here: Jen was never married to Michael Vartan…
That’s all! I really have nothing more to stay about any of these people – or their fake photo display for People.😛
Oops sorry, Laura! I knew that but confused myself with all this talk about Scott Foley.
Thx 🙂
I also did not like Scott Foley (or Jennifer Garner) on Felicity. I loved the Ben character. Maybe Scott matured into his looks and got more charisma in 15 years because I love him on Scandal! I root for him and Olivia! Or maybe I’m out of high school and respect the dependable guy, not the bad boy. Scott did better with his wife- Jen looks frumpy, blah and fake. I hate cheery, fake people- she seems conniving and social climbing. Jen did get what she deserved. Ben wants a 22 year old blond, busty bimbo like Blake Lively. Ben’s tattoos- uchhh!
I don’t think she was determined to “marry a movie star”. She was determined to marry Ben. If she wanted the A list husband, she could have done a lot better. He’s/they’ve turned his career around but it was in the doldrums for a LONG time. Someone who was only in it for the reflected glory would have moved on, surely.
Personally if Scott really said she wanted a movie star, I think that was pretty graceless. She has never bagged him in any way. It was a first marriage, they didn’t have kids, it didn’t work out. I don’t see why all the hate for that. Maybe his comments are a veiled anger that she was ambitious rather than just being happy to be his stay-at-home wife. Maybe he resented her being more successful than him – not the dynamic when they first met.
Ben is a F*** up, but he’s also super smart, funny and interesting. Is being drawn to that so wrong? Heaven knows she’s stuck with him through a lot more than I would have.
I think this is exactly the script of every photo pre-, mid, and post divorce.
Wow. I am just now realizing the bad luck of the name Ben for Scott Foley…. Felicity and then his real life wife. 🙁
I love Scott Foley. Have never bought Jen Garner’s act. She chose a mess and this is as much on her as it is on Ben Affleck. She had a great guy in Scott Foley.
I’m with those who only care about the kids.
I don’t understand what the point is of staging pap photos. They both are looking directly at the cameras in some of them. What is it going to do to have pictures out there of them looking miserable on a break up vacation? No one is surprised by this divorce, but it doesn’t make it less sad. Why the need for the photos?
I don’t get it, either. Is it because they still feel the need to stay in the spotlight somehow? She’s getting points on the back-end from his Batman movie and wants to make sure he gets all the publicity he can until the movie comes out?
Just because they’ve spotted the camera or are looking in its general direction doesn’t prove to me the pics are staged. There are other pics where they’re not looking at camera at all. I don’t think people get how insanely stalked and able to zoom in from far away these paparazzi are. The pap was probably a few hundred yards away at least.
I agree. If I were on a beach and noticed someone pointing anything at me resembling a phone or camera, I’d be looking and giving them the stink-eye.
Because without these, Ben is that guy who shows up to Comicon under a cloud of very negative press. They have to run the story or else we start talking about his partying, his gambling and his use of the casting couch. We may even ask about that little incognito trip to Canada not so long ago and remember that he wasnt wearing his wedding ring. Then we would have to ask who the woman he was spotted with is.
Speaking of wedding rings, the pics in People where Ben just happens to rub his eye with his left hand just in time for that solo pap to snap his gold wedding band is priceless! If there’s any doubt on whether that bunch of snaps was staged and by who’s Publicist, that should resolve it.
And before Ben’s fans show up, I aint saying that Jen doesn’t play the PR game. Just that Ben is definitely driving this. He has the most to lose and he has gone into fighting mode. And Jen is probably still the doormat and doesn’t know when to use a situation for her own PR leverage. If she had taken the kids to vacation alone with maybe a female relative or a sister, Bens goose would have been cooked
I think you are projecting your feelings of Ben here because I don’t think he has that bad of press. I don’t have any negative feelings towards him and have zero idea of what this Canada thing is, I also don’t think his gambling is this horrible thing and frankly if I didn’t read celebitchy I wouldn’t know he did that. I think you don’t like Ben which is fine but I bet if you took over all tempature of the nation you’d find he is the more popular of the two. Frankly I can’t with her and her fake Susie homemaker stick
Yet while on vacation they were both having their PR people front “People magazine” giving info. There are photos of Jen ring too so what’s the difference? Not to mention who do think was behind the farmers market photo ops?
Jen is no doormat and why do you think she should use her kids as PR leverage to get back at Ben?
I’m not a fan of ether one of these two.
Did you read Lainey’s blind today which is obviously about Ben. Yikes……..scary stuff.
Chichi is right, Ben is known as a cheater and party type and whether you like her or hate her, Jen is known as a homely family type. If she takes off her ring now, the general sentiment will go something like “its about time girl. you deserve better. you will survive this.”. If he acknowledges that he took off his ring months ago, it goes something like “he really couldnt wait huh. he was definitely playing around on her. he is already on the prowl.” He didnt have the ring last week, he has it in these photos but then we also know he has taken it off now that he is back in LA. He probably slipped it on seconds to the photo shoot and then took it back off again. The ring is part of the spin.
@Chichi, I totally agree with you. Ben is cleaning up his image before Comicon.
@Debbie: Ben has a press problem. The entire Batman thing has been a debacle – online communities derided his casting, and then his own person press has been pretty bad leading up to the split (I’m amazed you missed the gambling, since at one point Ben was even kicked out of a casino for counting cards). And Batman/Superman has an awful lot riding on it for a project that no one is excited about, so to have your leading man freshly break up with his practically perfect wife right before publicity is about to begin is pretty bad.
They are obviously trying to protect their images (like the general public hasn’t heard all the whispers for years) but they do seem very devoted to their children and my hope is some of this massive and obvious PR controlling it to protect their children as well. Their kids are getting older and will soon be able to google their parents and with the way the Internet and social media is these days they will will quickly be able to see it all out there.
@Lori
yes, i read lainey’s blind today and the drug implications are terrible.
they floored me, actually.
hoping ben can get this under wraps, if it’s true.
lainey continues to point to that olga actress, too, as the other woman.
i imagine it’s she who was with ben in novia scotia in march…the last straw…
i’m still convinced jlo is in the mix.
time will tell.
i’d much rather read the juicy other woman stuff as opposed to drug problems.
very serious drugs, nonetheless.
