At some point, Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s divorce management publicity team is no longer going to be able to control the message. That point has not come yet and they’re still dominating the media with their whitewashed version of events. I picture a table full of reps, with Garner’s people on one side and Affleck’s on the other, hashing out the messages to feed to various outlets. It’s been a gradual build-up to admissions of Affleck’s infidelity, with a lot of platitudes and double-speak geared to confuse all but the dedicated gossip consumer. They want to give enough positive information, and enough contradictory quotes, so that fans come away not knowing exactly how this marriage imploded, but assuming that it’s all for the best and that these two are “just like us.” You have a dedicated dowdy mom who couldn’t make it work with a devoted dad yet restless partner, searching for something he’ll never find. The media management of this split has been obvious but excellent.
Keep all that in mind as we review these latest stories. There’s a breathless retelling of their movements (Ben is visiting Jennifer on set!) along with the continued emphasis on what a great dad Ben is, and – buried a little in a story which later denies it – the implied detail that Ben had not just one affair as US Magazine reported, but multiple affairs. This is a well sourced story in a major outlet, it’s not just a tabloid rumor. (Although the tabloids did break this story.)
US: Ben flew to Georgia, will stay in the guest house while Jennifer works
The exes… will be residing on the same rented property with their three kids while Garner films in Atlanta, Ga., sources tell Us.“Ben is doing some work there as well,” the source adds. “But he is mostly going to be with the kids while Jen works.” As previously reported, the actor is scheduled to appear at Comic-Con this Saturday in San Diego.
Page Six: Ben is watching the kids in Atlanta while Jennifer is on set
“They are trying to make this as normal and amicable as possible for themselves and for the kids,” a source said. “He’s staying at the same property in Atlanta with Jen and the kids, and he’ll remain there until she’s done shooting in mid-August.”People: Jennifer Garner is being honest with her kids about the divorce
“Her strength is what made her who she is,” a longtime friend of Garner’s told PEOPLE in this week’s cover story. “She has risen up in this situation. It’s unbelievable.“She’s such a good mom and she’s honest with them – she’s not sugarcoating this… They will do whatever is needed so their children are happy and well-adjusted.”
People: Ben Affleck tried to be the dad he never had
“Ben wanted children and a family his whole life… He didn’t grow up with a present father, so his biggest fear was being the dad that only saw his kids on the weekends. He never wanted that. He didn’t want to be a dad like his own father was. But he had some sad and lonely times in his marriage, so he pulled away from his family“Ben wanted what Jen represented, which was stability and family and consistency and love,” says a longtime friend of Garner’s.
Affleck “was a family man when he could be,” adds another friend. “And his kids adore him. He traveled a lot, but when he is with the kids, he’s really with them. And there is nothing more important to Jen than being a good mom.”
E!: Ben cheated with multiple women, except not really
Amid reports that allegations of infidelity and other inappropriate behavior on Affleck’s part took their toll on the union, a source tells E! News that their differences in “lifestyle” did indeed help hasten the split…We’re told that Garner has said that Affleck admitted to cheating and, while some of his other vices, such as drinking and gambling, were one thing—allegedly stepping out with other women was another matter.
Another source, however, denies that Affleck ever admitted to any such thing…
Affleck and Garner “are hanging out and making sure the kids are taken care of. It’s actually quite amicable.
So instead of the message being “Ben is a serial adulterer who drinks, gambles and only comes home when he feels like it,” the message is “Ben slipped up once, maybe twice. They went to therapy for years and are putting their kids first. Ben is devastated this didn’t work out.” Those of us who pay attention to these things know that this is all just spin, but it isn’t aimed at us, it’s aimed at the general public. This could have been a Tiger Woods or Jesse James level scandal but instead it’s a story of two people divorcing, like some likable casual acquaintances of ours who couldn’t make it work. It makes me wonder if some NDAs and cash settlements were involved.
Photo credit: PRPhotos, Pacific Coast News and FameFlynet
I really hope it stays good. We all love celebrity drama but they have three kids.
