On Wednesday, Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus’s entire day out in New York City was chronicled by the paparazzi. They got coffee, they headed to her office together, they checked out of The Ritz (it’s unknown how long they stayed there) and then Ben brought Lindsay back to her apartment, where she was seen beaming at the paparazzi. I guess sources close to Lindsay were telling the truth when they said she was “comfortable getting a lot of attention.” US Magazine has a bunch of glowing quotes about how Ben is getting serious with Lindsay and how smart and interesting she is. It looks like this is a whole relationship rollout and that he’s committed to it. I’m surprised. Here’ US’s report:
On July 10, the Justice League actor treated his girlfriend of three months [sic], Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus, to a cheese pizza at Beach Street Cafe in L.A.’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood. “He was really nice,” an employee says in the new issue of Us Weekly, noting Affleck has come into the shop before. “And he tipped well!”
Credit the 37-year-old producer for his good spirits. The two-time Oscar winner, 44, has been “casually dating” Shookus since April, says an Affleck insider, “and he’s very happy with her.” (Per another source, the couple first got close about three years ago..)
One of the things that attracts the Live By Night actor most to Shookus, who has also produced 30 Rock and Adele Live in New York City, is their shared interests. “Lindsay is an incredibly intelligent woman,” says another Affleck pal. “They have really good conversations and just like hanging out with other.”
A few months in, they’re already taken their romance global, exploring London, where he was filming Justice League, in late June before enjoying July date nights in L.A. And a source says Affleck plans to visit Shookus in New York City soon. The actor is grateful for another shot at love, adds the Affleck insider: “Ben’s really enjoying Lindsay’s company.”
As I’ve said before, Lindsay just created a job vacancy, but good for them. Ben might manage to be faithful for a year or so. If kids come into the picture he’ll be miserable again soon enough. In Touch is reporting that Ben and Lindsay are “actively talking about having a baby” together. She’s 37, it could happen. According to In Touch, Jen is livid “She’s angry, and she has very good reason to be. She’s never been the type who’s about getting retribution, but Ben’s insensitive actions have changed her.” I mean this could all be BS (and Gossip Cop claims it is), but Ben took Lindsay to Jen’s favorite restaurant, a place he’s taken Jen for Valentine’s day, and got papped there. That was personal, that was a dig at Jen. Then Jen went there less than a week later, with Chelsea Handler no less. I buy that Jen is livid and I buy that Ben is promising Lindsay the world and talking about babies because that’s what narcissists do. Usually it doesn’t pan out this way for the other woman, but Lindsay was the right mistress at the right time. She’s exceptional right now because she’s meeting Ben’s needs. Wait until she expects him to meet hers. As many of you pointed out, he can’t even be bothered to carry even one of her bags! She’s ok with that, she’s the cool girl.
photos credit: Backgrid
They are still both disgusting no matter how hard they try to roll this relationship out. No one is buying it.
+100000000
Agree. They are both shitty people.
And it’s beyond obnoxious and insensitive to frame this as ‘she is so clever and interesting’ – intimating that his former partner was neither.
I agree.
I think he likes spending time with her mainly because she’s a partier like he is and she doesn’t “nag” him like his ex-wife did.
it’s why so many men, while with their mistress, think “this is so much better than my home life” because it EASY to be with a side piece…there’s no real responsibility that he has at home with home/kids/etc. with a side piece, it’s all fun and games.
“she lets me be me…she doesn’t nag…she lets me hang out with my bros…” and then the inevitable, the mistress become the OFFICIAL gf or wife and that behavior that he hated in the ex now manifests in the (former) mistress because she’s now got the “right” to “nag” or be demanding on his time.
they are both so f-in cliche.
Well she’s no JLow either.
This reminds me of Sean Penn and Charlize Theron going on and on about each other, and how much better they both are than their former partners.
It’s a crappy thing to do when you are in the public eye.
She’s only clever and interesting while falling for his BS. As soon as she has a Come to Jesus moment, she’ll lose her luster and Ben dull and boring.
Doofus you are very insightful and this is sooo accurate. Shocking how few people get this.
Yes Doofus is spot on that is what makes her attractive to Ben.
@Sarah, I remember: “she’s the love of my life” and “he’s the love of my life” LOL…they said it just months into the relationship. Needless to say shortly after those public statements they broke up. Is just the same passive aggressive behaviour of taking your mistress to the restaurant where you used to spend Valentines with your ex: to make a statement, to rub it in your’s ex face that you’re happy again without them. Which is very telling about a relationship that didn’t end well, and someone is still hurting. And is probably not just the ex.
Doofus,
Your analysis really hits home for me. I fell hard hard hard for my first real love, and found out later that *I* was the side piece. Everything you say rings true. It’s been a while so a lot has healed, but it still kind of stings to see it all laid out like that. It’s good for me, though. Thanks for this.
Shambles – HUGS TO YOU.
To add to Doofus’ spot-on assessment, an older executive once told me he had seen several of his contemporaries fall for someone in the office. His observation was that they saw the polished-up side of the co-worker (dressed up, playing up to the boss), while their wife was handling work/home/family. He said many made the mistake of thinking the grass was greener and ruining marriages over it.
Wanna see how try hard this two are? Go look at the DM pap video of that day. In one clip, the cameraman is already standing outside of NBC offices and filming when their car pulls up. How did the cameraman know they were coming there? Anyway, Ben then gets out of the car and does a little scare run at one of the photographers (yes, more than pap knew they were heading here!).
Lindsay then gets out of the car and has a chat with a man who clearly doesnt know her. All the while you hear the cameras clicking away. She then saunters into the building in a manner thats clearly designed for the cameras.
The cameraman enters NBC lobby infront of her. How he is allowed on private property in full view of security is a mystery. Ben in the meantime has been slow pacing the lobby waiting for her to come in. He is at her workplace afterall. She picks up her pace and speeds ahead of him and he follows her like a faithful dog.
They get to a security turnstile leading to the elevators and there is a young woman who looks like her assistant waiting there. The three of them get into the elevators and disappear. Nobody at 30 Rockerfella ever challenges the cameraman. Lindsay does not seem perturbed at bringing in papparazzi to her office building which lets face it sees many many celebrities and yet we’ve never been treated to this inside view by a random pap.
Questions that swirl in my head; 1) why is she taking her boyfriend to her office 2) why are security indifferent to the cameramen in the building 3) does her assistant wait for her at the elevators every morning 4) who between her and Ben is running this papparazzi sh^t show now and 5) whats next from these two?
I remember a snip of an interview with Ben with a female reporter. They were about being papped and he said he would show her how easy it was to spin and control things. He put his arm around her and began whispering the rest of the answer into her ear, and sure enough, the next day there was a set of pictures in some tabloid about “Ben’s Mystery Woman.”
He knows EXACTLY what he’s doing, and I’m sure Lindsay Shookus does, too.
Yea I knew it was staged mostly because NYC is a pap crazy place. There are paps outside certain areas like GMA or the Paley Media offices but overall there aren’t pap restaurants or anything. They go where people are scheduled for events mostly. Chances are they called and pulled strings for the rollout. What NBC got in exchange I do not know
Are these two people really worth this in-depth analysis?
@Pam
Given the effort they apparently went through to stage these appearances, they WANT us to talk. Unfortunately for them around here we don’t care for celebs sell, we care more about what’s behind the curtain.
@Sam
I can’t see Lorne appreciating this kind of circus at the office. He has dealt with every celebrity there is and actually banned some of them for fairly small infractions. Lindsey better watch herself. I can see her “resigning” aka fired in the near future.
pam–lol, no they’re not.
@Nyawira Then why buy into it? Don’t give them what they want. Ignore them.
I don’t think that particular outing was staged. NBC and 30 rock is a popular pap spot as there are celebs constantly in and out. I do agree with you that they know exactly what they’re doing and will try to spin this PR game, which is just the top of the iceberg of what’s going on really behind the scenes. Garner included, because sure as hell she put out there the fact that the affair started years ago: now Shookus is the mistress for everybody no matter what, that’s her label forever. And rightfully so, Garner did this, because why would she let Affleck lie to the public presenting her as a friend who turned out lover just recently when that’s not the case? Anyway. They know exactly what they’re doing, all the parts involved.