Is it me projecting, or does Ben look less like death now that the divorce is finally confirmed?
^^^^ yup
Cripes, they look miserable. That must have been the suckiest vacay for the kids.
Gotta agree. It must suck for the kids to go on vacation with mom and dad, knowing mom and dad are breaking up.
How is this vacation emotionally healthy for their beautiful children?
Ben looks defeated and bloated. Jen is trying to keep the peace.
I realize Jen is not an angel – but she loves her family. I am done reading about what a great dad Ben supposedly is – Ben is selfish and has been living a double life for years.
Ben’s boozing, gambling, and womanizing behavior has destroyed their family – very sad.
I was just going to say that. Ben looks less ‘trapped’ but very sad. Jen looks sad and grim. I am glad to hear they are planning on still living on the same property for the kids sake. I do wonder how that is going to go drama wise though, when one or the other starts officially dating again. Hopefully Ben will have to smarts to go elsewhere for his hook-ups.
“Hey kids – wanna go to the beach, splash around and enjoy the family life we will never have again? C’mon, it’ll be fun. As a follow-up, Mom and Dad are going to kill Santa Claus – who’s for ice cream?”
Lol, I know. It is weird to me…family is breaking up so let’s go on one last tortured hurrah.
I really get trying to make this easier on the kids but I don’t necessarily agree with the tactic of going on a family vacation.
I’ve missed you. You=hilarious.
Ah, Kiddo – you had me at I’
I keep missing you on the G-Chill posts. Being a West Coasters, I seem to always arrive too late for the fun.
“As a follow-up, Mom and Dad are going to kill Santa Claus”
..that could be a great movie plot.
That has to be so confusing for the kids. “Mom and dad are breaking up, but lets do a big family vacation together! But kids, don’t get your hopes up that they’re going to change their minds while they’re frolicking in the surf”
West Coaster here too 🙂
I don’t get the point of the pictures. I guess since nobody bought how “devastated” Ben was, they wanted photo evidence? Wonder how he is going to do at comic-con…
People is a pr vehicle for them, as it is for some others like Clooney. They will print the version the celeb wants to put out there and in exchange get exclusive photos. Celebs know that in the age of internet this is one of the few ways of controlling their own press, all carefully calculated.
Comic con could be interesting, they’ll probably prescreen and squash all personal questions but I’m interested to see how sad (or not) he seems without people magazine giving us tons of quotes.
I don’t think he’s going to be there all mopey. He might look strained at times when not interviewing. But he’s a professional. He’s there to do a job, to a promote a huge franchise people are passionate about who are at Comic-Con. He will be there with his co-stars to talk about the Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice movie, and Ben has a lot to say about that as already evidenced in some brief interviews out for a few days. Comic-Con is a huge event, and no one there cares about his marriage, for the most part. They care about the Batman franchise. They want to hear about that. Ben will be enthusiastically talking about the movie.
I don’t know… these were the folks that last year brought in their stars to stand silently onstage for about 60 seconds while they showed a preview. And that was it.
At comic-con they screen questions and also start each panel by saying you’re not allowed to ask personal questions or anything about sex/politics/religion etc. If someone sits there with their hand in the air for an hour to get kicked out, they’re an idiot lol.
I definitely do think people will look at his behaviour and judge it. It’s kind of no-win for him. If he’s charismatic and enthusiastic about the project people will say he’s not really upset about the divorce. If he’s mopey and quiet, he’s going to risk damaging the film by not selling it properly.
They NEED Ben to be on top of things because a) Batman is the most popular character of the three, b) a huge number of batman nerds (and I am admittedly a batman nerd) have no faith in him as Batman and think he’ll be terrible and c) there’s no way Henry Cavill can carry the panel on his shoulders, bless his heart.
I am sure Garner loves her kids and all and maybe she just wanted a family, but I think she believes her own hype.
I don’t understand why she allows her kids to be part of the photo-ops. She is not that big of a star, she is not a brand, what is she trying to protect? If she had put as much effort in her own career as she put in Affleck’s maybe now she would be the Oscar winner or at least a nominee or maybe she would have a gigantic studio ready to jump if her image is tarnished by a divorce.
Why wouldn’t she include the kids in the pics? If they’re planned/staged then the kids aren’t in danger and her whole image is the devoted domestic mom who puts her family first always. There would be no point in doing pap strolls by herself. Nobody would care and it wouldn’t contribute to her brand.
There is one photo where he’s rubbing his eye – is it itchy, is there sand in it, or is he shedding a tear? :/
In any case, I’m going to continue to go it alone and say that I wish them BOTH well post-divorce. He may have vices, but that doesn’t change the fact that they weren’t a good fit from the start, AND she knew 100% who she was marrying ten years ago. She just thought she would be the one to change him. I don’t blame either of them, and I’ll contniue to see both of their movies.
He wants you to see that he has the wedding band on, the one he didn’t have awhile ago and which he clearly took off when he got back to LA. And if the tabloids sell that one shot as him having the sads that’s a bonus.
That whole shoot can be surmarised as: Ben Affleck wants you to know that he is devastated by all this, that he is having trouble letting go and that he is not abandoning his kids for the warm embrace of cocktail waitresses, strippers and aspiring actresses NOR for the finest whiskies and mountains of blow. Not even for a week long winning streak at the most high stakes poker game in all Vegas. Ben Affleck is a devastated family man damnit (see People. Magazine for proof)
+1, JoJo
whoa, he is def not aging well. He looked great in the top pic from 2011.
Now he is gray & grumpy.
I don’t get the big deal about the ring.. they have kids and kids notice thing. Perhaps they kept the rings on around the children until they understand the situation more.
She was seen on set; the kids are with her. She obviously has help and is trying to get back to work. Ben is so doing the same. .This is now their normal. The kids will be fine as long as their parents handle themselves in a good way
Ben sent out a tweet the other day.. I guess this is to show that he will be focusing on his Humanitarian work.
Ben Affleck ✔@BenAffleck
.@JohnKerry Thx for appointing Tom Perriello as Special Envoy, Africa Great Lakes & #DRC. @EasternCongo partners look fwd to working w/ him.