Remember it “looks” like things are staying good, but we have no idea. This PR push is moving towards desperate.
It comes across as their protesting too much. And IMO that’s worse for the kids, as people can see through (or at least draw their own conclusions though) the desperation and PR overkill.
I think they are pushing all this good stuff in preparation for the explosion. He probably has Tiger quantities of mistresses waiting to come out.
I am really sick of seeing this statment: Affleck “was a family man when he could be,” adds another friend.
When he could be? Dude doesn’t have to work, he could do a movie every couple of years for cash flow.
How bad would a woman be vilified in the press if someone said she was a good mom when she could be. Such a double standard of acceptable behavior.
As a woman I do hold other women more accountable for their families because I expect more out of women. However, this guy and most guys get a free pass when it come to their kids and the amount of time they spend away from them. Except maybe Tom Cruise and what has that been years?
“was a family man when he could be”
yeah that pissed me off too. like he was a family man at thursday from four to five o’clock.
Exactly, Audrey. I choose to see the positive here – they are working double overtime to control the message sure, but how often have we said here “What happens when their kids grow up and Google mom and dad?” I think Affleck and Garner are working to keep it positive and publicly ambiguous and to their credit, their kids may not have to read some of the nasty stuff that say…..Mariah/Nick kids will read or that Bobbi Kristina Brown had to read or whomever.
Something about the wording “Jen is being honest with her kids about the divorce” rubs me the wrong way.. I can’t quite put my finger on what it is though.. I mean, don’t lie to your kids but they don’t need to know every detail, they just need to know Mom & Dad love them no matter what happens.
Maybe it implies that someone else is being dishonest. Marriage takes 2 people. And I don’t know of any marriage that ended that only 1 person was the sole reason for it ending.
I think that’s it Lisa..
ITA. I hope she’s shielding them from the worst. They don’t need to know details.
But can I just say that I’m maxed out on this sh*t?
I’d almost rather have an Alamooney post, and we all know how much I hate Alamooney.
Kitten, MTE, I could really use a good Alamooney post today, just for laughs…
If Batfleck is worried about stories of his indiscretions coming out, all he has to do is wait for some Batlooney foolishness to eclipse them.
Seriously, though, this sh*t w/the Gafflecks is getting too heavy, no matter how fast it spins.
Plus, there’s the kids… 🙁
The level of spin here is an insult to both me and my minivan.
LOL! Shut it down folks, @Lori wins the internet today!
GHLFJGJKLEFGFKWEJ !!!! I’m CHOKING on my Water
On other sites (hello daily mail) a lot of people are taking the PR at face value.
I hope she’s being honest with the kids so they understand that just because Dad is suddenly going on trips with them and going on location with Mom that they shouldn’t get their hopes up that Mom and Dad will stay together. Because Ben is gone.
That’s the thing I don’t like about these situations. Dad is there and sometimes kids may get the wrong impression… and HOPE.. it won’t matter what she says or how she explains it. They are going to HOPE.
but they have to do this the way it works best for them.
^^^
THIS!
I wonder if the strategy is “bombard them with massive amounts of highly sanitized info that says the same thing over and over”. So no one wants to turn over any rocks? Of course, there are plenty of rumors/blinds. He has been a damn mess for years.
I have mixed feelings on it. Some of the tabs are basically insinuating that he’s slept with every women ever, so by sort of admitting that he might have had an affair they downplay the multiple women angle and let the tabs focus on a single thing…but at the same time all this sanitizing seems to make the tabloids just dig more. While I don’t believe the H rumors at all, I do kind of wonder if all that is being released is an attempt to cover up issues with other substances (coke and pills) as he looks so bloated. There are a lot of personal shortcomings that male actors will be forgiven of in the eye of the public (actresses aren’t so lucky), but for WB I bet the worst thing that come out in their opinion would be that their Batman had drug issues.
Anyway, there are three kids so I hope all this stops soon.
Yes, something always seemed “off” in their staged family outings. He looked bloated and bleary eyed, like someone with a hangover who was ordered to get his butt out of bed or off the sofa and go to a staged family public viewing. The picture where she is beaming and he is looking off into space with a somber face is very telling. I know whereof I speak. If a marriage is bad, there is nothing to be done. Been there, done that – twice.
