I'm just saying 😎 @haybing @chaoweeeezy @BenAffleck #HarryPotterWorld #daymade pic.twitter.com/yI6hcboqVZ
— Hunter Hirn (@HunterHirn) August 15, 2015
While ex nanny Christine Ouzounian was doing bikini photo ops and plotting her career as a reality star, Ben Affleck and his estranged wife, Jennifer Garner, went to Orlando, Florida. The couple was spotted at Universal’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter theme park on Saturday, which just happened to be Ben’s 43rd birthday. Do you think this was a happy birthday for a dude who loves gambling and sports (among other things)? Multiple people spotted the couple and various outlets have quotes about how they’re co-parenting. They’re getting back on message after the nanny stole the spotlight for a few days. In case we might assume that they’re also getting back together, sources tell People that they acted like “awkward strangers.” E! Online has the couple smiling and looking happy, though. Here are those conflicting reports:
People: they’re not interacting with each other, just the kids
“They didn’t even look at each other. They were talking to the kids, but they didn’t talk or even look in each other’s direction,” adds the onlooker. “They seemed like strangers – awkward strangers.”A source close to the couple tells PEOPLE that they were focused on putting their children first.
“As always, it’s about the kids and they will always put them first,” the source said. “Everyone had fun. They put them first no matter what.
“All Ben wanted for his birthday was to be with his children.”
Another source close to the couple added, “They have had a great weekend and the eyewitness saw them engaging s a family.”
E! Online: they had a great time
“They looked like they were having a great day together,” an eyewitness revealed to E! News exclusively. Both Ben and Jennifer were “smiling and the kids looked very happy and adorable too.”In fact, the family “was just walking around the park like normal people.”
[From People and E! Online]
Maybe E!’s source is an actual person who saw them at Universal, and People’s source is their PR. If this is the case I don’t know why any PR person would admit that divorcing parents aren’t even talking to each other. As we’ve mentioned before, kids know when their parents are ignoring each other. It’s probably confusing and upsetting for them to see mom and dad together but not talking. It’s possible their PR people are playing both sides or the outlets are doing photo assumption, it’s hard to tell.
It may have been an enjoyable birthday for Ben despite the presumed lack of booze and cards. The Red Sox beat the Mariners on Saturday, ending a losing streak on Ben’s birthday for the last 15 years. They even tweeted a happy birthday message to Ben, who said he’d take it.
Curse is over! Red Sox were 0-15 on @BenAffleck's birthday since Good Will Hunting came out. They won 22-10 today. pic.twitter.com/pSeGYlmFfk
— ESPN (@espn) August 15, 2015
Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner — Together in Florida For Ben's BDay (PHOTO) http://t.co/uHHHUVFpqQ
— TMZ (@TMZ) August 16, 2015
These photos are of Ben and his mom taking his kids to a science center in Atlanta on Friday. We don’t have any new photos of Jennifer Garner. Credit: FameFlynet
The birthday streak is finally over! Of course, we did win three World Series during the birthday streak so breaking it may not have been a good thing.
Not a true Redsox fan, but a huge fan of Jackie Bradley Jr, as he played for my alma mater. So, I am a fan of whoever he plays for. What a game he had!
Yes, a bright spot
Ha! Very true, Lilacflowers 🙂
Ben look like Paul Rudd in that top pic of him in the Sox cap.
He has a very nice smile.
One that probably helped him get away with tons of nonsense.
Now, even when he smiles his nice smile, all I see is a mopey malcontent.
Same
“Mopey malcontent” – excellent!
I feel like it’s sad for him that the Ed Hardy designer is no more, now that Ben seems primed for their merchandise.
Is anyone else geeking out about the fact that he is a GoT/House Stark fan?! At least he has one redeeming quality!
He used to have very tiny baby like teeth so he has his dentist to thank in part for those shiny veneers that make a big impact on his smile.
I posted this in the other thread, but it’s more relevant here…
I’m having this fear that Ben is going to try to get Jen back to rehab his image, not because he really loves her. He’ll call it a mid-life crisis and go to rehab and there’ll be pap pics of them huddled crying in a corner… I can see it all, and Jen needs to get the heck out of that marriage and never look back. Run, Jennifer, run!
I really hope Jen does not fall for that. She would be much better off moving on.
I doubt they’ll get back together. Once it’s over, it’s over. The spark is gone. They made their divorce announcement and they’re going to stick with it and move on. I have a feeling the thought of not having to answer to or judge each other quite as stringently from the role of spouse, will come as a huge relief.
I think he wants her back too for many reasons and I think that’s why he is so miserable in pics, he isn’t getting his way. He knows once she is really gone no other woman is going to care about his ass not like she did. I am more flabbergasted a 28 year old conned this sophisticated, gambling drunkard. I mean he can play poker and read cards but can’t read a con artist. I think his addiction issues are a lot worse than we know. His eyes look dead.
I think his ego prevents him from believing he could get played.
And I agree that his substance abuse/dependence probably spans several chemicals.