Garner didn’t have to put the affair out there. It doesn’t make her look good, either. It also fed the tabloid frenzy which directly affects her kids. I mean, if she’s going to engage in this kind of thing instead of just living her own life then I don’t want to see any tears in front of Congress about how the paps hound her kids and yell things at them. She’s contributing to the mess. Revenge is all fine and dandy but at what cost to the kids?
NYC is really not a pap crazy city. I work literally a block away from NBC studios and I have NEVER seen paparazzi in nearly 20 yrs. And I see top tier celebs somewhat frequently and they are never being trailed by cameras. I live in a building with at least one A-lister – never a photographer anywhere nearby. I never understand how/why they get these photos of certain celebs ALL THE TIME. But yes, they must get called. NYC is too damn big and crowded to have paps conveniently there every time a celeb appears.
The paps get pics of Shookus the same way they get pics of Garner and Affleck. They know where Shookus works. They know where Garner works out, gets therapy and goes to church. They know which regional airport Ben uses when he flies private. They sit and wait for these things to happen. Considering how much pics of Ben go for these days, I highly doubt anyone in this situation has to call them.
“How did the cameraman know they were coming there?”
It’s where she works. It’s not like, rocket science.
“Ben then gets out of the car and does a little scare run at one of the photographers”
I thought that was hilarious.
“Lindsay then gets out of the car and has a chat with a man who clearly doesnt know her. ”
Um, the driver? It looked like she was asking him a question.
“They get to a security turnstile leading to the elevators and there is a young woman who looks like her assistant waiting there. The three of them get into the elevators and disappear.”
The girl looked like another employee waiting for the elevator. WTF video did you watch that you could create this fanfic and conjecture?
They really deserve each other.
Another one for not buying it. Lindsay is the cool girl who lets him be him now but, back in the day, Jen was the low key, cool girl who let him be him that JLo wouldn’t.
Give it time.
@trace_smiles yep
Her kid lives with the father. Basically, she walked out, taking only just herself…totally dickmatized. A bad decision as a female young adult can make, but its part of life lessons hopefully, you come out unscathed broken hearted but youth is a currency also that gives you many open doors in order to move on.
However, as a middleaged woman lose their mind for dickmatization…the worst decision a woman can make. It is a crippling experience that will definately wound you so deep, that the depression will send you. To a deep, dark, narrowed hole. I am going to quote Carrie on Sex an the City “not even a firefighter without collar bone, could pull her up” thats the feeling, of falling for lust and infatuation. Hopefully, her infatuation blind fold falls off right on time, in order not fall into a future full of regrets. Good luck Lindsay
That ⬆️
And this ⬇️
“I buy that Jen is livid and I buy that Ben is promising Lindsay the world and talking about babies because that’s what narcissists do. Usually it doesn’t pan out this way for the other woman, but Lindsay was the right mistress at the right time. She’s exceptional right now because she’s meeting Ben’s needs. Wait until she expects him to meet hers. As many of you pointed out, he can’t even be bothered to carry even one of her bags! She’s ok with that, she’s the cool girl.”
Truer words have seldom been said
Ben, you are a movie star. You can do so much better
Ben is resembling Orson Welles in these photos.
Kevin Bacon’s sister and Orson are likely going to continue this fling until (insert one of several likely deal-breakers). I still want to know where the nanny landed. In a hotel hideaway, perhaps?
I am screaming. She really does look like Kevin Bacon.
Others pointed it out, and once seen…
Now, for the young’uns —Orson was a famous actor/director with great early success who later got heavier, grew a beard and did wine (and frozen peas) commercials.
And Ben looks like elon musk.
I’m starting to see a Willem Dafoe there.
Crap. Now I can’t unsee Kevin Bacon. Who I love, love, love. I hope she doesn’t ruin this for me.
Lol!! I see it! 🙀
She does resemble Kevin Bacon. I first saw a Toni Collette resemblance. That’s not dissing KB or TC – I love them both. Lindsey is the way haggard distant cousin.
She looks like Ben himself, not Kevin Bacon, in my opinion. Please do not sully Kevin’s name with this nonsense…
Shes so accomplished yet shes such an opportunist its beyond transparent…i mean how long have they just “been friends” I just can’t w these two
Girlfriend of 3 months or side piece for 3 years? I’d say side piece is probably more accurate.
“His girlfriend of three months [sic]”
Hahahahahahahahaha!
I feel like such an idiot. I tried forever to figure out why they added the (sic) there. Thank you for enlightening me! Now I’m rolling with laughter. I needed that.
Took me a second, too. I was looking for a typo.
lol that was clever
He’s really rolling out all the red rugs for this one. I can’t imagine that she has any illusions about him. If he was cheating on his wife with her than she can’t think he’s going to be happy or faithful for long right? Like, that would be a stupid assumption.
He also cheated with the nanny at the same time. So it’s not like he’s been faithful to her either. And supposedly he’s still banging the nanny on the side so…yep
I wonder if this is part of some downward spiral for him. Henry Ford’s three successive wives were described as (1st wife) class, (2nd wife) flash and (3rd wife) ass. The last wife was supposedly an escort from an auto show. So Ben has moved on to the “fun, party girl” so they can go down the drunk-all-the-time path together and she won’t complain.
“If he was cheating on his wife with her than she can’t think he’s going to be happy or faithful for long right? Like, that would be a stupid assumption.”
of course, but consider that almost EVERY long term side-piece thinks that…”I’LL be the one to change him…he won’t cheat on me if I give him everything he wants…”
Doofus…having been through this myself (my ex was a Ben), I can echo exactly what you’re saying on this thread. Spot on. Glad to know that others “get it.”
I feel so badly for his oldest daughter. Unless they keep her locked in a tower she will see these magazine covers. She’s old enough to see and hear what’s happening and her peers will certainly be able to fill her in. She is old enough to know what mommy’ favorite restaurant is. If he hates Garner’s guts now, at least they are both adults, but he couldn’t keep things on the down low for five minutes after the divorce filing for the sake of his kids? Really?
5 minutes? They’ve been separated since at least late 2014. Time for Jen and her fans to move on, too.
They’ve been separated for a year or so with him living at the house! (Which I’m sorry if he was behaving like this the whole time Garner was nuts to allow). The kids were being presented with a “very little is going to change” scenario but the divorce filing comes then suddenly all over the news, oops no I’m sorry actually daddy’s got a side piece he’s really serious with. You honestly think this wasn’t disasterously handled by him? And Garner, well, she just did her usual doormat routine I guess.
OR maybe ben should give one iota about his kids before being a sh*t husband. But I saw all your comments yesterday and I know there’s no reasoning with a stan
@Nicole Such outrage over someone daring to have an opinion that doesn’t align with yours. Grow up.
@Ruby So you think it’s ok for him and his girlfriend to be trashing his wife/ex-wife in the press with sneaky little rejoinders about how he’s really into Lindsay because she’s so smart and interesting? Come on – no matter how long they’ve been separated or divorced or whatever, there is no excuse, ever, to disparage the mother (or father) of your children.
Sorry I know it’s hard to swallow when you’re s stan, but these people are both a-holes.
They’ve been separated unofficially (according to Jen) for months before the June 2015 press release. There is really no point in debating that part.
Clare but is he trashing her or is this just tabloid made up gossip that we dont know if it’s true or not. It’s funny that we believe certain stories about celebs we don’t like but when it’s one we like we say the stories are BS. Did Ben sit down and give an interview where he said bad things about Jen or is it one of those a close source said or a close friend said.
What we do know is that a separated man has a gf. He’s not a freaking monk.
@Clare/Mia4s The tabloids create daily articles out of nothing, based on nothing, to get clicks from obsessed fans. If this new woman were some glamour puss, they’d be saying that he’s with her because Jen was so plain and boring and he needed some adventure, etc. It is really not a hard concept to grasp.
@ruby Such outrage against a woman you don’t know. Get a life! (see what I did there?)