Aren’t they relentless?!
Give up already.
PS: That first picture is so revealing! It tells everything about the dynamics of their marriage:
SHE is staring adoringly at him
HE is ignoring her & flashing his best “man of the year” smile at the cameras.
Ben seems to dismiss Jen completely.
He has this smugness that reeks of superiority–he treats Jen like his minion and nanny for His children.
It’s bizarre.
Addicts are never content, and Ben will continue to be an ambitious Hollywood Power Player if he doesn’t completely self destruct.
All this exhaustive PR spinning must be to cover up some horrifyingly bad sh*t.
creepy intrusive long distance camera lens pictures 🙁
I get why they are laying it on thick: they have 3 kids. Besides, while I buy that Ben has issues with gambling, infidelity, booze, and some harder substances I feel like the tabloids would take it and run with it to the extreme (like some of them are already accusing of him of sleeping with every female co-star he’s ever had in addition to going after JLo) if they weren’t trying to play this PR friendly game of their divorce.
Affleck is WB’s golden boy and huge part of their upcoming DC slate of movies. I’m sure Time-Warner adds the pressure on their and other media not to report the worst stuff and stay reasonably sympathetic to Ben. They don’t want their golden boy to be portrayed as some kind of serial cheater, addicted to gambling booze and drugs.
This is definitely part of it.
People were already so unhappy about Affleck being cast as Batman, they really need to spin this and control Ben’s image as much as possible.
I wonder if that’s why they delayed the filming? Maybe they knew the divorce was coming down the pike, and they wanted to allow for extra time for the negativity to blow over.
I was surprised at how vicious people were towards Ben being Batman. I’m still baffled as to why he decided to do this film though after he built up all this credibility as a respected director and a decent, if not great, actor. If he just stuck to his Oscar bait films and or at least serious type of films, his personal demons would not be that big of an issue. However, for these type of big budget franchise and superhero films the public persona definitely comes into play….and I bet WB is terrified more than anything else of Ben being seen as the “boozy, drugged out” Batman.
Div, yeah, I thought the same, that the attacks on Ben were vicious and mean, but comic book fans are some pretty rabid people…
Sad to say, I think Ben accepted the Batman role for the big money and because he’s a high-stakes gambler, though I’m afraid he underestimated how much is riding on this – and the risk of what it would do to him.
Then again, all the lowered expectations may actually lead to a surprising success. I, for one, wouldn’t otherwise care to see a blockbuster superhero or action film these days on the big screen, but I’m drawn and sympathetic to those characters who display some vulnerability.
These may be different audiences, but I believe what has worked for Bourne, Bond, and Bale as Batman may also work here for Batfleck…
(How do you like them alliterations?) 😉
@laura: there’s a pretty persistent rumor that WB strong armed Affleck into doing it, in exchange for him being able to direct his next project. Considering how miserable he’s seemed throughout the whole thing, I think it’s within the realm of possibility.
@ Div and Laura- You both expressed my feelings perfectly.
“there’s a pretty persistent rumor that WB strong armed Affleck into doing it, in exchange for him being able to direct his next project.”
Really? I’ve never heard that before, Bridge. Would make sense….
It really would make sense – Affleck wins the Oscar and FINALLY puts his past paycheck roles and incredibly crappy superhero movie (hello Daredevil!) behind him, just to turn around and take a big paycheck superhero role? For Zak Snyder? Really? And the man has looked miserable the whole time. So either he really is the most self destructive man around, or he got pushed into it.
That makes the timing of the divorce curious… couldn’t they have waited until after batman?
Batman doesn’t come out until next March. No one will even care about the divorce by then.
I really don’t think Ben had anything to do with why the release date was pushed back. The announcement that the release date was changed to 2016 was last year before filming began. That’s when they announced it was moved to 2016 to give them time for what they called a demanding shoot, and not be rushed. They said they wanted to do it right and needed the time. Ben was injured on set, and some thought that was the reason also. This will be long blown over by then.