Yeah. She had the three kids with her. They just officially separated to the kids. I wouldn’t be yanking off my ring either. The girls right now are very sensitive to everything, and Jen I’m sure is just intent on making them feel it’s not some drastic change overnight.
I would not leave the kids with Ben either if that blind gossip by Lainey is true. I imagine the kind of people Ben is associating with now if he is really into hard stuff.
why announce to the world where you are going on “private vacation” right down to the specific community? Why not tell everyone you went to Africa or Europe and then quietly go to the Bahamas? Then, the second someone tells the world where you are, get back on the plane and leave. No one ever seems to follow them to West Virginia..
And, why not wait until the Friday before a (US) holiday weekend to announce?
Not to minimize what this family is going through, but I really don’t care to know this much detail about people I personally know.
This is just basic PR management. The strategy here is to manage the publics appetite by flooding the outlets with as much “insider access” as possible. Its working! You are already bored and ready to move on. More importantly, it allows them to get ahead of any rumors. Where the storyline would have read “Ben caught cheating/drinking/gambling. Jen humiliated” it now reads “Ben and Jen learn to co-parent”.
Their breakup would have been a major news item whenever they announced it. This is not Leann Rimes and Eddie whatever, their divorce was actually covered on serious news outlets. Announcing it just before the public holiday, would just have meant facing a storm on Monday that had had a whole weekend to percolate over the internet and social media.
I gave them the benefit of the doubt..(Not that they needed me) but I wanted their marriage to work. Now it seems like I had more respect for them than they themselves did. Jennifer crying about the paps in the kids face, and now they papwhore out their breakup vacation. Oh yea, Ben..that’s some ugly tat on your shoulder there.
Ok I’m not a child or divorce so someone correct me if I am wrong, but wouldn’t this vacationing as a family be confusing to the kids and give them a false sense of hope of a salvaged marriage? Isn’t better to establish the new parameters of the family dynamic? Again I’m not a child of divorce or married so I don’t know but this looks confusing to me.
This “vacation” only lasted 4/5 days and it was more for the public than for the kids. He didn’t event spend 4th of July with them.
That was my thought exactly. I thought it would be confusing to the kids as well.
Ok so I’m not alone. I understand they are public people but playing in the water as a family on vacation to me says hey look we are ok are working on it not yep we are done and mommy and daddy are going to live in different houses and not be together. I mean I fully admit I don’t know the right way to do this but just looking at this I’m confused and I’m in my thirties not 5.
@Debbie, the photo of them in the water with their children is an old photo in Puerto Rico back from 2012 after she had Samuel. It has nothing to do with their getaway with the kids the past week.
Yes, Debbie, I agree and said something similar above. I think somehow they think this “last family vacation” will make the divorce easier on the kids. But to me it seems like it would definitely be confusing.
I am sick of these celeb using their “civilized divorces” or “conscious uncouplings” as PR fodder. Divorce is sad but a very personal experience for the parents and the kids. What purpose do these staged vacations and photos serve except to put a happy “look at what wonderful parents we are” spin on the underlying problems like cheating, gambling etc. Must keep the brand popular at all costs. I think getting the kids away from the press after the announcement would be a good idea, but make it private.
This version of “homeless Ben” with too much hair all over the face and something close to a double chin is just his way of helping Jen to let go more easily. I mean who would find it difficult to walk away from that. Once all the noise has died down, he will be clean shaven and sharper looking and go back to being one of the better looking Hollywood lads with a twenty something year old side piece on his arm. I don’t need to be a fan of Ben to acknowledge this, it is simply what it is. He was blessed in the looks department for sure. Unfortunately, almost everything else to do with him sucks big time. I hope the internet trolls will not drive Jen to seeking botox treatments and the knife, etc because according to them being comfortable in clothes when you are going to shop for food amounts to frumpy and this explains why your husband has left and why you will not be able to keep any man. It seems Jen’s “ugly shoes” in particular made Ben see Blake Lively, Emily Ratajkowski, Margot Robbie, Olga Kurylenko, Gail Gardot and every other woman he has been linked with for how stunning they really are. I mean, if only she wore a lot more Louboutins and dressed more like J.Lo, maybe she might have kept him, oops I forgot he left J.Lo too. As far as I am concerned and I am entitled to my opinion as much as the next person, there is nothing wrong with Jennifer Garner’s looks, she will always look ok to some and not so okay to others, such is life. In the Celebitchy world the only perfect human being that God blessed the Universe with is Angelina Jolie anyway, oops sorry, I meant “Saint Ange”.
O better luck next time Nusi. All of the women have comments made about what they wear all of them but I guess in you mind no is allowed to comment on “Saint Jens” clothing.
Your comment at Ben facial hair is just laughable.
I posted this below before I saw this. Since we are discussing appearances, this fits in. Why the hell does Batman look like my dad after a day of heavy pasta. Would it have killed him to hire a private trainer and watch the booze. Its bad enough DC already ruined Superman for a new generation now look at them undoing all of Christian Bales good work with this guy who couldnt act his way out of a paperbag and couldnt even be bothered to do afew a sit ups once a day. Urgh.
Thank you for giving me two shortcuts to file these upcoming stories, “homeless Ben” and “frumpy saint Jen” are perfect tags.
P-reach. I for one think Jen is beautiful and perfect the way she is (hair, clothes, life choices etc)..in fact both Jens 🙂
Nice to see in that long rant you were able to get a dig at Angie.. again she makes her way into another celebrity story that has nothing to do with her..
and by the by.. Angelina gets criticism for her manner of dress, past, everything.
Long live the Saint Jens.. Angie is used to always make them look better.
Yes it nice to see how Nusi shades a list of wemon to make “Saint Jennifer G” look better because people deard to comment on Jennifer Garner’s clothes like they do on every other women.
Yet Nusi says silent when people talk about Kim K clothing.
I know this is ridiculous but I am genuinely sad for them and I really wonder why they can’t work it out!! I’m not one to judge, my relationship history is super shaky. But with three kids under their belt? My parents have been married nearly 40 years. I remember them having rough patches for 3 to 4 years at a time. They are super happy now (that the kids are out of their hair). Just seems like patience and commitment are key.