@V4 he’s never going to give a sit down interview trashing jen given she probably has a lot of dirt on him she could air out. However, the parading his mistress of three years around says enough about the respect he shows her
ikr? i’m no fan of affleck, but some of the reactions are so ott. it’s like they separated yesterday.
@Nicole Yeah, so clever… if you’re 12. RME. But let’s see: Ben’s an alcoholic, possibly had a pill addiction, has been to rehab multiple times, has had affairs with half of LA, finds fatherhood boring, had a longterm mistress, always puts himself first, and loves to gamble. What’s this dirt that she has that is supposed to shock us all? Unless she has a video of him using the N word or abusing a puppy, she has jack. But by all means, she’s welcome to go full-on Betty Broderick if she wants to, and I’m expecting that to happen at some point.
@Ruby, I think Jen is smarter than that. He’s handled this whole thing about as badly as it could be handled. She can sit back and watch him keep digging it deeper. She knows him better than anyone. He’ll do worse to himself than she can do to him, and she’ll look better for it. She will focus on making sure her kids are ok, and I do think will focus on her own career. She’s been doing more non-Ben related stuff in the past couple of years and she’ll keep that up, and hopefully something good will come her way. The contrast of his behavior vs. hers will tell it’s own story.
I get they’ve been separated for a very long time but why didn’t he move out until recently?
I’m scratching my head wondering why he would still live with Jen Garner for 3 years after separating and WHILE he was dating Shookus.
@mary Only the tabloids are saying that he’s been seeing her the whole time. I think the actual timeline is far more complicated. It’s possible that he was trying to work out things with Jen until they decided to move forward with the divorce, and then started things with Lindsay again afterwards. It’s also possible that they had totally separate, co-parenting lives while he was in the guest house and he’s been quietly seeing her. Who knows what the truth really is.
@Ruby. THIS +
These two have them have been over/dunzo/finito for YEARS. Their kids know ALL about it. They’re living it.
Why Ben/Jen have felt a need to put on this public “will they or won’t they” for YEARS is the mystifying part, not that either party is moving on with their life.
It’s possible the shift in the NATURE of the relationship, from side piece to GF, is more recent. I don’t doubt they have been ongoing for several years, though.
I think he needs to have that visible partner to make him feel and appear more stable. He really does not want to be seen as a player – he wants to be seen as someone who takes relationships seriously. Once the divorce was filed, he was no longer being paired with Jen, so he needed to put someone else in that front row place. Now, he has to show how devoted he is. I do think it’s all about appearances for him.
OMG, LTS, now a trip to Starbucks and a shared pizza is a show of devotion? And for whom is this show of devotion being made? Who on earth cares if Ben is single or a player?
My point is that I think Ben cares about that perception a great deal and motivates his behavior. A trip to starbucks and other places with paps clearly called to take the pics. It’s the deliberate publicity attached that marks it.
I seriously doubt they have been done since the nanny in summer 2015. Bens sources told us he had actually remodelled the guest house and stayed there for awhile. We later learned he was living in the house but a separate bedroom from her sources. We only heard that he had moved down the street at the beginning of this year which tallies with the timeline that he and Shookus resumed around the same time. It also aligns with the whole rehab thing which going by his statement where he named Jen when he didn’t have to (he could have just used a broad “friends and family”) implies she finally gave him an ultimatum. We also suspect he didn’t stay a full month in rehab as he claimed because of sightings and that also aligns with failing Jens ultimatum.
I think this is a rewind of Leann Eddie and Brandi. Ben cheated but wanted to stay. Jen finally closed the door and so he moved on to Plan B. The reason he unveiled this girl at Jens favourite restaurant is because he is still mad at Jen. The only reason to still be mad at her is if, she ended it and she did it recently.
There is zero evidence that Ben cares about being a known hard-partying, gambling womaniser. He’s been that since day 1.
Jen’s “favourite restaurant” just happens to be the place she went with Ben to be papped as a happy couple for PR. It’s the BS appearances that’s falling apart, not their long defunct marriage.
@G, I have only been following this since the divorce, and I’ve done enough reading of past interviews, etc, to know that it is VERY important to Ben that he is taken seriously and is NOT perceived as a player – and some of those references come from direct interviews with him.
And this is why Jen should have left that marriage and stopped enabling Ben ages and ages ago. Jen modeled to her kids the acceptance of the worst behavior possible. Staying together for the kids is sometimes an awful idea (oh and BTW its really not for the kids but thats another story),
this – so much. She’s always been an enabler, out dear Amazing Jen.
staying together for the kids is literally always a bad idea. i never met any child who was happy with that sort or arrangement.
Definitely not for the kids. Remember how long she wore her ring?
Exactly. I think it is better to stop living the lie. They have been separated for a few years no matter what push and pull might have been happening.
Once again, women used to be judged for leaving a marriage, now they are judged for staying. I suppose if you haven’t been married to an alcoholic, you maybe can’t grasp that it’s perfectly possible to still love the person that is underneath the alcoholism and to think that if you try hard enough that person may come back. However ridiculous that may seem to others. I don’t judge her for staying anymore than I would judge her for going.
You are right I never married an alcoholic but I am the adult child of one and I survived one of these toxic marriages which was more about both adults dysfunction then the kids. So that’s were I am speaking from. I’m not going to say I don’t have sympathy for Jen’s misguided attempt to stay but in terms of her kids. Yes they probably would be better off out of a household with Ben . You can love an addict but still not fall into the fallacy of believing that your love can will away their addiction.
You can tell that Ben and Lindsay have been together for a long time (body language).
I was going to comment about that as well. I also think that is the issue about the bags as well. I’ve been married for 20 years. In the beginning (dating and first 3-5 years of marriage) my husband wouldn’t let me carry anything. He even offered to carry my purse while I would shop. Now, I have to ask him to carry things. He did carry our baby into the house when we brought him home. My husband is not a narcissist just kind of blind about etiquette and being a gentleman. He didn’t have a good role model for that and neither did Ben.
In the case of Ben and this woman, the body language and behavior belie whatever story it is that he is trying to spin. I am sure that he had the charm at full blast in the beginning but now that he doesn’t have to work hard to catch her and isn’t hiding he has turned off that spigot. He is comfortable and she is easy-breezy. But familiarity breeds contempt. Which I am sad to say is going to be a two-way street here. The more ensconced she gets and falls deeper in love with him the more he’ll pull back. When he starts getting bored (and he will) he’ll start acting like his true self and she’ll be the next one crying about his selfishness and cheating. I just hope and hope and hope that they don’t have a baby. But I’m sure she is pushing for it.
People are grasping for straws over the bags, my god. This isn’t 1950. It isn’t a big deal.
Like I said yesterday, maybe she enjoys the exercise.
OMG, this fan fic is hilarious. Lindsay is the poor victim sucked into Ben’s hypnotic vortex falling deeper and deeper in love and carrying her own bag of tissues to cry into…..
Grown women can f8ck who like as well and not every woman is some helpless mental deficient without personal agency of her own.
TOG I thought the same. There are women who like to do things for themselves and aren’t into that. Their relationship reads like they had a fling and then went their separate ways until recently and decided to date seriously. We have no idea about her marriage or what happened between them. It could be they are dating and seeing where it will lead and he really likes her. This is why I don’t think the Nanny thing has anything to do with them. The story about her and having a newborn is likely not true. A baby I can believe but a newborn is a stretch. I believe she is not the type to wait around for the family pap strolls with Jen to continue on and on. I don’t think she is the pining type.
@The Original G – I have to say I love your comment. I laughed hard. It totally made my day because this whole thing, including my own comments and time on this site are absolutely ridiculous. I’m a stan. I admit it. I don’t even care but you definitely win best comment.
+1 it’s so obvious.
I wish we could just fast forward to when this things gets messy.
It probably is already messy and we just haven’t heard about it yet
i think we won’t have to wait too long for that!
Those pictures of her with two bags are so telling. Its not about gender or chivalry; who walks empty-handed beside a person carrying two bags, and doesn’t take one of them?! I guess she could have refused his offer to help, but otherwise it’s another small but telling example of his narcissism.