I wonder, too, if they wanted to wait until long after Avengers and the like…
This way, they can claim a whole spring and summer season rollout for Batman before any other blockbuster films. It also builds years’ worth of anticipation, w/the marketing, press, interviews, etc., not to mention the personal life gossip/drama here.
I think as long as the studios and reps can control the spin, it could all work out in their favor.
@Jayna-The only reason why I thought that might be a possibility was that the explanation given for the push-back was always really murky. Like at first they said it was because Ben suffered a leg injury and that filming will be pushed back 6 weeks, then the next day they said it wasn’t a leg injury but a rib injury that Ben got from skiing and that they’re pushing back filming for ten months so “the filmmakers have time to realize fully their vision, given the complex visual nature of the story.”
But I guess you’re right that it would be irrelevant when you consider the release date of Batman.
I do think it’s possible that Ben could have known that the divorce was inevitable as far back as early last year though. If you take into consideration the 10 year rule for alimony and the claim that they were in therapy for two years, it’s possible that it was a strategic move to delay the divorce.
I thought that WB blinked and decided to back down from the back to back competition with Avengers 2. Which was probably a good idea considering how crazy big Jurassic World ended up being.
THIS! I said something like this yesterday and was quite condescendingly told that I was wrong. Good to see someone else thinks this too! 😀
That’s been the part that I’ve found interesting about Lainey’s coverage of Batfleck – she’s been implying for quite a while that the WB folks have been enabling Affleck and hiding his (alleged) pill issues in order to keep him functioning in order to churn out the movie and to keep the waters calm. I think it’s something to ponder.
I was vehemently against that BI but admittedly, it’s starting to get to me.
Particularly the weird things with the filming of Batman–the push-backs, the rescheduling, the myriad of explanations being offered.
I started thinking about the planned pap outings and how they could be arranging them around his addiction…..
I’m still not convinced that it’s heroin, but Oxy? Yeah. I could definitely see it.
Ugh. I really, REALLY hope it’s not true.
Also, I was predicating my thoughts about the blind item on the idea that Oxy addicts only start doing heroin because they stop being able to afford Oxy. They blow through all their funds and have to resort to H.
With Ben’s money, that would never be an issue. But what if Ben simply couldn’t get Oxy, and heroin was the next best available thing?
The thing with opiates is once you’re addicted, you can’t go a day without it or you start getting really sick from withdrawal symptoms. I don’t know…I hope it’s not true.
Who is the “Oklahoma” that Lainey refers to about Ben cheating? I’m getting that the more recent one is Margo Robbie but I can’t place Oklahoma.
Here’s the thing about Blind Items: they’re blind for a reason. Even when the source is impeccable, when it’s single sourced there’s always a possibility of a mistake. So while I personally find them to be fun to read, I think that a healthy dose of skepticism is necessary.
With pill addicts, the issue is that their use escalates as they need more an more of the drug to get their high. You hear about addicts who have a 40-50 pills a day habit. It isn’t necessarily a question of money or one drug being cheaper than the other, so much as it may be a better high. Obviously, it’s just conjecture, but I will say this: we know he was injured. And we know he has a history of addiction. And we also know that WB needed to get him back up and functioning and ready for the batsuit almost immediately. I find it absolutely believable that he could have become hooked on painkillers. Whether or not it escalated, I have no idea. But something big had to have happened for that marriage to break up.
If I remember correctly, PSH spiral began because of an injury, surgery something that he was taking pain pills and then got addicted to them and moved onto H.
I don’t think it’s a matter of money as much as it is regulation. Because the pills are legal and require a script, I think there are limits to how much and how long you can keep accessing them legally. I think this is why the pills lead to H. If he was addicted to the pills, I guess he could find them illegally with his $. Who knows.
I think that is it. It is all about Warner Brothers and the investment they made. I can see Jen Going along with this nonsense in a way but than why didn’t they wait until after the Batman movie to announce it?