I don’t think he’s very sophisticated, and I don’t think he really got played by the nanny. And if so he’d never admit it because dude’s ego would explode. This is not over, he’s in some kind of stand off with her. Otherwise I’d expect him to shut her little game down. I think they’re playing a version of poker (as another poster postulated), which he would find very exciting, as the stakes are beyond any dollar amount he could gamble. She’s got something on him (or is bluffing that she does), he’s trying to draw out her hand without directly calling her bluff. Same old, same old, really.
He was thinking with the head below his belt and not the one in his shoulders. Men they think they know everything but you need to be 3 steps ahead of someone if they want something. They have worked it out ahead of you by the time the person realises it.
Over dramatic much? No one will want him? His eyes look dead? He is obviously wiped out from all the drama, but trust, he does not want her and all that baggage back. He will have some freedom soon, and nothing and no one can replace that. If he is a good dad to his kids, who he appears to be giving first priority to, that is what matters. He isn’t a drug addict either. Can’t name my source, but I know. There will be no rehab, for drugs or ex-wife.
I get that feeling too. I think she was the one who finally decided the marriage needed to end. Despite claims that he wanted out, I think he was fine with things the way they were and she had enough. She probably wanted out earlier, which was why he thanked her for working on things in that odd Oscars speech. Hopefully she won’t be pulled back in.
I know everyone wants to believe otherwise but I think she’d take him back in a heartbeat. He’s done with her, he’s playing nice because he knows it’s bad for his image otherwise. But the timing of the breakup at the 10 year mark right before he finalized a multi picture deal that’s potentially worth well north of a 100$ mill shows how much it’s in Ben’s favor. They really should have waited 6 months to announce and they probably would have been able to smooth over the nanny problem with a lot less publicity but I believe Ben wanted the separation announced well ahead of Batman.
I agree with you, Luca. Ben wanted out of the marriage, and I fully believe Jen was the one always wanting to hold it together, no matter what. That said, I’m not beyond thinking that they may be having doubts right now about going through with the divorce, each for their own reasons. Him because he’s remembering what it’s like out there without the stability of a family, and her because, as I’ve said over and over ad nauseum, it was and will always be about Ben for her. Even now, even though she probably hates/loves him, believe me, she doesn’t want to see him wind up with someone else. I think she’d opt to keep the dysfunction over that. We’ve seen this cycle before. If they decide to try again, there will of course be a little honeymoon/novelty period, but they’ll end up right back here again – whether it’s one year or five years from now.
You are right
I agree, JoJo. He liked his good image and his stable life more than he realized, and he was hit hard by nanny gate and went crawling back into the safety of Jennifer. She’s not what he wants, but what he needs, and it didn’t take much for him to go running back. But I still think she needs to cut him off full stop. She deserves better.
@Jojo I see what you are saying and I agree to a point but ultimately I think it comes down to that Batman money. If he says with her through that deal he will have to give her half. And though they may have about the same amount of money right now in the future he is the one with the bigger career and offers on the table. So this is his time to get out.
She doesn’t need Batman money. She has millions of her own due to endorsements. She probably makes more from her Neutrogena and Capital One deals, than she does from films these days. I don’t know why people think that she needs him for anything at this point. The only things she needs him to do is be a decent parent to the kids and for him to act like an adult. If he continues to be this self-destructive without Jen around, those potential offers will go away. He is not that good of an actor and can be easily replaced.
@luca but she gets that money anyway since they have to split things down the middle since they hit the 10 year mark. Plus she has Alias money (that show is still being shown) tons of endorsement deals, and heck Jennifer Garner can actually act. Maybe now she can be in more roles. I think she’s going to be like Kidman, run out and get an Oscar nomination after she divorces her husband.
@Merritt I didn’t say she needed Batman money. I think for Ben who is a selfish jerk it’s always about what’s best for him and even if she has endorsement deals she isn’t making Batman money from them. He’d have to give her a huge payout even if they divorced in a couple of years vs right now. That’s just a fact and I’m sure a lawyer would tell him now is the time to do it.
I’m no Jen G fan but I don’t necessarily think she wants to hold onto him just for money. I think she’s put a lot of work into him, his career, and their mutual image. Once they divorce she will lose a lot of prestige and power. I mean she’s not going to be at the Oscars anytime soon even just as a presenter. And remember that he’s not just an actor but a director and a writer and Hollywood is a boys club. He’d have to literally burn the studio down for anyone to care about his dalliances.
@starrywonder that deal was signed after they announced a separation. She may be getting some of that money (I have no idea) but it wouldn’t fall under community property.
@Lucas76
But maybe she doesn’t want that anymore. Everyone has their breaking point, and I think he finally pushed her to hers. Despite all the claims that she refused to divorce him, that doesn’t ring true. Nothing was stopping him from leaving years ago and filing for divorce. Once filed, she was unlikely to try and stop it because it would have made her look crazy. Besides if Jennifer Aniston and Dwayne Johnson can present at the Oscars, so can Jennifer Garner.
@ Merrit maybe it doesn’t ring true to you but to me it doesn’t ring true that she would ever let him go. I think it just comes down to personal opinion. I’ll congratulate myself that I never bought the image they projected during their media blasts so I’ll continue to trust my gut on them but ultimately this is just gossip and no one will ever really know what happened.