Yes, that picture says it all. They’ve been cheating for years and she’s his enabler. Thus why would he think to help her with the bags, it’s always all about Ben. What a putz.
LoL @ Kevin bacons sister 🤣 What’s goin on with her rt. leg there?
Looks like maybe a port wine stain. It’s a kind of birthmark.
Yep. Port-wine stain most likely. I have a smaller one on my arm. It’s the same thing Gorbachev has on his forehead.
I think the more pressing question is what is going on with his face? Puffy much? What is the guy doing to himself?
I also notice how “puffy” his entire body looks. I think he’s back to boozing, a LOT.
funnily enough, her refusal to hide her birthmark is the only thing i find remotely endearing or interesting about her…it’s a telling detail, as if she really doesn’t care about appearances, b.a. is another story…
I respect that she doesn’t cover it up. People shouldn’t be shamed for things they cannot change. It shows she has a healthy attitude about it. Ya that’s all I’ve got for her though.
Oh sure why not have a baby together; a love child. What could possibly go wrong with that?! I mean Ben is an alcoholic who just crashed and burned his decade-plus marriage with 3 kids, so why not start all over again?
I sure hope that part really is just gossip because…. Nope.
No need to cover these two honestly.. they’re both boring and idiots..
Great description of Ben’s narcissism in this post.
As for Jen I hope she doesn’t go to war with him.
As long as she plays the wicked witch they will be united against her. Making the kids miserable.
Keeping herself miserable.
The best revenge is living well. Focus on your kids and your work and get therapy so you don’t repeat the same mistakes with another Ben
If anyone thinks Kate has bad fashion…see the photos above…that is the ugliest dress I have ever seen, I have a blanket I bought in Mexico with that print.
it’s pretty bad. I also wondered why she’s wearing a little dress but he’s wearing jeans AND a LEATHER JACKET?!
it was 95 in the tri-state yesterday, with the humidity pushing the heat index (“feels like…”) at 102. Even after the sun went down, it was hot and nasty humid. wtf is up with that jacket?!
My guess is to cover a soon to be sweaty t-shirt or disguise his bloated appearance.
….well in my office we’re all bundled up in sweaters in the air conditioning. Was Ben doing yard work or going from the car to a hotel?
original g, one of my coworkers has her SPACE HEATER on, so I dig…I myself sometimes put on a cardigan while in the office, but the minute I step outside, it’s like stepping into a literal sauna…glasses fog up and you start sweating just standing there. so, even if he was going from car to hotel, a leather jacket is too much.
Right? When I leave work and get into my black car with black upholstery that’s been baking in the sun for 9 hours, I just get in and luxuriate in the heat till I’ve used up the oxygen and think I’m about to pass out.
I agree- this dress is so ugly and cheap looking. And yet, she very carefully chose it for pap strolling…
Great comment Luca76!!
You’d think if Shookus knew she was going to be photographed she’d put a little bit more effort into her appearance. I have yet to see a photo of her where she doesn’t look greasy. And the less said about that dress, the better.
The more he puts this out there the more hateful the comments everywhere. He handled this badly from the beginning.
Shockingly bad.
Greasy bacon, lol
Well given the now public news that they were cheating got several years, he has to double down to make it seem serious and inevitable enough to justify breaking his marriage with 3 kids to americas sweetheart.
Guess he thinks if it worked for prince Charles and Camellia……😎😜
Yeah…but they didn’t marry until almost ten years after Diana had died. Do you think he would have been able to marry her at any point if Diana had still been alive? I don’t think he would have.
I think Ben really thought he would be able to control the narrative and that’s why he did this the way he did. Plus, he isn’t used to consequences and so I’m sure he never expected the truth of things to come out the way it did.
This truly is a train wreck you can’t look away from, isn’t it? The other parents of the kids seem to be good, so there’s that at least. And, before someone says we don’t know that she’s a bad mother…she started an affair when her child was a newborn. What would you say about a man who cheats on his pregnant wife or with a newborn at home? Ben’s proven he’s not interested in full-time parenting. I’m sure they both love their kids, but the parenting part doesn’t seem to be strong, that’s all.
Do you think that Ben and Jen are royalty? Do you think that people with children don’t have sexual and romantic impulses and that if they do they’re not interested in parenting?
Parenting involves controlling certain impulses that are damaging or hurtful to your children. A man should act on his impulses to have an affair when his wife is pregnant or caring for a newborn? We all know that behavior gets down-arrowed. Why is it a different standard for a mother with a newborn? She and her husband were adjusting to life with a newborn and she went out and had an affair in the midst of that? Yeah, I think that was a situation that called for better impulse control and reflects badly on her as a parent.
You believe literally every single thing that the rags invent, don’t you? Sigh.
Not much of it. That part, yes I do.
If Ben really thought he could control the narrative, he’s an idiot. Jen is the PR wizard and this rollout pissed her off. He should’ve known going toe to toe with her would end up this way.
This again? Considering how humiliating this has been for Jen and her kids, I don’t see the PR wizard part.
It’s not a crime to be gullible, I guess.
The newborn thing doesn’t ring true at all. Why is there an assumption they aren’t just dating but there are no talks about marriage or anything close to that. Charles and Camilla’s relationship is different and nothing like this.
@mangoliarose, it was People who said they had notes in their files from people who reported them together (at that time) in summer of 2013, just after his May appearance. Her daughter was born in early 2013, like March I think?
Learning-That is what I meant. A newborn to me is a month old. lol I have several children so newborn in my mind is when I was still healing from giving birth and close to home with a puffy belly. That is why I was like Oh no no no. Summer I can see that totally.
Magnoliarose, I do consider 3 months still newborn, yes. My three babies were just that age when I returned to work and it was wrenching they were so tiny.
I hoped everyone realizes I was making a snarky joke in the comparison to chuck and cammie. Hence the 2 emoticons at the end. 🙄
I did actually get that you were snarking.
I took that though, and made another observation / analogy about the Ben PR debacle under what seem to be similar – hate the other woman who broke up a marriage – circumstances. It’s also like the Brad/Angelina thing. Human behavior is a fascinating study.
I know this will sound childish and ultra petty but, I hate them both. Team Jen
Ben and Jen have been divorcing for ages. There is a lot of overreaction going on concerning his new relationship, IMO.
I don’t think anyone would have cared if it hadn’t come out they had been in an affair for almost four years. That’s the thing that’s created the furor.
Jen sells magazine covers and has been a spokesperson for 2 major products for years for a reason. She really is well liked and respected by a large part of the general public. She is pretty cemented as the loving wife and mother, too. The divorce has been garnering tremendous publicity and the comments are all hoping they get back together. This betrayal is getting a proportionate reaction. The nanny set the stage for this, too – Ben the cheater became public.
You are proving @bethenny’s point.
I kinda think the reaction is in proportion to the pap strolls and press leaks. Had he put this out subtly, the reaction might have been subtle. He didn’t. He put it and has kept it on full blast. That invites the same scale reaction. I think he likes the drama.
@Learning lmao that flew right over your head.
It’s a story in the BS tabloids, not the actual news. Most people in the world have other things to care about than Ben Affleck’s love life. I see a couple hundred completely unhinged women ranting and raving in the DM comments …big deal. That’s not real.
Every single commenter on here who keeps coming back to talk about how pathetic we all are for talking about it and “believing the BS tabloids”? First of all, You know you’re all hypocrites right? You’re spending just as much time here with your condescending “lol bless your heart who actually believes this” bullshit.
Also-this is a GOSSIP SITE, where we discuss GOSSIP. If you want to get all righteously indignant about “what’s really going on in the world” maybe you should go to a “real” news site.
You sound like someone who spends a lot of time on Daily Fail.
Exactly. It’s a small echo chamber. This didn’t even make it to legitimate TV shows or news like the Jolie-Pitt split. They separated 3 years ago and cry wolf every few months about getting divorced. Most people have moved on. Jen Gardner makes tabloid covers based on her relationship with Affleck not for herself.