Either way I am unable to get past the third child. How could you sleep with your husband unprotected after he ran around on you like that. I realize she wanted the “Hollywood couple/family” thing but seriously. To me this all makes me take another look at her. Drugs, booze, women, and at least emotional abandonment. Is she a door mat or is it all about trying to keep up the image? I done with them and the PR that no one is buying. They can try and shove them in our faces daily but my attitude will not change on him and I am seriously looking at her differently than I did before.
I think both teams can just shut up by now. Ben has never been a good enough actor to fool anyone outside of Hollywood into thinking he’s EVER been a decent guy.
YES!
I actually find him a pretty bad actor. He is mono-chord , lacks charisma and the ability to “disappear” into a role.
Whenever he’s on screen, I can’t help but thinking “Oh, what a douche-face”.
He might be a decent screenwriter / director (I have no idea, the only film I saw which was directed by him is The Town, and while I enjoyed it, I never felt an urge/will to watch it a second time) but he really sucks as an actor. I was so disappointed when he was chosen as Batman!
Rent Gone Baby Gone, his directorial debut and he co-wrote the screenplay. He’s not in it. He directed his brother, Casey Affleck. Great movie. On Rotten Tomatoes, it received high marks, a score of 94 from critics and 86 from audiences.
Affleck’s much better as a director than an actor, and I think even he would say himself that he enjoys more creativity being behind the camera rather than in front of it.
His talent is as a director, and IMO he’s very good at it. I don’t think his acting is bad by any means, but not the stuff of greatness either.
If they are managing it so closely, why are they releasing so much information? Can’t they just say they are divorcing amiciably and leave it at that? It seems weird to release reasons and so much detail to me.
I think they’re bombarding us with info so that they can stay in control and not leave time for gossip writers to create a lot of “what might have happened” articles…
If they try this hard to control the publicity about what comes out and not – then they are trying hard to hide something they don’t want out.
Yes I think so too. I found it interesting that news about Garner smoking was leaked it’s pretty minor of course but it’s off brand and it seemed like a veiled threat from Ben’s camp.
She smokes – but doesn’t curse?
I knew there was something I didn’t like/trust about her!
She curses and it is not a secret. She likes dirty jokes.
On her Inside The Actors Studio she said that her favorite curse word was “rats”
Here’s a theory: Their PR team is hoping to exhaust the divorce story so much, and totally saturate the media with it, that it becomes boring…I know I’m already getting bored of it. So, when the actual tidbits of truth start coming to light, no one will really notice or care.
Agreed.
I honestly think the details are pretty pedestrian. She wanted to marry a star. He wanted a family, but then got restless.
So he had some issues with addiction and a problem keeping his pants on.
This is not an unusual situation. Not like he is a child molester or a Nazi or any number of other shocking things.
Just shows math is important.
An A list actor getting involved with a B list actress then having Children will always lead to Divorce.
Ben Affleck is such a phony it annoys me. He wants it out there as a sob story about how he tried to be a family man and that they are putting the kids first. Like you said, the real picture is probably closer to Jesse James. I bet it’s a lot more juicy like maybe Blake Lively slept with him to get the part in the Town. All kinds of seedy things are probably going on behind the scenes with that guy.
Unfortunately, Ben will never go away. People love to hate him but he will be around.
All this press is definitely overkill. I will no longer be reading another story about their divorce unless some shocking news comes to light with the evidence to back it up.
Maybe this is what they are hoping for.. that others feel and react the same way.
+1
What is it about Ben that unleashes this level of tabloid frenzy and public thirst&curiosity? One would think it was JLo and Gwyneth back in the day, but no. It is Ben. Always been Ben. People can’t get enough of him. Tabloids love eating him up.
I get it – he is gorgeous. But still; why him?
It is Ben and Brad. We can’t get enough of these two men, and the on-goings of their private lives even after all these years. Clooney must be seething in jealousy. He deeply craves never-ending publicity like this.
I don’t believe the heroin rumours. I do believe that he was never faithful and probably only married her because she was pregnant and he was convinced that marriage to her would be best for restoring his tarnished image. He always looked like he wanted to be as far away as possible from her while she gazed adoringly at him.