They haven’t filed for divorce yet, let alone finalized it. So financially this is in Jen’s favor when they actually get divorced. He looks miserable. I disagree with your take.
@Ashling It’s based on date of separation, not when the divorce is filed or finalized.
He is his own worst enemy. I truly think if he got the therapy he desperately needs, he would be a good partner and father. If he wants her enough perhaps he will change. You never know. For the children’t sake alone, I hope he gets it together.
They were in therapy, but if in 10 years nothing changes then it won’t even in the future. ‘You never know’ .. seems the kind of mindset Jen has go on with, and look where she is now. I just hope that, whatever happens, she won’t look back.
I agree with your sentiment Cumpet. Although, I’m worried that even therapy can’t save him….
I know too many families where the parents are separated/divorced and not even on speaking terms. I’m not going to shade Jen and Ben for at least trying to get along for the sake of their kids.
If Garner comes back with him,she would be totally idiot.He cheated during their marriage,he cheated during the breakup and he will cheat during their reconciliation.
Ben is miserable because he was miserable during their marriage.
Shudder. Please let her be done with his dumb self. I think he would try it since she made things easier for him and kept him from totally self destructing.
Well, at least they only had bystanders taking photos on Saturday instead of paps documenting every move. Those photos of Ben and his mom were taken earlier (Friday, I think).
Any publicity about them just feeds the nanny nonsense. Let her flame out, quickly.
Yes, please let her flame out! No big nanny reveals this past weekend, so we’ll see…
As for Ben/Jen and their adorable children, I hope they can move past this mess and, if at all possible at this point, just divorce in peace.
Jennifer probably didn’t call them this time since it was his birthday and he hates them.
Unfortunately, sometimes a person doesn’t realize what is the most important thing to them, until they lose it or almost lose it…sad…I’ve seen it happen over and over…
I think the most important person to Ben Affleck is himself.
Luca76…you really seem to have an unusal hatred for a man that, I assume, you don’t know personally, and only read about in tabloids and online celebrity sites…I mean, if he cheated, he’s an asshole, but you sound like you would love to see him nailed to a cross! Why is this so personal to you???
Mrs BPITT I think you seem really attached to the idea that Ben isn’t a womanizing creep when he’s shown over and over that he is.
Isn’t the difference of opinion what makes this place interesting?
Anyway I’ve been one of those people that never bought into the press and thought this marraige was in trouble for a long, long time.
I think a lot of the comments here (in general not just you) reflect how many people bought the PR and had want really bad for Ben and Jen to be something they aren’t. Still clinging to a narrative that fits the concept they’ve been sold.
Luca76….Oh, I’m sure Ben cheated with the Nanny and probably others, he’s no saint, thats for sure. Just because he is a crappy husband, doesn’t mean he doesn’t love and cherish his kids. I guess, the break up of any family, makes me sad.
@MrsBPitt I’m sure he loves his kids,I hate to say that anyone doesn’t love their kids. I think that’s a separate issue than the divorce shenanigans and PR.
No, he loves his kids. The marriage was suffocating him.
Is that a House Stark direwolf hat?
If yes, that is some MAJORLY subtle image re-branding….the hat of the noble and honorable house of stark!
(It’s probably not. But that’s immediately what I thought of, though.)
I was about to make the very same comment. Does look like a GoT hat.
Yes, it’s a Stark hat, from a charity baseball game. The Staten Island direwolves.
Yes, indeed that is the direwolf of the Starks.
🐺
He’s been wearing that hat for a while.
Not Going to lie; I totally geeked out over the hat.
Is it wrong that I am softening to Ben, based solely on the fact that he is wearing a House of Stark hat?
I hope he behaves himself while around Jen or he may end up like Ned Stark.
The Harry Potter theme park at Universal Studios, Orlando is awesome! That’s all I’ve got.
Seconded.
Right?!? I just came to say that I’m super jelly. I’m a serious Potterhead, and I haven’t had a chance to go to The Wizarding World yet. I hope the G-A kids enjoyed it, because they’re living my dreams right now. Must go and get a wand and a Butterbeer, ASAP.
My fiance drank his weight in butterbeer while we were there. Both times. I am not a fan. Although the frozen is better.
Affleck has good reasons to smile IMO. His people have been smart with this.
Usually when the rich/famous are accused of affairs the ‘domino’ effect comes into play.
It happened with Tiger Woods. Rachel Uchitel’s name was bandied about; then every cocktail waitress, lapdancer, socialite, even neighbour’s daughters, came out of the woodwork to put Woods on blast.
Same with David Beckham. Rebecca Loos opened the floodgates then Sarah Marbeck, Danielle Heath, and other names like Esther Canandes (who never sold her story) broke the dam.
Its been almost a month and there has been no torrent of Gloria Allred press conferences or even interviews with Star Magazine and widely read outlets, from random women about Ben Affleck and his other -ahem – vices.
(And that’s saying something when even People magazine cops that he had affairs).
Sunshine has kept the ship tight.