You are spot on HoustonGrl. People give up way too easily nowadays.
Unless you’re in these marriages you can not talk about how hard they fought for their marriage or didn’t fight.
In Hollywood, 10 years is like 40 years.
I wish they would have been able to work it out too, though.
In Hollywood, you meet attractive single people ALL the time. I think that is why it is harder to stay married (or at least one big reason). God, I shudder to think how seldom I met a single attractive male the last time I was shopping for one.
Exactly. Plus if you’re an actor you’re getting paid to make out with said attractive people. Also, you’re on-set with them, in remote locations, away from family etc.
Not to excuse it. But I’m just saying I could never date an actor. I’m not even sure if I could date a really beautiful guy…maybe that makes me insecure.
They have jobs that take them away from home for weeks/months at a time. And Ben is a guy who’s known to be his own worst enemy – he’s got some serious problems that he’s kind of buried over the past decade as he’s busted his butt to be taken seriously as a director. Even discounting the many blind items about the guy, we know that he’s an alcoholic who likes to pull all-nighters at the casino; that’s a lot to put on a spouse.
So I guess I’m saying, they had a pretty good run.
It’s very important to stay friendly for the children. My daughter prefers it now that we don’t live with her dad because she remembers how horrible it was. Now it’s pleasant and we all have Christmas breakfast together and other family things, they see each other all the time, the new normal is much better than the old!!!!! People who are terrible together can be great friends once the pressure of a relationship and hardship of two incompatible personalities trying to live together is gone. I think escaping on holiday to avoid the paps while the news hits a good thing. I side eye them telling everyone where they’re going (why if you don’t want to be papped????).
I really am starting to believe that they have a lot more to do with putting themselves out there than they let on.
These photos make me so uncomfortable. Like, this is part of something we really don’t have the business to see. Sure, the divorce is public and these could be staged photos but I feel really creepy. He looks so tense and she looks relaxed and kind of just glad to be done with it. Whatever happens, I just wish they stay civil for the kids.
I’m sorry for thier troubles but frankly this is not Brangelina breaking up. I think they are over-dramatizing the whole thing, I just don’t think the General public really gives a sh*t about these two. Garner is a dreadful bore (in crappy shoes), and Afflecks over-worn fratboy antics are hardly “shocking” since he’s been nonstop partying this way since he was an ovum…. I don’t think either is very likable to be honest
I agree. They both have massive egos apparently. Their “PR” team is laughing all the way to the bank with these two image obsessed narcissists.
Can we please talk about Bens beach photos. I’ve heard of dadbod but comeon. How is this the guy playing Batman? Imagine if we saw Gal Galdot in such shape while filming Wonder Woman, lets not pretend we wouldnt be thinking she was taking the piss. I know the suit is sculpted but how do you even get that beer belly into the suit. Get the CGI money ready, DC Comics.
Those pics were taken a few years ago, just after their son was born.
Co-sign. We need to discuss his moobs – they are in full on Simon Cowell territory.
She needs to go back to NO BANGS badly! Girl, let them grow out and get rid of that frumpy-looking hair.
Let’s cut Jennifer some slack. She’s had a non-stop slew of problems to deal with in her marriage, not least of which is that Ben has a dangerous drug addiction. Add that to the infidelity, gambling, boozing, it’s a wonder she’s managed to hold it all together for as long as she has. She’s trying her hardest to shield her kids from some nasty truths so for that I admire her.
Read Lainey’s blind today.
No slack from me. She knew what she was getting into and she was hungry enough to be married to a super celeb so she chose to endure his addictions and infidelities. Bringing three children into his lifestyle is IMO dangerous and careless. I just can’t with Jennifer Garner.
I would have to take Lainey’s words with a huge bag of salt. She has been spouting these allegations for months now. Have we seen a single confirmation anywhere about his so-called ‘addictions’ and women ? A single photo, a singe article, anything?
Please. Bens issues are hardly new to anybody. Lainey is hardly the only source. I myself especially enjoy the twitter sitings.
But which twitter stings have actually shown any women or hinted at drugs? They did talk about gambling. The only “source” of the drugs rumor is Lainey. I am not saying that Ben is some paragon of virtue, but marriages can fall apart for reasons less severe than drugs or cheating. I just don’t see the evidence. Where is it?
Well, we already know that he’s an alcoholic – he went to Promises about a decade ago for alcohol addiction. And we also know that he’s been publicly drinking for a while, at least since his big run for Argo.
Affleck had the boozing, drugging, gambling and cheating problems since forever. He did that during his J.Lo days, it’s nothing new.
This is Jennifer’s 3rd divorce. Each time she has climbed up the Hollywood ladder with her husband. They both have their vices, Jen’s just been better at the long term PR game than Ben. People in the business that remember what she was like on the set of Felicity, angling hard at both Vaughn & Foley. We all know who she ended up with.
Second divorce.
Vaughn wasn’t on Felicity.
Whoa the (not really) blind item Lainey just posted is frightening. If true I doubt Affleck will make it through the next few years.
I’ve always thought he was just a functioning addict. I used to think it was coke but he never has that frantic quality they get. He just has a weird sedated eyes-half-closed thing going. So I figured it was booze and prescription pills but heroine makes sense too I guess.
Wow, so she is insinuating hard drug use?
for someone say “smart”,Affleck would be totally idiot if he had tried heroin. If it’s true, WB can send me in rehab during 3 weeks and give him a sober coach. If Garner divorces because of heroin but let him to live in the same home ,it’s illogic.
I fount it weird in the first place that she would let him stay in the property, even if in another building. If he has an issue with heroin, then a) it’s BS the living together thing and they just said it to keep WB calm, as supposing that he wouldn’t get high in front of his kids. or b) she let him stay because even if the marriage is over she wants to help him getting his sh*t together, maybe Ben himself begged for it. In any case is a move to calm executives about the next big promo and projects
Maybe she wants to keep an eye on him so she can call 911 if he ODs.
Wow has anyone seen the blind that is suppose to be about Ben on Lainey Gossip? That he is supposedly a herion addict? If that’s true that is incrediblely sad. He can’t get the help he needs because of the bad publicity Batman Vs Superman would get. Laineys blinds normal ring true. I really hope this isn’t.