I think he needs someone who ignores him a bit and let’s him do the adoring, someone who’ll be more exciting, glamorous and interesting. Men like him only respect women who’s attention they have to work really hard for.
She needs someone who’s happy as a homebody and who fancies Martha Stewart wannabes.
Their bombing of the media is working, the slant on the stories don’t leave much room for further speculation.
Not too familiar w/the effects of heroin, but Ben’s bloated appearance definitely looks to me like alcoholism mixed w/a painkiller addiction, just hope it doesn’t lead to heroin…
IF the H rumors *are* true, though, then I think these “sources” that Lainey’s so confident about are directly from their own camps, either as an attempt to bolster Jen/discredit Ben – or perhaps a real cry for him to get help?
Agreed, Laura.
*If* she’s right, part of the issue is that WB is shielding him.
It’s beyond strange that they are saying Ben went with Jen and the kids to Atlanta to watch them while Jen worked. Ben never followed Jen anywhere before to watch the kids while she worked so why start now? If you don’t want divorce to confuse the kids — heck wouldn’t it confuse them more that NOW dad is coming with them yet Mom and Dad are divorcing?
It’s funny that with Ben not having a Dad around to raise him he didn’t choose to be a more involved Dad. So much for learning from your parents mistakes.
Because it’s more for PR. See, everyone, Ben *is* a good, dedicated dad and supportive co-parent!
This! ^^^ He would rather go to Vegas or to Nova Scotia!
I’m really confused about this very long and public divorce.
Photographs of them vacationing together after the divorce announcement? an announcement made public on their 10th wedding anniversary? All those staged, random family pap walks prior when she looked ho hum and he looked aged and beleaguered.
Just weird and thirsty on her part.
Go away!
Why are they continuing to over explain this? I don’t think this is from Garner’s side- she has no skeletons in her closet. I know many don’t like her, but this has to be about Affleck. The more they (he) protests, the more I believe the heroin rumors. Posters were writing the other day about how it can’t be heroin because he is so high functioning. But maybe he is only in the beginning stages of addiction? I don’t know much about opiates, so I’m wondering if it takes awhile for it to become incapacitating/obvious junkie.
However, I’m still not totally convinced heroin is a factor because Affleck is so ambitious and there is such a stigma with heroin. He would be jeopardizing his reputation with directors, etc and I’m not sure he is self-destructive enough to go there. So i’m just not sure what to think.
There is a blind gossip yesterday regarding Ben Affleck and Gal Gadot. Both are married for now.
http://blindgossip.com/?p=72369
Is she the one in Nova Scotia?
@Lisa Hmm, that blind item is interesting. Definitely seems like Ben and Gal. Especially since Lainey’s recent blind also mentioned that Ben’s latest fling was with someone who wasn’t a huge star yet but she was waiting in the wings and her time was coming, so the blinds do seem to be pointing to her.
Also, on an unrelated note – I was remembering a few weeks ago when all the still-unconfirmed divorce rumors were rampant, a few random outlets stood out like sore thumbs with a totally weak attempt at disputing the rumors by claiming a source says they’re “fine” and also that they are planning to spend the summer as a family. This was about 1 to 2 weeks before the news broke. Now, looking back, it appears that this statement was technically true, and the Bahamas trip and Atlanta, etc., were already being planned out. They just neglected to mention they’d be spending the summer as a divorcing couple/family.
Jen is making a Christian movie? Oh man.
She needs a new agent, a new hair stylist and a new fashion stylist ASAP!
She looks great, not fackey Hollywoodish. Covered in thick make-up and crazy looking plastic surgery.
I think she has one of the best quality skin on her face in HW, plus great hair.
I would love to have her skin, she looks a lot younger, because of her great skin.
Although she needs to work with a stylist to improve her daily outfits.
Just compare her next to Nicole Kidman who looks like a circus freak due to all of her face messing next to Jennifer Garner.