The Nanny story will play out. (I personally find it yawnsville now)
And they’ll keep doing their thing, and go their separate ways.
In the long run it’ll considered a blip, rather then a game changer like Woods’ situation.
I think his side pieces have been starlets for the most part who have a lot to lose by talking and almost nothing to gain. Blake Lively would shave her head before admitting to hooking up with Ben Affleck.
Disagree.
If his cheating is as chronic as its been during a 10 YEAR marriage span……….then I’m quite sure there are far far more Vegas showgirls, and waitress hook ups, than starlets.
(Twas the same when he was with JLo & Goop)
And I don’t get why almost every young actress Affleck comes into contact with, – Lively, Emily, Gal e.t.c – is automatically assumed to have slept with him.
+100 origialTessa
@Jegede I think that started because sites like Lainey started that. I still think something happened with Lively just because way too many blinds came out and also her naked photo that got sent to somewhere and that’s when Ben Affleck got a black eye…
I think he has sidepieces all over the place, on set with costars, at the casinos, in the strip club, at Olive Garden and Jack in the box. I mean, if he’s doing the nanny, he’s probably doing a host of others in various stations in life.
I think you nailed it.
Too bad, but maybe it’s because Jen is still ‘playing nice’ by being papped with him and the kids. That’s why I’m afraid she might want to get back with him, if he asked, I just hope she has some shreds of pride inside her left.
Really interesting observations, Jegede.
My boyfriend was talking to me about a Tiger Woods documentary that he recently watched. In the movie, they spoke about how Tiger had been having an affair with a local waitress who was rather…dumpy and average-looking. The tabs had been following Tiger’s affair with this woman but didn’t think the story would sell because who would believe that Tiger would have an affair with such a plain woman? So the tabloid rags waited until he cheated with Rachel Uchitel–a woman who was considerably more attractive, thus making the story more salacious and believable.
@Jegede
Agree Completely.
And I laugh at the theory that Ben has enough self control to program himself to cheat with only actresses/starlets. Have you seen how this guy carries on in random interviews with attractive women? Commenting on their anatomy, pulling them on his laps etc. Dude has ZERO filter. If he finds it hot he’s on it. There’s no way he has regulated himself all these years to make sure to cheat with one profession or age gap. That’s not how it works.
That’s what makes me question the nanny’s story. He’s been able to keep all of his other side pieces quiet, for the last ten years most likely, but he can’t shut this one up? It doesn’t make sense. He may be sloppy, but he’s got a team of lawyers around him to protect his reputation. They’ve probably got a dozen NDA’s and pay-offs behind them. A lot of the rumors involve his co-stars, but you can’t tell me all those nights of drinking and gambling in Vegas that he didn’t hook up with randoms too.
Just like sex and pregnancy, all it takes is one (slip up/famewhore).
Many moons ago when I was a flight attendant at AA, Ben was known for being very friendly with the crew members. He would stand in the galley and chat up the flight attendants, Mr. Cool always. Not sure if he is in the mile high club, commercial that is.
@ Frivolity for normal people, yes. For a man that has hired an entire PR team to deal with his separation rollout, no. There’s just no way they wouldn’t have paid her to keep quiet. Every famewh**e has a price.
He looks like a miserable gradeschooler on a field trip. You know, like he threw up on the bus and had to wear the teacher’s “Spare Shirt” or something. Ben Affleck And NannyMort.
LOL!
Oh, Ben desperate much? Lord, he’s so obvious. Nope, going to a theme park with your ex and children isn’t going to make us forget you did the nanny.
But hey, at least the kids are happy (for sure, he was not).
“They didn’t even look at each other. They were talking to the kids, but they didn’t talk or even look in each other’s direction”.
That must have been fun for the kids: hanging out with two parents who ignore each other.
To me it is not good co-parenting, it is doing a pr damage control with the children.
FFS.
^ THIS.
+1
I remember being a kid whose parents hated each other. It was unending stress (they didn’t divorce until I was in my teens). This is not co-parenting. I agree with Eleonor – PR control with the kids as props.
I agree. I think this stunt was a horrible thing to do to them.
And the three year old, and very probably the six year old, won’t know who or what the hell Harry Potter is, either.
Yes, and why Jen had to tag along? I mean he wanted to spend the day with his children, fair enough. The nanny and his mom were there. So what is Garner doing there? PR!
I don’t understand their desire to keep the family “together” after announcing the split. What’s the point of splitting up when you’re together all the time? I understand a united front for the kids but kids can see their parents separately, without the charade and confusion of this weird middle space of sort of married.
This. I know I wouldn’t want to be hanging out w/my ex in a crowd of thousands of people (on HIS b-day). Esp. when I knew he would rather be somewhere else. It is possible to keep it civil for the kids without spending every waking moment together. Plus, a couple of her kids can read. Are they really dumb enough to believe these kids have no idea what’s going on?