Like poor Jen 1.0 she will make covers from now on only when pitted against Ben’s women. Case and point where is Jen 1.0 since the Jolie-Pitts separated? Women who want to stand on their own two feet after being cheated on don’t play into the media’s victimhood narrative. See Reese Witherspoon after separating from a cheeting dog husband. Her identity was cleaved from Ryan P. YEARS ago and never brought up. But she has talent.
@Original TC Jen made a huge error in dragging the whole separation/divorce out. She should have distanced herself from Ben and focused on reviving her acting career. No one wants to be the new Jen Aniston but that’s what she is, complete with the career largely based in commercials for a drugstore brand and trashy gossip.
@ ruby, no, it really didn’t. I find this to be an interesting discussion on human behavior and I like to engage in discussion and debate.
Sure Jan dot gif.
No, but I do wish I had her body….
If you don’t want to debate and discuss, don’t come to a blog designed to do just that, maybe?
Yes, Learning, some of the condescension to posters here is pretty obnoxious. If it’s beneath people there’s always the “What’s New in Advanced Theoretical Physics” site.
People are now taking their defense of Ben & Lindsay to Brangelina levels. Bizarre that people get so invested in defending complete strangers. People on here are gossiping–it IS a gossip website after all. Unless you know BA, what difference does it make to you? And then to take such a snarky tone…you Ben defenders are either paid, bots or bizarre people.
I think Ben’s P.R. team is hard at work on this thread and other sites, trying to prop up his failed image. Forget it folks, this is a self defeating addict. Stop trying to clean up his messy mid-life crisis mistress situation and get him the help he needs. No one is buying this crap about this trailer trash skank who left her marriage and baby for a boozy bloated narcissist as anything other than what it is…a mess.
He looks like he needs a good shower. Nasty.
Yeah, something’s off here. This is more than just Affleck being sloppy, imo.
I agree. I realize he’s trying to really push this “legitimate girlfriend” thing because the initial rollout blew up in his face so his PR/manager had to try to reroute the narrative and take back some control. I get it. They’re scampering and have an overeager thirsty opportunist in Lindsay who is clearly ready to play along and do whatever. She’s the “smart, cool girl” remember >eye roll< BUT something is off. Ben off the wagon kind of off. Too much "look at me in a legit relationship, trust me, it's legit" kind of off. Just laying it on way too thick. I just saw today from a THR report that apparently The Batman is the last movie he's doing in the DCEU. His career is taking more hits which can't be good for his obsession with appearance and his own self-esteem. Ben puts Ben first, especially when it comes to his career and his need to be taken seriously. Now both his personal and professional lives – yet again – are taking multiple hits which is going to really challenge his sobriety in a major way (again). But he does love to be the comeback guy so we'll see if he is this time.
I sincerely hope it brings him to a place where he realizes sobriety is his only way to come back.
They are both pretty rough looking.
Regardless what we think of this relationship, I think that this is a serious relationship. They have been papped twice in the last 2 weeks either in NY or LA. They are really making an effort to be together….long distance or not.
What is that saying “if a guy wants to be with you, he will find a way to be with you.”
@Carolkoi: 100% Agree! It seems serious. I think it’s more a business relationship like a relationship based on love or romance. He knows her ages ago, he trusts her. Of course he will have another side pieces, but she is okay with it. If they’ll get married it’ll be an open marriage. There’s no another option for Ben -he found the Cool Girl. Jackpot.
They are pushing this narrative very much. Thats why I’m thinking it’s serious. And they have a reason that they decided that they go through this mess.
He didn’t handle it very well which damaged his image badly. Maybe he thinks people will forget it or forgive him or he didn’t care. I’m pretty sure they’ll last long. Very very long.
So Ben can’t ever dine at il giorgio baldi again because Jen happens to like that restaurant too? Ben has been dining there for years. I don’t see how that’s a dig.
It’s not about dining there ever again. It is that is the place he chose to PUBLICALLY and KNOWINGLY in front of the paps introduce his mistress of years as his new no. 1 GF. That’s tacky and tasteless by anyone. It also shows no respect nor consideration for someone who has been his partner and has bailed him out of many messes for many years.
No, it isn’t. He had taken her to a play and dinner in London the week prior. They were papped. RELAX. Sometimes a dinner out is just a dinner out.
With Ben, who hides from the paps when he wants to, I don’t believe it is.
Maybe the restaurant is not sentimental to him. The reason I can believe this is because not everyone cares about things like that.
I freely admit I wouldn’t and don’t care where my ex takes a date since we separated. We are both foodies so when he said he went to a place we loved I asked what he ate and was it good. I have never been sentimental about things like that so I can understand if someone else isn’t either. I am not a good partner for a sentimental type or someone who wants 24 hour togetherness. My friends always joked I dated like a stereotypical guy. Things like marking a 6 week dating anniversary isn’t important to me and I most likely haven’t marked the date anywhere. But if my bf is sick or needs me I am all in and dump everything to be there. This is why I don’t automatically believe it meant anything to him and I think in his mind his marriage is firmly in his past. He isn’t thinking about her that way and add self absorption on top of that. I wouldn’t have done what he did in his situation because it is thoughtless and inconsiderate but he is thoughtless and inconsiderate about everything.
NOTHING this guy does is ever casual or coincidental. This is a narcissist who literally built his life on PR moves. Got married to rehab his image after a career decline, got papped for years with his wife and kids at the Farmer’s Market for each movie promotion, his image manipulation helped win him an Oscar. If he went to a place with his mistress so publicly after his divorce, the only reason he went there was for the papps. I think he’s trying to control his own PR with this and he’s failing miserably.
I really don’t understand what Ben is trying to do, unless it’s largely motivated by a need to hurt Jennifer. Why the hell is he calling the paps to “roll-out” anything? He must know that the public probably won’t like Shookus much after finding out it was a four year affair that entailed both of them cheating, so what is the point? The paps would have found them eventually without them calling, so why bother. Going to his ex-wife’s favorite restaurant with his new girlfriend is a pretty pointed thing to do, so I’m thinking this really is all about getting a dig at Garner. Meanwhile, I’m sure he’s telling Shookus “it’s cause I love you so much baby, I want everyone to know”.
He’s probably high and drunk.
+1!
+1
So Ben, instead of focusing on his relationship with his kids, is more worried about hurting his ex-wife and impressing his new girlfriend.
I think Jen finally admitted being co-dependent on an abusive relationship with a narcissist, co-dependent, and substance abuser.
http://www.eonline.com/news/867112/hollywood-ex-wives-why-jennifer-garner-angelina-jolie-fellow-stars-have-to-be-infinitely-stronger-than-their-former-husbands?cmpid=rss-000000-rssfeed-365-topstories&utm_content=buffera85ed&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
One of Lainey gossips older blind items says Ben affleck does heroin.
Wow it explains his sweating in an air conditioned restaurant, wearing of long jackets in hot weather and dark circles around his eye last week.
I saw that blind years ago when it was first posted and didn’t believe it. It makes Jen the Worst Mother Ever to cling to a heroin addict for years when she has young, impressionable kids.
I’ve read this too on other sites.
They’re repulsive. She looks so thrilled to be with that idiot. I’ve never cared for him, he comes off so arrogant in interviews, he’s not a good actor. Someone I know who met him – and who absolutely doesn’t care about celebrities and is very non-judgmental – said he’s a complete narcissist in person, too.
The comments I have been reading says this rollout was and is still is a fail. Good luck in trying to sell a relationship after you wrecked two marriages with a serial cheater – a father of three who was willing to cheat with you and and on you with a nanny and this is a well known fact to the public. You are seen as not as attractive or good mother as his ex. Who advised Ben to go public with this? If he really likes her he should keep this relationship low key because what they are selling, majority isn’t buying. If they could only stop lying about this relationship being 3 months old. Stop calling the paps. Every single pap stroll has been a fail. I saw a pic of Lindsay head thrown back laughing while her ex is dead serious. This woman is something else. She totally thinks Ben is worth it because of his fame and money. She is a gold digger.