I thought it was supposed to be coke? His face has been puffy, but it could be alcohol. I feel weird and bad commenting on his body, but he hasn’t looked nearly as ripped as one would expect for his role and downright bloated at times so I wouldn’t be surprised if it is drugs (because he’s always been a slim guy and hasn’t seemed prone to weight gain like Leo)…especially come since it is so prevalent.
Lainey is clearly talking about heroin. And referencing Phillip Seymour Hoffman as the huge talent that died because of it.
She talks about an injury in the blind item which I don’t recall. Regardless, I don’t put much stock in anything Lainey says. Do you watch her show The Social? ‘Nuff said.
What wrong stuff does she say on there? Or does she enjoy bragging?
(I can’t watch it.)
You are not missing anything lol.
Well that’s what I thought but the critically acclaimed actor she said died is obviously Phillip Seymour Hoffman and he died of a herion overdose.
He is looking very rough. Lainey’s blind implies heroin. I feel so sorry for their kids, even though I am sure Jen would give them a stable home, I foresee Ben going on a downward spiral if he keeps his habits + no supervision.
Sorry, but he’s “devastated” not because of the divorce, but because he’s grumpy having to spend one more minute with his sham wife (only to him, not to her, who is earnestly into her role as wife and mother). He just wants this to be over. He’s a miserable S.O.B. I’d like to see the cheating angle played out more, because that will be epic: Emily R. from the Blurred Lines video (and conveniently cast by Ben Affleck because she was so “right” for the part) and Blake Lively, also in a movie with him (probably hand-picked by him) whom he had nothing but praise and high regard for–twenty-something women in brief affairs are SO much more praiseworthy than your long-suffering wife who is, damn it, 43 years old (even older than HIM). How dare she not be a twenty-something hot babe forever? The girl next door and America’s Sweetheart gets old real fast (both literally and figuratively). To me the gambling, drugs and alcohol are secondary to the epic, degrading cheating he has done. It is so epic that their P.R. team will not even go there as a cause of the divorce. I would love photographic evidence and receipts. Yes, there are children involved, but they’re HIS children and he chose to flagrantly disregard them in his cheating orgies. That’s on him. What a pig all around. Matt Damon is SO much nicer and so much more more talented and down-to-earth.
“Cheating orgies.” “Epic cheating”? LOL
Ben has probably cheated, but there is no proof he was sleeping his way through every movie or the whole ten years except by gossip columnists filling blinds and then other ones copying or posters like you taking gossip for gospel. How easy. I could do that where you only need a few solid ones to be right and people will ignore all the made-up ones they post ad nauseum.
Dear God, I could believe many things about Ben, but heroin at the age of 42? Nope. It was never something he was known for. Alcohol, yes, which it’s been clear he’s drinking again. His pills of choice were Vicodin, and Vicodin gives you a great buzz of feeling good when first taking them. I was on them for my back, and I get why people would like to pop one a day. In my case, half a pill twice a day or one pill once a day. Otherwise, I would be too tired. I’d rather have back pain than be tired. BUT it did give me a lift when I would take it in the morning. I loved the feeling I got. He once said back when he went to rehab he was taking a lot of Vicodin a day. I can’t remember the amount but maybe close to ten.
I could believe him getting back into prescription drugs, but heroin? Sorry. That’s funny to me. That drags you down so bad. The man has done three movies back to back and is writing a movie or adapting a screenplay. He’s working on a project with Matt again for that Greenlight or whatever it’s called. I just don’t believe he could have accomplished all of that on heroin. Lainey is full of it.
I came back here after reading the links specifically to read what you had to say about that blind.
Besides the very obvious fact that Ben doesn’t look like a heroin addict, there arises the issue of how the hell could he be cheating will all these women if he was on H all the time? Heroin, cocaine and meth can cause a lot of issues…down there. Pills? Yeah, maybe…
What’s more f*cked about this to me is that this family is going through a divorce. It’s hard enough on the kids without rumors of their father being addicted to heroin.
Additionally, I’m always surprised at how quick people are to believe blinds….smdh…
Something isn’t all alright with Ben, Jen took the kids with her on movie set although Ben has nowadays more time. At least the girls could stay with him and probably his mother but she doesn’t trust him. For me all the talking about co-parenting is simply BS for good PR.
@Aga, Ben is off to Comic-Con with the cast for Batman. Should he drag the kids there with a sitter? As a mother, she wants her kids with her on location. It’s an indie movie, not some three-month shoot, and it’s in Atlanta, where she has shot other movies. His mother doesn’t live in California. How is she supposed to watch the kids?
Jennifer has said they were both working at the same time this summer. She has said it was the first time they were both doing two projects each back to back at the same time each. She just finished the one in Canada. So he’s not sitting home for weeks.. He’s working. A crime drama he wrote the screenplay adapted from a book, Live by Night, will begin production this month. He wrote the screenplay, is producing it, directing it, and starring in it. it looks like in the same city as Jennifer is filming, Atlanta. And to think, he is doing all of that, which is a massive undertaking (not like just showing up and acting) all while on heroin. LOL Phuleeze.
Sienna Miller, Zoe Saldana, and Elle Fanning are in it. Cue to the next affair blind.
Isn’t it, though? People see a blind posted and then it goes from no corroboration, a gossip blind from a person who is often wrong and has no deep pockets, just bluster, to suddenly it’s fact. Hey forget we can all see the alcohol bloat and Ben is back to drinking. He’s a heroin addict. Why? Cuz a gossip blind said so. That’s why.
@Jayna – filming “Live by Night” is postponed to November and Comic-Con presentation usually lasts one or two days – it could be more interesting for the girls than accompany their mother but of course you have answer for everything.
@aga, I can only go by what I read in some Atlanta business journal today, that it was going to begin filming this month in Atlanta. And I am only going by what Jennifer said this spring. She took two movies, one spring, one summer, and that usually she and Ben trade off. But this was the first time that during both of her movies he would be working on projects also. But she said she really wanted to do these movies and would just have to just figure it out as far as the family If it’s not Live by Night and the article was wrong, then maybe it’s a different project he was working on she was talking about..