How do you know they are together all the time? He’s been in California, so back and forth. There’s been several outings with her out alone with the children and several outings with Ben out alone with them. He was at his Savannah house for a weekend. Jen nor the kids were with him. There’s really no evidence to show they are all hanging together as a family like normal all the time. We only see a small snip of what is going on in Atlanta with the family. This is the kids’ vacation to Disney World. Maybe both parents wanted to be with them, and so did his mom, and so made it work.
Since she’s been in Atlanta, I’ve only seen like two outings of Ben and Jen together as a family until the kids’ holiday weekend at Disney in which his mom was included.
Ben never was on Jennifer’s filming before
@Don’tKillmeI’mFrench, sure he has been. She’s never taken a lead before. This Atlanta one is the first lead, which is longer filming. She took smaller roles, where she only had to be on set three days a week, even the last Canada shoot. Then Ben watched the kids. I know when she filmed in Atlanta before for Dallas Buyers’ club, she said he encouraged her to take the role and he watched them. Even though it was a small shoot, he brought the kids to visit or she came back home for the weekend. There were sightings of them in Atlanta doing kid stuff back then.
We don’t see their whole lives together and people like to make it either/or. He’s either an involved father or he’s a horrible father and never supported Jennifer. I never get making it black and white.
There is the middle area that people refuse to see because he needs to have been a horrible husband across the board for them. They had many good years. It wasn’t all bad. She has said over the years he is supportive of her career and always told her we can make it work, take it. This last year and a half when he took on so much was when the balance went way out of whack and she didn’t work until spring. But Jen has said she doesn’t want to work full weeks away from her kids and why she has chosen smaller roles since they began school.
Yeah, Jayna, but at the moment they’re in the middle of a horrendous nanny scandal before they’ve had a chance to deal with the other stuff that broke them up. When peple feel humiliated and emotions are raw, it’s not fair to the kids to try to “make it work” on a public pap walk.
Yep. There’s no way around it, you’re breaking up. Pull the bandaid off quickly and just be there for them as much as you can individually and as co-parenters. Kids, man, they are way smarter than that.
I think most of the public posturing is more for Ben than the kids at this points.
I think it is great that they are trying to soften the blow to the kids, by going on little outings with them. Remember when Bruce Willis and Demi Moore split. They were great about co-parenting. I remember thinking, if I ever got divorced, I would hope that my ex and I could be civil for the kids sake…
Bruce Willis and Demi Moore had genuine affection and no acrimony, and that’s seriously rare. Especially when you boff the nanny.
He celebrated there for PR because you just know he’d rather be in Vegas.
You take that Stark hat off right now. They’re my favorite house that George apparently hates and tries to murder all of them.
Jen, at five years into the marriage, knew she wasn’t his true love. She admitted it in this link below.
Dayum, I never realized she was so thin five years ago after two kids. She’s tiny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4LL10eZ8ZI
Please a joke on Matt/Ben’s bromance
Pretty sure Jayna was kidding!
He looks baked.
What is he wearing?? He is dressed like my 10 year old son.
People talk about Jen’s casual wear. Ben has been dressing like a slob since the summer hit.
Apparently he has ONE tee shirt ….Detroit City
I think he’s always dressed like a slob he only a step up from I’m Adam Sandler.
@Neah, I thought he was Adam Sandler in one photo recently. LOL
Sandier is filming in Savannah right now, so maybe Ben and his wardrobe can get a cameo.
Lol come on I think Ben looks like hes washed in the last couple of days were as Adam never looks that way.
Would someone please steal that darn Detroit City tshirt and burn it!!
He’s in straight up Adam Sandler territory at this point clothing wise. All he needs is a food stain on his shirt and he’s good to go.
Re: the Detroit City shirt, I think it is intentional so he’ll look the same in every pap shot. He wants all the photos to look the same so they won’t sell. Maybe it’s like a passive aggressive slight to Jennifer’s routine pap walks. Not that he hasn’t used the paparazzi to his advantage in the past, but this time around he knows the heat is on him. And there aren’t paparazzi photos of them going to the park, just eyewitness photos. Jennifer is probably done trying to help his image and he hates them anyways.
Guh, stop parading your children around on these unconvincing pap tours.
Did you have a happy Birthday Ben? Who gives a f@(K?
And Jen, he probably deserves everything he’s getting but why torture the kids with it?
Bens hot!! Can’t dress though,oh well. He looks good with some meat on his bones.
their kids must be so confused. I’m confused. one day they wear wedding rings, next day the thirsty nanny pulls some pap stunt then no rings, then rings, then vacationing together. if my husband screwed the nanny there would be no way I’d be out and about like nothing happened.
I think he may be having one of those “you don’t know what you’ve got ’til it’s gone” revelations. For so long he’s been dreaming (and acting) like he wants out of a stifling marriage. Now that it’s actually a reality and he’s being excoriated by the press and most likely some of his close friends, he’s having second thoughts. Well Ben, you chose gambling, booze and philandering over a stable marriage and 3 gorgeous kids. You must be so proud of yourself.
I think he won’t know until she’s moved on with some guy who adores her and lavishes her with affection when out and about and spends time with his children.
But maybe not. They might have run this into the ground so far that he just wants out. But every parent I know divorced with kids has some regrets, just because they know the kids were hurt by not making a success of the marriage. It doesn’t mean they aren’t happy to be out and moved on with life, but once children are involved, it’s never some guilt-free split and walk away.