@Nycjenny, I agree. She has really great hair. It’s so healthy and shiny, and has a very youthful smile like Naomi Watts does, and great skin. And she may have questionable fashion sense in her day-to-day life, better lately, but she has been on point fashionwise for over several years in all of her late night or TV appearances.
Here she is with Jimmy Kimmel, who is friends with Ben. Her figure looks great, great dress. I do have to wonder, though, on her late night appearances, without Ben, what is she going to have to talk about with these guys for the humor part of her interview? That was part of her shtick, joking about Ben, like here on Kimmel.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFPXrHU0lk
I like Jennifer but I think she is doing something on her face. Her eyes are not as big as they used to be. I hope she doesn’t over do it because she is already beautiful as she is right now.
When I said a new agent, I hope her film choices are more varied and not her usual moms y role. Stretch a little bit. She is not that bad of an actress.
This quote from his old Details interview kind of sums up what everyone thinks about him. He talks most of the interview about his career and then…..
” I’m not very present in the rest of my life. My wife’s very patient. She does everything. If I have time, I try to spend time with the kids, even if just to be a physical presence, the bath, whatever. But my mind’s always going, “How are we going to light that shot tomorrow? What’s the master shot for that scene? Is there even going to be a master?” Just ruminating endlessly.
I remember that quote.
As much as I think he’d be an incredibly difficult husband, I have to give him credit for self-awareness.
No, no, I’m sorry, I know many women don’t like Jennifer Garner, but one truly would have to be really stupid and blind not to see what a mess Ben Affleck has been over the years.
I remember well what Paltrow said about him, his behaviour with JLo.
This guy has been an alcoholic, gambling, skirt chasing mess for years.
It has nothing to do with any female or male, Ben like all of us has to take resposibility for his actions.
He did not have to marry Garner when she got pregnant with Violet, it wasn’t 1951, there are plenty of unmarried stars in Hollywood and for that matter in the world.
Plus, it’s not like she or someone else was holding a weapon to his head to marry her and have more kids with her.
Grow up Ben, you are middle aged and not 20 without a care in the world!
He’s a mess, for sure. But J-Lo and Gwyneth got divorced before him. Goopy was banging another guy. Both have failed marriages. LOL J-Lo more than once. Three times. The, oh, I believe in love girl and just keeps on marrying.
They aren’t big winners in the marriage/relationship department either, are they?
Well, I certainly didn’t say that either Paltrow or JLo were winners when it comes to relationships, did I?
I used them in my comment as examples of Ben’s bad boy behaviour long before he started his relationship with Garner.
I’m sure that Jennifer Garner is no saint, just like the rest of us, but Ben is a piece
of work.
If their first child, Violet was not planned and he didn’t want to be married to Garner for whatever reason, why have two more seemingly planned children?
Did Garner forced him with a weapon to his head or what???
Neither is Garner or did you for get she was married before too but I see you didn’t use her as example just trash Jlo and Goop.
Ben may be devastated. He was married for 10 years; 3 children. Just because he is a man and maybe a Douche doesn’t mean that he doesn’t love his children and is hurt that they are hurt. They are still very young. And I was thinking about Samuel. His later memories of family is going to be far different than that of his sisters. They have vivid memories of the family unit. I don’t know if he will.
But for men.. when they are done and want out.. they are not regretting that. They will take the shit that is throw at them and accept it as the Storm before the Calm. Whether Jennifer left or he left doesn’t matter at this point. We have all seen pics of Ben looking like he wanted to be any place than where he was.
I don’t buy the Ben is in Atlanta taking care of the kids while Jennifer works.. She was in the Bahamas for a few days after and in Atlanta for a few days.. someone was there taking care of the kids and it was not Ben.. I think the children are having a hard time and he went to maybe take care of them on an emotional level. I’m sure there is a lot of crying and asking where is daddy; when are you coming; why aren’t you here. Why can’t we go home.. on and on.. Kids will kill a nerve when things like this happens. So they need him.. and I think it is good that he came.
** for those that have been through this.. My parents were married for over 46 years until my Father’s death.. I wonder if it is better for the kids if this happens early or if older.