He and Jen have been divorcing for years and people really need to get over it already. Who doesn’t see Lindsay as attractive or a good mom? The couple hundred crazies in the Daily Fail comments section who post in every Affleck article? The people who always post here? You think a few hundred people with nothing better to do than sit on the internet and judge really matter? It’s tabloid trash and concerns only the people who have time and energy to comment on it. No one’s career is going to be affected by any of this. Fake news stays fake.
Hey Ben and Lindsay need to stop shoving their relationship down people’s throat if they can’t handle the bad reception. The comments are the same everywhere. Ben’s camp has been working with the tabloid trash in efforts to roll out his mistress as his main, so who is at fault here?
Ben and Lindsay don’t seem to care? A long separated man went out with a girl. What’s the fault?
I’m talking about the people who become completely consumed by fake news, believe every word and proceed to rant and rave in the comments section or on sites like this. They also seem to think that the world revolves around the tabloids and the Daily Mail comments sections and believe that if some negative story is posted there, the world is ending for that celebrity. It’s absurd, really. The whole “he is handling this sooooo badly!11” stuff is borderline hysteric.
ETA: Do you really think Jen calls the paps every day? Do you think Ben does? Do you really believe that the tabloids are so helpless that they need to be called or prompted to produce the stories that they do? They know what is selling right now: pics and stories about Ben, Jen and Shookus.
Ben played the game calling the paps and leaking information to the tabloid about his mistress. Don’t blame the people and and call the tabloid fake news because there has been an overwhelming negative response to the game he played. My initial comment was purely based on what I have observed. If you are seeing a different reception feel free to share.
This is going to rock your world but the tabloids produce fake news. Do you really think that every word written in Life & Style is true? Oh my.
Preach! Agree 10000+
Go home Ben, you’re drunk.
I am old enough to know how the tabloids work and you have yet to deny Ben’s camp using the very same trashy tabloids to rollout his mistress for e.g; Enews had exclusive information on his so called new relationship and the comments there were just as bad as DM and US weekly had exclusive pics from London and again the comments were similar. You might not think they matter, but in reality celebrities depend on the tabloids and these comments on the blogs to control the narrative. I hate DM but it’s eye opening to read the comment sections and observe how 1000+ readers react to the news. The headlines may change but the overall sentiment always remain the same.
You have to include Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. Comments from the social media are as bad as the tabloids. Social Media is powerful.
It’s all the same small subset of people.
DM is full of lunatics and they embellish a lot. I wouldn’t put too much stock in the comments.
Are Ben’s pants wet?
He’s really sweating, it’s possible.
He certainly is no gentleman… those bags look heavy….
Oblivious Ben doesn’t even seem to care that Lindsay is struggling with those huge bags.
In fact, bloated Ben doesn’t seem to care about anyone at this juncture, except himself.
His career is gonna crash and burn again. Jen won’t be around anymore to promote Ben’s phony family guy image at the local farmer’s market on Sundays after church.
All we see now is a bloated, sweaty man who should go back to rehab.
Heard a great quote once:
“Everyone wants to be in a relationship but half don’t want to be faithful.”
IMO I think Ben loves the idea of a relationship just like he loves the idea of family. Now that he went public with Lindsay, this is not just “hooking up” or “sneaking around” around anymore. And with this relationship out in the open now , Lindsay will develop expectations if this a normal relationship.
So far I am actually a bit sorry for Shookus. Judging by the development of Affleck’s former relationships this one won’t develop well either.
I do wish them the best, though.
Hahaha, you feel sorry for Shookus? For real?! She chose him! She’s waited in the wings for years. She knows what she’s getting into. I have zero empathy for any one of the three of these fools. The only person I feel sorry for is Shookus’ ex and both sets of kids because they didn’t choose any of this mess. I’ve never been a Jen fan. I’ve been a Ben fan since his Chasing Amy days but that has ebbed and flowed over the years because of who he is. Shookus seems gross. Blech to the whole thing.
As a reader of both Celebitchy and Lainey Gossip, I think this rollout was both a passive aggressive dig at Jen and it’s to let the public know it’s the real deal. It’s a messy roll out because it’s Ben in charge of himself not his micro managing, controlling, soon to be ex wife. I’m going to start this off by saying that no one deserves to be lied to or cheated or to have to deal with a substance abuser. It damages your heart, mind and soul. That being said these are deal breakers in a relationship. And you shouldn’t bring kids into a situation like this. I honestly feel sorry for anyone that deals with this. I went through a decade or more of relationships like this and I thank my lucky stars I never brought kids into any of them. Jennifer Garner was an adult when she met Ben Affleck, much like I was when I met all of my ex losers. In of the earlier posts from this week someone mentioned Garner’s history and it’s not innocent either. She met Ben Affleck while married to Scott Foley on the set of Daredevil. Rumors swirled around them at the time and shortly after she divorced Scott Foley. Many believe she had an affair with Ben during that time. Ben went back to J Lo and Jennifer rebounded with Michael Vartan. Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez split up in January and he married Jennifer Garner by August…she was dating Michael Vartan as late as early spring that year…so please stop with the innocent Jen crap. She’s far from it. She thought she could change him or control him or maybe she did fall in love. But he was never faithful or sober. He’s always been a narcissist. He’s always been WHO he’s claimed to be. Jennifer is mad because he finally managed to provoke her with the dinner at her favorite restaurant. She knows better, she knows her image took a bit of a hit and some are questioning her. Despite what I’ve said about Jennifer, I do feel bad for her. This does suck but she does need to just let Ben be Ben and let him implode.
Jennifer Lopez and Ben broke up in January 2004. Ben married Jen Garner in June 2005. Almost a year and a half between the two break ups.
Blonds are not even his type. This will never last as soon as he’s in a movie co starring a hot brunette.
Blake Lively was definitely his type.
haha she played him like a violin
Oh god those photos! Yikes. I wonder if Blake and Ryan ever had a convo about that, lol.
I know right. That seems to have been her career plan.
I saw some pictures of the children today as I was reading about them and It is just so sad. Poor babies. I really hope in 10 years we aren’t reading sad stories about the Affleck kids.
What? Nanny, blond. Goopy Paltrow, blond.
Just got a push about Ben’s future as Batman. Soooooo many people called it
Rumors are circulating now that WB is exploring options for Ben Affleck to exit as Batman. Don’t know if there is any truth to it but maybe it will be addressed at Comicon this weekend.
@Carol
I never liked or bought him as Batman. It such a disappointment after Christian Bale.
He looks at least a decade older and far creepier than Bale. If they were going for Pedo-Batman, they achieved it with Ben.
Movie executives can get a gauge of the public sentiment for this guy just by scrolling through comments. They’d be worried. He’s not bankable. He’s not liked. Between this guy and Henry Cavill who is either in the closet / dates teenagers (take your pick), they will be really hoping Gal Gadot can and will pick up the slack.
Sure. She can have a baby with Ben but he will not be like the ex husband she has now who is involved in their daughter’s life. She has freedom to travel and be with Ben because her ex is involved in day to day care but what will she do if/when Ben ditches her and their child.
I am old enough to understand how the tabloids work, however Ben’s camp tried to control the narrative with leaks to Enews with exclusive information on his so-called new relationship and US Weekly with exclusive pictures of their date in London. Why did he try to control the narrative if it does not matter? Btw the comments on both sites are just as bad as the comments on DM.
I hate DM but it’s interesting to read the 1000+ comments and observe how people react to news. The headlines change but the overall sentiment always remain the same.
It’s disturbing how a minority keeps blaming Jen for this man being a total scum and a wreck of a person. They did the same thing to JLO but in the era of the internet the majority is not falling for it.
It’s disturbing that you felt the need to post this twice.
Omg, get over yourself. The condescending posts are annoying. It’s sad you wasted your time posting this just to be rude.
It’s disturbing that Ben’s pr people keep trying to push this crap. Get him to rehab.
Honestly, I and some others aren’t blaming Jen for his behavior. I don’t believe anyone can stop an addict or a determined cheater. I don’t believe it is even about their partner. I do however believe when she made the choice to try to stick it out then it was her choice. The reasons are secondary to the fact that she made her own decisions. Blaming him for her choices is where I can’t agree. Blaming her for his choices I can’t agree. Piling on Lindsay I don’t agree there either. She hasn’t been in the public eye so it isn’t easy to confirm much about her.