No, I don’t believe they are co-parenting in the way some might take it. Just the status quo, that they will work together as parents even though divorced. She’s always been the full-time parent with him away a lot and coming home on weekends or her going to him with the kids. She will still be the full-time parent.
I can’t speak as to the veracity of the blind item but I want to point out that PSH didn’t look like a heroin user neither did Cory Monteith so perhaps our (cultural) idea of what a heroin user looks like is inaccurate?
Transitioning from pills to heroin is very, very, very common. Combining heroin with cocaine (and cocaine abuse has been alleged with Ben for years) is very, very common. As for someone who said “Ben is too smart to do that,” the same was likely said of PSH prior to his OD.
Yes I’m aware of this.
I dated an Oxycontin addict for 7 years.
8 months in rehab was the only thing that saved him. After rehab he moved to Austin with two friends from the program-both died of heroin OD.
I live in a part of the city with a lot of dope fiends and these people literally cannot stand up. They congregate around the outside of a small mall and sleep on the benches. When they ride on the train, they sit folded in half, with their heads on their laps.
I’m not saying you can’t function on some level, but it is very, very challenging. The Batman movie? Pretty sure a serious drug addiction would be enough to void his contract. A superhero on heroin probably isn’t what Zac Snyder is looking for, you know?
I don’t know…I suppose anything is possible but it’s just very hard for me to believe the heroin rumors.
Sure you then use cocaine and such to keep going. But you are still not functioning normally and everyone sees it. One of my favorite singers in the world, Dave Gahan, did just that. Heroin all night. And a cocaine speedball before he went on stage. He never missed a night. He even did yoga before he went on. BUT beyond him functioning for those two hours on stage, he was locked back in his hotel room doing heroin again all night. He was not functioning, pulling himself together with stimulants to do the two hours, which they saw as a miracle. All of his bandmates said it was horrible to watch as they didn’t touch the stuff and he was always locked away in his room except when he went on stage. And of course, he did have a heart attack while offstage before the encore. After that he spiraled and O’D’d several times, taking one whole month to sing one song for their next album he was so bad off, before finally getting clean.
Sorry. Ben’s schedule has been jam packed.. You don’t function at the level he is by being hooked on heroin, even if using Cocaine as an upper.
@Kitten – PSH was filming Hunger Games when he OD’d, and wasn’t the picture of a “stereotypical” heroin addict. Affleck has a known h/o addiction issues and was a working actor at that time. I’ve worked with colleagues who shoot up fentanyl and morphine – eventually it catches up with them, but there is usually an extended time period where they are basically functional addicts and can manage to work 12-hour+ days, etc.
Actually PSH WAS the picture of an addict. I think that the last pictures taken of him show a much changed man.
@AnesthesiaChick-PSH had been clean for 22 years at that point. He relapsed (on alcohol) in 2013 and then went to rehab for 10 days and was back to sobriety.
The next year, he OD’d after taking heroin for the first time since he was 22-years-old. You have to understand what happens with opiate addiction. Once your system is completely clean and purged of the drug’s chemicals, the tolerance no longer exists and that makes the potential for overdose VERY likely.
So no, it’s not like PSH was doing heroin for years and was somehow able to sustain a job–in fact it’s the opposite. Sobriety allowed for him to have a successful acting career and a relapse ended it.
Again, heroin addiction is VERY hard to hide.
Kitten, PSH’s OD was not the result of his first use of heroin in over 20 years. There is a LOT of information supporting him resuming that habit in the months prior to his OD. I inject narcotics into patients daily and I find ways to get acute addicts and recovering addicts through surgery without triggering acute withdrawal or relapse depending on the situation. At this point I’ve spent over a decade of my life studying the pharmacology of opiates and their consequences.
@Anesthesiachick-Unless you treated PSH personally then I don’t think you’re in a position to say that. “A lot of information” is out there saying the exact opposite–that PSH had been clean and sober for 20 years.
I would be careful not to spread false rumors just to support a point that isn’t even germane to the subject at hand. Making unfounded claims that PSH was doing heroin for years before his death doesn’t prove that Ben Affleck is a heroin addict, you know?
Kitten, no one said “years” except for you. Second, you are also participating in lots of conjecture. Third, this IS a celebrity gossip website, where supposition and gossip abound wildly unchecked, especially in the comments section.
@Kitten: PSH fell off the wagon prior to his death. It definitely wasn’t a one-time thing.
Aside from that, I have no clue if Ben Affleck is abusing pills or harder drugs, but I do know this: addicts are expert liars and manipulators, and will do anything to hide their addiction. They come in all shapes and sizes, and not all heroin or opiate addicts are falling down on the street. A functioning addict is a myth, but they can at least prolong how long they hide.
Don’t forget the project he has with David Fincher, the stakes for this guy are high, the pressure is so much to deal with. If he is really into heroin and because of promotional reason can’t get help, I doubt he will make it. It’s sad, but if is that bad that Jennifer divorced to keep her children sanity it’s a sign that the guy is deep down f*cked up
He should never have signed on for Batman, I just don’t get it. He has money (I think?!) and his movie won an Oscar. Why did he want all the pressure and attention of this? It takes a lot of time too (likely some of his directing work will get pushed back).
It’s easy to forget since he’s been around forever that when Christian Bale signed on for Batman he wasn’t that big a star. He was respected, but in independents and in cult hits, not as a mainstream box office draw. It worked out great for Bale (now an Oscar winner and superstar); but Affleck already is a big star. I don’t get it. An ego trip maybe?
Mia4s: it was a back room type of deal. He was locked into negotiations on a personal project and the studio dangled the film infront of him as part of the deal to finance/distribute his personal project.
Though to be fair, they initially wanted him to direct JUSTICE LEAGUE, but that went sideways and instead he took up the bat suit.
Jayna: Whilst you make a good point about blinds in general, you are reading the details of this one wrong.
1. the blind isn’t saying he has been a decade/years’ long heroin addict. It’s throwing in a lot about various addictions that he has had over the years. Some overlapped, others long forgotten.
2. The blind says his current downward spiral began with his set accident. We know this was the Batman shoot because he was very public about his injuries during this time.
3. The blind says he/TPTB were worried about the meds required to get him through that injury, but he managed to shoot without any problems.