But at the same time the kids are use to Ben being gone for long periods of time. I do agree about not buying Ben is in Atlanta taking care of the kids while Jennifer works because, like you said he left the Bahamas days before Jen and the kids did. If he was really taking care of the why didn’t he bring the kids back to LA with him, then go to Atlanta to take care of them.
Personally, I think his PR agent told him to get down there because it made him look bad. That’s why we got a lot of photos of him going to Atlanta and the media knew exactly where he was headed (even though he used a private plane) and why he was there.
Ben is prepping to begin filming his next directorial effort in Atlanta scheduled next month. So besides the maybe genuine concern about being with his kids, the calculated PR move of telling the press he was going there on a private plane to spend time with them, there is, as usual, Ben taking care of his career and business as a priority. Men rarely get depressed by break ups to the point they stop caring about work.
I really doubt those kids will be crying and asking where Daddy is. They’ve had Daddy away more often than he’s been at home their whole lives, as far as I can see. If Mommy disappeared, then yes they would be scared and worried, but Daddy? Business as usual.
Yes but there is a new context.. Daddy working before.. but now Daddy working and we are getting a divorce.
I agree with “K”. Plus you can bet mom has been shielding them from dad’s addictions. It’s not news to them that dad has problems. They’d been in the same house with him when he was in town until he reportly started staying in a hotel. Maybe Jennifer asked him to stay elsewhere if he was drinking or whatever every night. Same story with the arrangement for him to live on the same property after the divorce. If he’s sober, he can see the kids. If not, he stays in his own place. He may adore the kids, but they don’t need to be exposed to his addictions. Maybe after Batman has made whatever money it can, WB will let him go to rehab again.
What are “NDAs”?
Non-Disclosure Agreements (not sure on the wording)….basically if he had one of his side pieces sign an NDA, they can’t go to the press, without being sued.
Ok, thanks.
I don’t understand what’s going on with the wedding rings. One day they’re off, the next day, they’re on … I don’t get it. Ben’s was off all weekend and when he flew to ATL, but photos of him today with Violet show it on. Jen’s was photographed on as recently as Mon., but she reportedly wasn’t wearing it at a spin class in ATL this morning.
Also, I 100% agree with the commitment to
co-parenting, but can’t you do that from a house in the same general neighborhood (like Chris Martin is doing.) It seems really strange to tell your kids you’re divorcing, but you’re actually now going to see them more than ever before, you’re still going to wear your wedding ring, you’re going to live in their yard, and mommy and daddy are going to travel everywhere together, etc. It seems a bit excessive. I have to say, it also reeks of a bit of control on Garner’s end. How does either person truly move on with their life if they’re living on the property of their ex? You can’t tell me Jen would be fine with Ben bringing home a girlfriend at some point. I just feel like there’s a healthier way to co-parent while still helping kids adjust to a new reality, because that’s ultimately what it is. I feel like there’s an undercurrent here of Jen not really wanting to let go, and “If I agree to the divorce, you WILL live on the property, and you WILL dutifully go on vacations and co-parent while I work.” Radar actually posted a story tonight about this – that she has been making desperate, last-ditch efforts to get Ben to stay. Not sure if it’s true, but it certainly fits with my own personal opinion about her from the very beginning.
Let me tell you guys the real deal here.Ben never loved Jennifer Garner but she was so infatuated with him she could not see it so after the mess of Bennifer one Ben needed to restore his image and needed someone to make him feel good about himself agai. and Garner was that person.He really thought this was as good as it was going to get.Then J Lo divorces and writes a book now he knows he has another shot with her the problem now is his reputation and Garners feelings he has to protect not to come off as some evil guy that is why he is staging all thos pr stunts but eventually maybe two years from now he will be back with JLo.The reason for him wearing hos ring and taking it off is to appease Garner who desperately wants to save a marriage he does not want in short she is clueless to hos real feelings.For the intelligent ones u shall see my point
This is the big story. PMK must be worried. Photos of Kim lying on a pile of dirt have been released…to only howls of deserved derision.