The relationships in this are toxic and there is responsibility to spread all around.
Man, he looks terrible. Like an over-inflated balloon. I do think that Jen kept him as stable as he could possibly be (not very, and not for long); it’ll be interesting to see how he holds up with this one.
Just speculating …but maybe WB did not want him to go public just yet with Lindsay because they did not want his personal life to overshadow this film. Maybe they were also blindsided by all this?
Reports now have him out as Batman after Justice League, so if anything will overshadow it’ll be that.
Wow!! People are so angry about this, it is too much. I kind of like them together, she seems pretty chill and so what if she looks happy to see the cameras? Better than being rude and yelling at them.
I might get the dislike for Affleck.
But for Shookus? She hasn’t done anything, has she?
I don’t understand it either. Especially toward Lindsay. Affleck and Garner have been separated since, what, 2014/5?
He is one of those celebrities that is universally disliked by the public. I know he has stans here, but everywhere else he’s crapped on.
There’s something about the dude that’s just repulsive, regardless of who he’s seeing. So repulsive that I even felt sorry for Jennifer Garner for a hot minute.
He’s the kind of guy that is going to hit on his daughter’s friends once they turn 18. He’s that kind of douche.
His clothes are screaming mid-life crisis.
Lol re: “his clothes are screaming mid-life crisis.” His clothes, this relationship, the last few years, etc. for sure. Also, what is a “stan” and is that an abbreviation for something? I’ve seen it mentioned on CB a few times in the comments but have no idea what it means.
Stan = stalker-fan.
Ah-ha. Good to know! Thanks Sofia ☺️
Haha! Right? 😉
So are his hair plugs, his oversized dentures, his Nanny side-piece and his fat back tattoo!
In the third picture she looks like Bridget Fonda.
Lindsay Shookus is the Amal to Affleck’s Clooney? Smart, educated, career, beautiful, in her 30ies and no plastic barbie doll?
Well, I wish the happy couple all the best! Hope it works well for them!!!
Lindsay is hardly “beautiful.” She’s ok; nothing special.
ITA that she’s not the plastic Barbie doll type, though.
Ben’s interview in response to Jen’s infamous Vanity Fair article is very telling.
He said the” whole lesson “of his career has been that no matter what happens in his personal life, the work he does is what is really important.
He’s done professionally: he’s drinking again because his career is crumbling. His latest directorial effort bombed both commercially and critically. He was fired as director for The Batman. The script he wrote for The Batman has been unceremoniously threw away like trash. The studio is planning to drop his a** as Batman altogether because they’re planning a trilogy and he’d be too old, too drunk and too messy. He’s done. “his body hasn’t been exactly a temple”. The fact that he said he’d drop the Netflix movie with his (creepy) brother saying it was to focus on his health and family is very telling that he’s not only NOT sober, but that his career is on the dumpster.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/ben-afflecks-batman-future-doubt-as-warner-bros-plots-franchise-future-1023296
You sound like you’re hyperventilating. Calm down.
Hyperventilating? All facts. These are not rumors or gossip. Those are are industry outlet’s news. This happened and is happening. Is not about stans or fans or team-jen vs. team-ben BS. Of course he will be fine. He still has The Accountant sequel. LOL
Well said Mannori. Although, The Accountant is only in development. It is long time from now before it can fully happen and it can still go sideways. Ben has no immediate project and financing of his projects under the Production company he is sharing with Matt Damon could also be in jeopardy. After all, it is all about the business (dollars).
They are BS actually. THR reported that Matt Reeves was not going to direct The Batman back in Feb, a week before he closed his deal to direct. This publication often reports rumors as facts and looks stupid later. The rest of your rambling post was conjecture and speculation.
You still sound completely unhinged. Ben Affleck and his career will be fine, I’m sure he thanks you for your concern.
I always feel second had embarrassment when posters take a simple gossip discussion too personally: fans sometimes can be so invested in their celebrities favorites than they just miss the fun of just talking about gossip: we’re just talking! Ramblings? that could apply to your own posts too don’t you think? We all “ramble” here: we’re just talking about gossip and actors and people and situations we really don’t know about: all of us, yourself included.
As for what I wrote, of course you know that THR isn’t People mag or US mag right? You mistook rumors and gossip for normal production ups and downs: it happens all the time that people are attached to projects and then they aren’t. Reeves was attached and then he wasn’t. Want me to really speculate? Reeves doesn’t want Affleck. He discarded Affleck’s script. He was contacted to direct because Affleck is not 100% to direct a movie that’s supposed to reach the billion and to keep the franchise rolling, so he had the upper hand in negotiation with the studio, because they’re freaking out: Snyder has been a disaster, let aside his personal situation, when it comes to business of billion dollars they give a flying f*ck if he’s been through a family tragedy or not, but it was the perfect excuse to usher him. Snyder is out of WB and DC. Same thing is happening with Affleck. Is highly unusual that such a big star publicly announces rehab, and is because of business. Family and divorce were his latest problems. He’s fighting for at least make The Batman and then leave with a bang. If he gets fired is not going to be easy for him, specially with his addiction issues. Reeves simply put his foot on the door and apparently his conditions were accepted by the studio.
Affleck will be fine, as I wrote: Hollywood is particularly forgiving to white, well connected dudes. He’ll have plenty of chances, again and again. Had this been a woman their career would REALLY be in the dumpster. But he’s losing what he’s been striving for all his career: the recognition as a serious actor and director. He’s back to tabloid clown again, just like when he was kissing JLo’s ass.
I don’t think he is done professionally. But he absolutely must stop drinking. But if he puts himself back together he can do it. I think his relationship issues have drained him and he just needs to get back to work. At this point in time his career is not yet in the dumpster. Give him a chance.
One of the reasons that you don’t start a new relationship the first months of sobriety, I think.
I don’t always like Lainey, but I think she has one of the best takes on Ben of any entertainment reporters. Her article a while ago about how he loves the rush of gambling was great, and her article about Batman today is hilarious.
Also, this whole thing with Lindsay fits nicely into Lainey’s gambling theory.
Lainey didn’t even write the post today. Sarah did. Did you totally miss the part in the post when she wrote: “When that script news broke, I texted Lainey”
@LA ELLE
So sorry that @3 had to put you down to feel better about herself.
Is interesting though what Lainey reportedly told Sarah when she texted her: “he would “hang onto Batman” because of his midlife crisis, that “Batman is his masculinity.” He has no other projects lined up.
I like Lainey, but she’s not always on target. I don’t think Ben is in a mid-life crisis. That would imply his behavior is new or temporary. He might now be approaching middle age, but this behavior has been on display (with peaks and valleys and long periods of covering it up) since his twenties.
As for Batman, I can see why he’d want to hang onto it. The chance to work with Matt Reeves, and his Batman does seem to have earned praise from critics and fans.
Right now, he’s probably slow dancing with a bleached blonde tramp
And she”s probably getting frisky
Right now, he’s probably buying her some fruity little drink
Cause she can’t shoot whiskey
Carrie Underwood sang it best!!!
LOL! Well played, Caroline.
What are we, in week two of this? And we’ve had how many pap strolls? Cause I’ve lost count. Oy vey. She’s so thirsty with the laughing in her pap photos with her ex-husband who is stone-faced and has his hand in his pocket. She is clearly working on her face in each pic and either initiating or going along with this storyline. My assumption is she’s smart so I wouldn’t be surprised if she’s calling a lot of these photo opps herself. Although I do believe she’s a complete fool for likely thinking she’ll be the one to change him because even smart women think they can do the unthinkable. >eye roll< It's exhausting just watching this spectacle unfold and I suspect it's only going to get worse because to Lainey's point, Ben doesn't know how to not be messy. He loves the beginning of things and this is the beginning of them being public so I'm interested to see where they are 6+ months from now. The man can't tell himself no. I wonder how everything will be handled by his team this weekend at Comic-Con with the whole DCEU news coming out today. Perhaps that is why he's laying this relationship on so thick. We've seen him do this before. He's so predictable and the two of them together is such a sad cliche. I hope he gets help. A friend of mine did one full year in rehab. No phones. No Internet. Nada. Totally clean and sober now. Ben and his loved ones would deeply benefit if he did a stint like that, but I doubt he ever will, given his lack of good decisions these last few years. If this is 40 then can I just skip that decade straight to 50?! Messy midlife crisis.