4. The blind says despite this, the meds opened a door that eventually led to the Heroin.
5. The very specific Heroin accusation is for his most recent shoot. Not before. And that’s where it has spiralled out of control.
6. Your assertions about scriptwriting/producing etc are ignoring the fact that all that could have been accomplished within the past 2yrs before he started with the Heroin. It’s not a short-term process, and there are lots of hollywood people who are functioning drug addicts who are/were top of their game. See Julia Philips (produced THE STING, TAXI DRIVER) or Don Simpson (produced TOP GUN, DAYS OF THUNDER)
@LAK: There was talk about Ben having a pill problem, and from personal experiences with family members with pill problems, I’m amazed at how people can hide it. Addicts are experts at hiding and manipulating. Never, ever forget that.
And if he’s abusing something like Oxy, it’s a short trip down to H town, because addicts build up a tolerance to pain pills and need to take more and more.
A lot of people lately are switching from opioid and pain killer pills to heroin. I was just reading an article about what an epidemic it is lately.
Didn’t Jen want laws protecting kids from paparazzi? Their kids are always on pap strolls, so there is no consistency. Their parents trot them out a lot and they’ve become part of their PR. These Hollywood parents don’t want privacy for their kids. Their aim is image control. So between freedom of the press and right to privacy, the Afflecks have chosen the press. They’re just sore they can’t control the press.
It kind of pisses me off that Lainey hinted at Heroin; when she is really speculating. And because one of her BI seems to be true people will automatically believe this even without any real evidence. Ben may gamble and drink. Doesn’t naturally equal him having some heavy drug use. This same blind trust is being given to tabloids too because they got a hand full of stories right. People are so quick to forget the thousands of covers stories that were wrong.
Just shows how easy it is to be suckered in.
It’s pissing me off as well. It’s really crossing several lines and I hope someone makes note of what she is doing. I am no Ben apologist and really don’t give two figs about either of them. But I don’t like someone else making big bucks over my gullibility, which she is doing.
Please explain, how is she making big bucks?
Amen.
I can’t believe that Affleck is enough idiot to do heroin.i can believe he’s addict of painkillers or coke .Heroin is the beginning of the end (Hollywood is okay with coke or pill but heroin has bad reputation)
If Ben was a pill popper, it is not a huge stretch that he would do heroin. Heroin doesn’t affect your liver or other vital organs like precription drugs do. People tend to rationalize H as a better option.
Lainey does NOT do rumor. She would not have put it out there if it wasn’t true. She has too much to lose. She has to be careful since she works for entertainment tv and has to interview people. Lainey’s blinds are backed up and usually come out some time later.
Heroin users don’t all look like Pete Doherty, Amy winehouse and Courtney love!
You’re joking right? Nobody rationalizes H as a “safer” option. Toxins in H alone can cause a build-up of protein in an addict’s urine and lead to kidney failure. That, and the social stigma of heroin makes it FAR less appealing than prescip pills.
People do heroin when they can no longer afford the $80 for an Oxy pill.
Ben has enough money to buy a small pharmacy of painkillers, so I don’t think that’s the issue.
I was in the hospital with a lady who was addicted to oxy and she said she started using heroin because it didn’t damage her insides- her words. herion is cheep, but it’s also available everywhere.
I can believe the blind item, because Affleck strikes me as incredibly reckless. Drinking, gambling, women, working – he seems to do everything to excess. It’s sad. He could get all the help he wanted, nevermind some Hollywood career.
LOL I’ve seen plenty of talk amongst her fans how not all of her blinds are true and once it is clear they weren’t or she was way off base she ignores that they aren’t and never addresses it. People drink the kool-aid. because there are blinds that are true, so paint these gossip rags and sites with blinds or stories as “fact.”
Heroin is highly addictive. It’s a horrible drug to get on to. They did a whole four-part feature in our newspaper because college kids are getting into and it’s hard to come back from.
There is no cost to posting blinds. Anyone can post them and if someone comes after them they are covered legally. So blind items are the best way to insinuate and start rumors and get the gossip mill going, which is how certain bloggers make a living and fill their retirement funds.
I don’t really care one way or another. I would just like to see proof. Some proof – any proof.
Exactly. +1 to Jayne and Maia.
@Jayna – you said upthread that you “could see him getting back into prescription pills”… Oxy, percodan/percocet, etc. are every bit as addictive as heroin. I get that they have less social stigma but they are no less addictive and destructive when you get to the point of addiction. An opiate addict is an opiate addict regardless of form of ingesting the drug. I tend to think the BI is BS, but having worked with opiate addicts in a demanding atmosphere (doctors and nurses in the hospital), I’ve learned to never put stock in the appearance of “they’re too smart/too busy/have too many demands on them.”
@AnesthesiaChick, I should have said I would have an easier time believing a blind about Vicodin purely because he had a known past with Vicodin in rehab when he went for alcohol addiction also, because I just don’t believe heroin. I do know opiate addiction is horrible. We had pill mills down here and Oxycontin was horrific what happened to people, including my best friend’s college-age daughter. She was functioning for a while but it took hold and it was horrible. Christmas day she passed out at the table, face down in a plate. That’s when it all came out. She would stay in her dark house. My friend couldn’t believe how much she changed. It’s been a battle to try to get her help because she doesn’t want it, too far into addiction, rehab once. My friend has her Master’s in design and her ex-husband is a high-powered attorney. Neither have any addictions and were great exes, very supportive of each other. They only drink casually. They just can’t understand how this happened to their child, addicted.
I personally just think he’s drinking heavily. I know men that look like him his age with that alcohol bloat and puffy eyes. But it could be more. Many people are popping prescription pills and you just don’t realize it these days until it goes too far.
@Jayna: I think that we can all agree there is no such thing as an infallible source when it comes to Blind Items, otherwise they wouldn’t be blind. We have to take these as a grain of salt.
The issue with pain pill addiction and why it escalates is because addicts quickly build up a tolerance to the pills and need to take more and more. Addicts can easily take 40-50 pills a day – so while someone may start on prescription Vicodin, it’s a very, very easy thing to escalate to Oxy quickly. Plus, pill addicts aren’t picky. They don’t just do one type, they take what they can get their hands on. Though to be honest, depending on how much pain he was in he could have easily just started out on Oxy – it’s very widely prescribed, even though it’s incredibly addictive. Pill addicts can hide their problem for years, even while working demanding jobs.