Especially if one parent knows they were responsible for the break-down and subsequent pain the kids suffered by acting like a selfish a$$.
Definitely Ben will have moments of self doubt when Jen meets a nice guy and the kids hang all over him and talk about him all the time. That will be his wake up call that he can’t just dial it in with the kids and he’ll need to try harder.
I don’t see that I think he wants his marriage free freedom, meaning he can drink, gamble, party and work all he wants without the “nagging wife”, but he also wants the happy family good PR that came with Being married to Jen and the dimple parade.
It’s all going to come down to Jen is she going to finally let Ben be the grown a$$ man that he is, which means letting him clean up his own mess or is she going to continue to baby him and come to his rescue and pull out the happy family photo ops when his image takes a hit.
So far the latter has happened, she needs to talk to Courteny Cox, who has been there with David Arquette. Courteny has supported David in his recovery, but not in his self destructive man’s child ways, she seems to have built up boundaries which Jen has not.
Neah, very astute observation. 🙂
He seems so arrogant, and the split is so new, he’s probably in jubilation land thinking about all his options without having to be covert.. He’s still with the kids and the wife a lot. If he ever regrets it, it will be later on once they are officially divorced and he doesn’t have kids around anymore.
I’m sure he loves Jen but he’s not IN love with her. A man in love doesn’t bang the nanny (and lord knows who else-honestly) right under her nose in their home and on vacation.
He’s an addict. He uses booze drugs and gambling to numb himself. People like that have high high’s and low low’s. He probably is panicking in his low moments – when the party drops and his lovers and party pals go back to their homes and their families and all he feels is alone and shame- THATS when he misses Jen. Jen could be ANYONE, he doesn’t miss HER as an individual- he misses that place to hide from the world when the party stops and needs stability (his behavior-cheating with the nanny, gambling- all very unstable). Then he will get bored of her and go back to the women booze and gambling.
Rinse repeat. She should get out now while she’s young and wealthy and find a REAL man.
Such a codependent relationship.
It’s not either/or. It’s not black and white. Yes, he wants out of the marriage. Is he abandoning his children? Obviously not. Is he lying drunk in the gutter with aces and eights strewn about him? No. Dramatic and judgmental much?
I certainly know nothing about him except what you read in the gossip press. I just get this “fake” vibe.
I think Ben Affleck is gross. Every time I see his face I just wonder what is growing in that beard. As others have mentioned – his eyes are dead. He is not engaged. I do not believe they were separated for 10 months. All the pictures of them up until Spring showed relaxed body language. The pictures from him appearing in front of Congress were very cordial. I think something happened this Spring to blow the doors off their marriage. The level of hostility between them is palpable. This relationship is not one of people that have grown apart – the anger is too fresh. It is hard to imagine that a person could treat his wife and family as callously as he did. He protected himself and his girlfriend – not them . I think that speaks volumes about Ben Affleck. For what it is worth, I will never watch a movie with him in it. I could never separate the actor from the person.
Basically, he destroyed his own family. Lots of angry messages on FB even family friends of nanny are mad and supporting JG. But accounts of people who saw them yesterday have them speaking most of time and kids were having a great time.
Jen was not wearing her ring but Ben was according to someone who saw them. I sound like a reporter. I could work for People now. 😃
Below are pictures taken by one person who saw them. I hope i did this right.
https://www.facebook.com/staceyrobinson.cox/posts/10155886004610184:0
Jen’s arms look very thin in that photo….
The kids look so pumped to be there. Cute.
On another note, I was in Brentwood/Santa Monica for back to school shopping and I thought about your comments on JG’s outfits and shoes. She is actually quite trendy because most of the women here, young and her age, dress like her, even those shoes. They all look fashionable and pretty so I don’t under why she gets a lot of flaks here. Maybe her outfits don’t look good on pictures but actually very nice and trendy in person.
Is there some reason Jen didn’t let Ben and his Mom take the kids down to Orlando for the weekend and she stay back in Atlanta and have a weekend to herself? Does she not trust Ben and his mom with the kids? Or maybe she has some sort of ulterior motive in regards to hanging out with Ben….either to win him back OR to torture him with her presence when she knows he’s done with her.
I wouldn’t trust Ben with the kids. Half the pics show him staring into the abyss and being miserable. He hasn’t interacted with those children and now he’s playing dotting dad. By fall he will see them once a month if at all. He doesn’t give a Damn about family or kids. This man’s a alcoholic and gambler. They are boring to him. Mom probably there to help watch because Ben is not very observant unless it’s liquor, nannies and cards.
@someone That’s kind of my thinking. I mean, I get that they supposedly want to co-parent together, but if they’re truly splitting up like they announced, the Ben’s birthday would seem like an obvious time for Jen to step out of the picture and let Ben and his mom take the kids to Orlando. Maybe it was planned way in advance, but still. It seems like they’re just postponing the inevitable for their kids – they can’t live on the same property forever, and at some point, will move on with other people. My hunches (like many other people’s) about these two have been right over the years, and I do have a feeling that Jen continuing to insert herself has something to do with not really wanting to let go, and passive-aggressively staying in Ben’s space under the guise of it being about “the kids.” I think she wants to send the world, including the nanny, a message that says “he’s still mine, we’re still married” no matter how hurt/angry she might be right now.