IMO, he may not go back to rehab because they will tell him to put a hold on a relationship with someone who sees nothing wrong with drinking and Lindsay will tell him he doesn’t need it. It will probably be something tragic that will finally get him back. For the record, I think she is pregnant or soon will be.
if you look at the videos of them, particularly the NBC video and the way she behaves around him, she seems pretty confident and bossy: she indicates him where to go and what t do, of course that’s her office but anyway… she has to have certain type of strong personality to survive in an environment like SNL and handling talent and pressure. So I think their relationship is certainly complex, and Lindsay has some sort of hold on him, something that makes him feel at ease with a controlling A type of woman, but at some point he starts resenting their control and that’s when he leaves.
I saw that too Mannori. You could see that with her ex too and I think that is what is part of her rubbing people the wrong way. He is attracted to confidence but I am not sure he could handle her long term or she may get tired of his effing up all of the time. He probably thinks of her confidence as a “refreshing change” from Jen because it is always about what he needs and wants. Always
He needs long term treatment for addiction and mental health. Not having an enabler would go a long way to pushing him there. For his children’s sake I hope so.
Honestly..I truly wonder if she knows exactly what she is getting into with him and is an hot mess herself so it’s not a huge turn off. I truly think these two have more in common lifestyle, flaws, personality wise than him and Jen. I’m not saying these two are stand-up people but maybe they are birds of a feather in that sense.
Maybe she knows he’s a liar cheater addict and…..so is she? so she doesn’t really care about that.
A man that likes or respect his woman will not let her carry her bags when he only has one whether she insists or not and walks in front of her. Being papped at fast food type restaurant is not my idea of being considered first class and lastly looking like a bum when we are together doesn’t help either. Some women require little of men and get little. She appears to be the type. He has kids old enough to see these photos so it appears he only cares for himself. If not he would keep his relationship private for a while for the kids sake. Kids have enough confusion and they certainly don’t need seeing daddy looking like a bum paired with a woman that doesn’t look much better. If going public at least have some class… Just saying
I wouldn’t present myself that way. One oops running to the store but after that No way.
So, Popsugar puts out a this little tidbit earlier today: The Way They Were: 5 Things You Never Knew About Ben and Jen’s Wedding.
Bwhahaha
Lindsay may be morally compromised, but I find her so beautiful and intiguing at the same time. I would have chosen her as well, but he should have gone about it in a better way. He and Jen were over long ago and they should have gone their separate ways years ago.
Im about to throw a whole bunch of flammable onto this dumpster fire….
I moved my tablet and my finger hit the 2nd picture. It expanded.
Go on scroll up and take a look. While doing so, remember the mention of having a baby. Is someone bloated? Have too many tacos at lunch? Or knocked up?
On another note, I can totally see her pull the ” just because you took HER there, doesn’t mean we can’t go there” card. Think about it. Does Ben really strike you as someone who can pull off that restaurant stuff to on his own?
Maybe she’s pregnant, maybe she’s not. She had a kid four years ago and the body doesn’t always bounce back like it should right away. Look at Jen Garner’s midsection — it’s still a mess 5 years after her third kid. People always think she looks pregnant.
Really? I wish my midsection was that sort of “mess”.
That is odd to think that about Jen G. She is fit and not a stick figure and isn’t afraid to eat normally. She has a nice body. That is something I appreciate about her and it is important to model that for her daughters and her son too.
Lindsay has an athletic figure but bloat is normal for any woman. I consider myself fit but a big pasta dinner and dessert and pooch city. PMS water bloat perhaps? I would hate that speculation all of the time.
Exactly what I was thinking too. She’s playing the “cool girl.” I just dont like her. I used to adore him but he really seems like a snake in the grass like his weirdo brother. The cool girl facade will get old and he’ll cheat on her too. Yuck.
She seems like a starstruck fan who can’t believe she’s with him. I bet when they’re having sex she’s thinking “OMG. I can’t believe it. This is really happening. I’m banging Ben Affleck. BEN EFFING AFFLECK!”
+1
Just watched ET from last night. They showed Ben & Lindsay coming out of that hotel in NYC like all entertainment news , but they threw Iin some shade! They dug up pics of Ben & Jen staying at that same hotel when Jen was pregnant with Violet .
.
Strange gaslighting going on by BA’s stans here.
@JENNIE HIXX
Really?
@JENNIE HIX +1000
@jennie his + 1000 too
That is a strange sentiment. If someone doesn’t agree with you then they are automatically a stan? A different opinion is gaslighting? If this is personal for you them maybe you are projecting.
gaslight-manipulate (someone) by psychological means into questioning their own sanity.
Its a gossip site. Its not that deep. I haven’t seen anything but opinions. If you are triggered then this subject should be avoided instead of blaming others for their point of view.
them=then
typo
@Magnoliarose
+1000
It’s so much concerted effort, I really think his publicity firm is hard at work. Hahaha, good luck with that. What some people will do for money.
^this.
@magnoliarose. It’s not the differing opinions, it’s the way they’re being expressed. All with a very condescending attitude, and put downs about people caring too much, yet they’re here too. They’re not attacking the arguments, they’re attacking the commenters. I’m not talking about you either, you’re arguing in good faith, others are not.
Seems similar circumstances as when Brad and Angelina got together. Only that time everyone was dissing Jen.
What happened to that “sometimes relationships just end” and “people just drift apart” rap that everyone was pulling out for Jesse Williams?
The writing was on the wall with Ben before Garner even married him. He had a history of cheating and embarrassing his partners when he wanted out. Jen gavehima good image rehab when he wanted to play victim about Bennifer 1 but ultimately he’s never going to change, and that was pretty clear early on so surprise at his behaviour – even now – confuses me.
Yes.
Very insightful read http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/ben-affleck-is-enjoying-dating-a-regular-girl-trouble-is-she-doesnt-really-exist-20170721-gxg3u3.html
The Narcissist’s Fan Club (aka Flying Monkeys)
AHEM *clears throat*
still would though..
*crawls in a ditch to die in shame*
😱😁
So..Affleck claims at Comic Con that he is till playing The Batman. Thoughts?? PR bull pucky or true?
What else could he say? They had to promote the movie and anything else would wreck that. I think his issues are a big problem and the new directors don’t want him. they will figure out how to phase him out and present that plan at the same time as they announce he’s done. IMO
@Deb +1
Deb great article pretty much sums it up right on the money. The guy does all the dirty deeds and is high maintenance but BAs fans are trying to shift the blame to Jen. She is the bad one for staying and that over shadows what he did. Women cutting another woman down for a man! Pretty bad when we help the other side do it to our own gender.
Please put away the daggers but I like these two together. Just don’t get married and have fun. And keep all the presents, Lindsay!
Her dirty sneakers really gross me out!
Ben is with Suckass because he thinks he is hotter than her.
Leos have a real problem with not being the hot one.
He’s prolly just ok as a boyfriend but really really shit as a husband. Jenifer got Ben when he looked younger,,,why would she want his shitbag ass now? I totally can tell-She doesn’t.
I LOVE the bag carrying comment you make in this artivle….yes you are on the money!
I can’t imagine my husband not helping me with bags. He’s usually the one to take my purse out of the car because I always drive, and I dump my purse on the passenger side floor. I wouldn’t care if he didn’t, but he’s just a very thoughtful person. I’m very glad I’m not with a narcissist like Ben any more.
In looks, she reminds me of Jen. Low maintenance. I don’t know all the back story about her, so I’ll just stick to my one observation.
His poor daughters… they are the only ones who should matter.
@Mama
+10000
Agreed.