Its all too far and too intrusive you’re right. Feels like a manipulated story that a year from now will get smarmy and nasty. I do hope they’re getting along well enough but no one needs the minutia details.
I’m glad Lainey is putting this out there. It had to be big for Jennifer to leave him. I thought the last straw was an unexpected pregnancy by a mistress.
It sounds like this is a recent issue with Ben which explains why he is still functioning. No wonder he looks so sleepy. There is no way his only issue is alcohol addiction but it’s one that is so much easier to accept.
@Liz and others – How do you know that Jen left Ben? None of us know this. You’re making an assumption. He’s had one foot out the door of his marriage for years, and as recently as two weeks ago other mags were reporting that Jen was the one hanging on, but Ben just wanted it to be over. Do you somehow forget that aggressively pursued and married this man knowing full well all of his problems, 10 years ago, and from all outward appearances, she was the pitbull that would never give up in spite of big problems, and seemingly not a lot of effort on his part, throughout the years. Also, I don’t buy the whole JLo reunion thing. They’re never getting back together. And I also think JLo is a lot more innocent than Jen. She might be a feisty Latina who likes bling, but she wasn’t the one making a play for Ben while she was married.
Finally, if you want to analyze Lainey’s blind. Item, she said flat out that it wasn’t Ben’s infidelities that were a problem. In fact, Jen could have lived with those. Um, ok. And you all still think Jen is the normal one? Hello, desperate enabler.
Dude – are you seriously gonna throw shade at the party that is desperately trying to keep her family together , a family with three young kids? Yeah that is not a normal thing to do how dare she try to fight for her family, f-ing enabler, and you are gonna give a pass to the party that not only is a cheater, an alcoholic, has a gambling addiction but might also be addicted to heroin.. OMG.
But whatever, they are getting a divorce, good, it’s about dam time, between the two of them she has better chance of seeing her kids grow up and have families, Ben at this rate, not so much.
Jojo – um JLo did make a play for Ben while she was married, she was married to Chris Judd and she hooked up with Ben while making Gigli, dumped her husband for Ben, google it son
Jennifer seems relaxed to me and he does not… I think she is the one who pull the plugs and he didn’t expect it.
Eh. I don’t think any of us know who’s relieved and who isn’t. And Jen has always been a master at putting up a good public face. I do believe they’re probably devastated at the end of their 10-year mArriage. Even though they probably saw it coming for a long time, the reality is still hard. And even if she ultimately pulled the plug this time (which is debatable), it doesn’t change the fact that he has looked bored, awkward and uncomfortable with her since very close to the beginning of their relationship. I think many women on this site transfer their own anger and issues with men and relationships onto Ben. Not saying he’s not an a$&** with major issues, but again, that doesn’t change the fact that he never had stars in his eyes for her the way she did for him.
I have always stated that she put him on a pedestal and he never seemed in love with her. I also think he wanted the single life (along with the married image), but I don’t think he saw it coming because she put up with sooooooooooo much.
Yeah @Miss M, you could be right. But I don’t know. Again though, just two weeks ago, other media outlets were reporting that Jen would stay in their unhappy marriage forever if she could and that she was still hanging on. The pap walks certainly showed a Jen who wanted to show that “all is well”, while Ben looked miserable and like he wanted to bolt. I feel bad for them both, really. But I just can’t be a Ben hater. When someone doesn’t love you the way you love them, you just know it. Even if you don’t want to admit it to yourself, deep down you know it. I’ve been in that situation before. Jen pursued him and stayed and continued to build a family with someone who clearly did not have the se adoration for her that she had. I’m not sure why we need to feel such pity for her. She’s an adult, smart woman. She chose to continue that life. I just don’t buy into the poor Jen, bad Ben crap. And the drug blind is pretty low to me. If you’re going to make those accusations, you better have real proof. Not cool.
JoJo – from your comments you seem to know them personally? Do you? Obviously you are one of the few remaining Ben fans on this site.
@Jets I don’t know them personally. I don’t think my comments imply that I do, anymore than anyone else’s comments here, which make some pretty direct accusations about what’s going on or what Ben is doing, based on no actual knowledge. And I wouldn’t say I’m a Ben fan, but I certainly don’t have the vitriol that many others here seem to have for him. I feel bad for them both, as I’ve said. I think they both had parts to play, just in different ways.
@jojo..
I think your comments were right on the mark.. I don’t believe it is far to put the blame of entire marriage ending on Ben. It takes 2. Everyone just assumes life with Jennifer is the ideal. And perhaps it is not. Your comment spoke to the heart of it all. Ben never looked or sounded totally happy in his life. And if he was that miserable I can’t see how Jennifer was really happy either.
With all the spin control the truth must be really bad
Ever since the J. lo thing ruined him Affleck has been obsessed with creating this good guy image. He wants every one to think that the break up isn’t over him being a mess who cheats, drinks, and gambles, so he’s being photographed looking like the sad family man trying to fight for his family, so people will like him and feel sorry for him. He is soooo fake I want to puke.
As the adult child of unhappily married parents myself, I really feel awful for these kids being dragged on this “vacation”. I want to make a joke about it, like the kids need t-shirts that say “Mom & Dad got divorced, all I got was this stupid Bahamas vacation and a t-shirt” but it’s just sad. The kids have to sense on many levels that this vacation is staged and fits a narrative. The mature thing to do is just part ways already. Spend time alone and apart, and stop with all the gloom and doom, tense facial expressions and foreboding body language. Everyone will be happier – most importantly, the kids.
Bemoaning the loss of the Dimple Brigade; oh, for happier times! I guess we will always have the pap photos. But seriously, no one wants to see miserable people. Especially nice miserable people, which is how I’ve always felt about Jennifer. Go away for awhile so we can wonder how you’re doing, Ben & Jen. Please.
I think he is gorgeous. Yesterday, today, tomorrow. What a handsome guy.
I like his ex too. They seem lovely people, even if separated they seem civilized. Decent, attractive, well-mannered people. Wish them well.