I agree with this complete comment.
I dunno. I think his birthday falling this weekend was kinda a coincidence with the timing of the vacation for the kids. She just spent the summer filming, not getting to spend a lot of time with the kids and them not really getting much in terms of a treat for their summer school break. I suspect it’s more likely that she had planned to take the kids on a little vacay as they were about to return home and start school and Ben jumped on the bandwagon for PR reasons. Whether we believe it or not, there was a quote from one of Nanny’s “friends” that she and Ben had made plans for his birthday during their “real relationship.” Clearly those were a bust at this point.
Jen spent what 7 to 8 weeks filming and every weekend she had off and was with the kids and before filming stared at the end of June they were on vacation.
Point is while Ben stays in Atlanta to film his movie Jen goes back to LA with the kids so she could have let Ben have some alone time with the kids before they go back to school.
Yup!!! Exactly Jojo
Exactly JoJo. My thought was that Jen wouldn’t let him have the kids for the weekend without her going along too. Whether she is doing that out of concern (blind item drug use accusations etc) or her own self interests is anyone’s guess. But now would be a logical time for Ben to start taking the kids places by himself and for Jen to start letting them have that time apart with their Dad to get used to it.
Then again, maybe Ben begged her to come along in order to draw attention away from the Nanny gossip.
+1
Maybe they’re two grown-up people who want to parent their children, and slowly ease the children into their now separate lives. Why does it have to be “we’re divorcing now, we can’t do anything together.” ?? As to why they’re both there, when my kid is deliriously happy, I know i want to be there, as does his father. Kudos to them for putting the kids first. He cheated, she’s a nag, whatever…they’ve got 3 kids and they’re doing the right thing. If he/she looks miserable, it may just be having your pic taken when you’re in a theme park, or it’s hot as f and the lines are exhausting. Not even tinker bell could keep a true smile on her face at a theme park on a hot day.
This is true.
Damn it!
We have annual passes to both parks (Hogwarts is in Islands of Adventure; Diagon Alley is in Universal)… and my boyfriend didn’t want to go this weekend. My high school self would have exploded at the idea of running into Sydney Bristow inside Knockturn Alley, but alas, it was not to be. I wish I could tell you whether E! or People is right.
That said… this place is PACKED on summer weekends — elbow-to-elbow everywhere you go — and there are interesting details everywhere you look. Theoretically, they could have ignored each other the entire time and the kids wouldn’t even notice. There’s just so much to see, and it’s often too crowded or noisy to have conversations anyway.
ETA: There’s plenty of beer in the park, too. Ben *could* have boozed it up while his kids sipped Butterbeer.
Frozen butterbeer is addictive…very addictive….
I bet!! Especially in the sweltering Orlando heat.
I really wish I could try it — or any Butterbeer — but JK Rowling was strict about not altering the recipe, which means they won’t serve it without the froth on top. It’s dairy-based, so no Butterbeer for vegans like me. 🙁 Otherwise I really appreciate the commitment to authenticity.
Edited after checking: you’re completely right, it has dairy, which is unfortunate as there is a big news article on the creation of the recipe stating it doesn’t. I trusted that one. They should get that article corrected, because it could cause a serious allergy for someone.
Meh I wish they’d stop doing this. Ben could have taken them to Harry Potter World by himself for his birthday. They don’t have to play happy family for the kids. Ben always looks miserable during these family outings plus the kids are probably confused about what is happening. File for divorce, figure out your custody and please move on, maybe getting together for holidays and birthdays. We know they are not a happy parent unit, it makes me cringe to see them do this.
You all need to check out the Exclusive pics on Daily Mail of Ben and Jen at DisneyWorld birthday weekend! Wow they looked miserable!! There is even a picture of Ben that looks like he’s so pissed at Jen and growling at her. These two need to get far away from each other, they need space, it’s too bad both are so stupid and blind to see that what they are doing is creating more harm than good not just for themsleves but for their children. Ben has really made a mess of his life!!
Yeah, they don’t look like they are thrilled. Then again the comments all suggest it is because people are taking their pictures.
Why was Jen wearing jeans? It was 90+ degrees yesterday in Orlando.
I can imagine that the expression on Ben’s face in the Dumbo pictures is VERY much related to the fact that photos of Batman riding Dumbo will forever haunt him. Priceless.
@ Amy – Yeah, they put out that statement early on about co-parenting and how, just because they’re not going to be married anymore, it doesn’t mean that anything should have to change for their kids. But yeah, it kind of does mean that things have to change. It doesn’t change the fact that they can still have two loving parents, but it does mean that mommy and daddy will live apart and will have separate lives. I mean, that is the point of splitting up, isn’t it? I think Jen is pushing this “conscious uncoupling” thing hard – I think she’s hoping that if they all continue to spend enough time together under the auspice of it being “all about the kids,” things will get better and they’ll eventually fall back into being a couple again. I believe her kids are her first priority (and I believe they’re Ben’s too!), but that being said, I’d be willing to bet she uses them as sort of a power play with Ben – not necessarily consciously – to keep him around. Because at this point, really, what’s the deal? Why are the rings on? Why haven’t they filed? The media attention isn’t going away anytime soon because they announced their intent to divorce, but they haven’t taken any actual steps in that direction. Even the minivan majority has to see the light here – in spite of everything, Jen hasn’t filed. Why? Ben can’t stop her, so what is it? I don’t buy the fact that she’s been “busy” working. Everything is done through their mediator – all they have to do is sign stuff. Ben will be working next, so they’ll be “busy” forever.
JoJo – wow you sure do hate Jen, huh?! You are so adamant that Jen wants him back, I’m sure not seeing what you are so intent on seeing… I think you underestimate the influence her close friends and family have on the decisions she has and will make here on. She’ll file for divorce before him. They need to realize that they are no cut out to be do this conscious uncoupling thing, and call it as it is, they will not move on “with love and friendship” not yet maybe a few years down the road but not now too much pain inflicted.
As much as you clearly are a Ben supporter, you have to at least admit that he sure has made his life a living hell and karma is coming in the form of a nanny, his worst nightmare, not sure how you can support someone that has hurt so many women in his life, not just JenG, what is happening to him now is payback to all the women he has hurt along the way.
@ Jets – No, no – I don’t hate either one of them. I’ve always said that. The topic is clearly polarizing, and everyone seems to be in one camp or another, but I’m not pro or anti- Ben or Jen. I think Ben clearly has some big demons, and I also think they were poorly matched from the start, and they both contributed to their long, slow demise by staying in it far too long. They’re human. Having said that, yes, I will admit, I do tend to see Jen – and always have – as the one who would opt to stay in the marriage regardless of what was going on, and I can’t say anything has really changed my mind on that so far. I’m only stating my opinion based on what I see in the media, so clearly it’s just that – an opinion. I do think it’s quite funny though how people are so free with their public damnation of Ben, including calling him every name in the book and insulting his character, but if someone even politely and rationally calls Jen or her actions into question, all he&* breaks loose.
this
First, it is only been about 6 weeks since they announced their INTENT to divorce. Jen was later coming to the Bahamas because she was in Canada wrapping up filming a movie, which had taken weeks prior to that. She flew from Bahamas straight to Atlanta to begin filming another movie and has worked weekdays, as well as some weekends, until at least late last week. About 2 weeks after that, the Nanny news was published. I would imagine that dealing with that has taken a great deal of any “extra” energy/focus she had. Together, they have extraordinary property and assets and I am doubtful she has had time to focus a great deal of energy on that part of the divorce. Also, she has been dealing with her kids in what I imagine to be very little spare time, spending time with each individually and helping them smooth into the transition of their parents divorcing. I understand legally the actual filing is incidental once they have worked out the legal aspects of the kids and property through mediation process (they are only going to seek a final decree with the Court, I believe). I do believe she will go forward with it, but as much as they are public personalities, they are still not answerable to the public’s ideas and decrees about how fast they need to finalize this, right?!? It’s not The Truman Show. It IS the trend to spend time together with the kids, especially when they are this young, and they are only weeks into the process. I have no doubt there will be more (and have already been via the photos) separate activities with the kids.
This guy… so so so handsome and sexy even after all his recent turmoils. His calves are a little slim – that’s his sole physical flaw. And terrible fashion sense, but who needs it when you look like that?
I love his height. I love all his different body shapes – trim, buff, dad-bod. And I love his smile. All of it. That smile is earnest and sleazy at the same time. The perfect mix for a dirty night.
I don’t blame the nanny for being attracted to him because he is slamming. I blame her for pursuing the attraction though.
Blind Gossip just posted something. Consider the source, but it’s relevant to this discussion.
I don’t know anything about Blind Gossip if they are reliable or not, but that does sound an awful lot like Ben and the impression he give off during these happy family photo op.
I thought the same thing as the blind about them having the 3rd child to have a boy – that Jen did it because she thought a boy would interest Ben more. IE if he had a son he’d be more involved. But nope….
It does sound like Ben/Jen, but it’s a little weird that it’s written as though they’re still married, and she can “make him” do things he doesn’t want to do. At this point, wouldn’t he just tell her to butt out?
I think it was his PR team that “made” him on this one. It’s hard as a mother to see your kids long to share these events with their dad and him show little interest. The kids get it.
In all fairness to celebrity dads, today’s Blind Gossip Item could have been written about my husband!
Disneyland in August isn’t my idea of a great birthday either, but Ben could be trying to make it up to the kids for the hurt he has caused them. The family is torn apart by his actions and it will have an affect on those kids for the rest of their lives. Maybe he looks miserable because of the heat (they all look miserable actually) maybe its the paps and tabloid spectacle, or maybe its guilt. Who knows.
As for the blind gossip story it sounds like total BS. There are plenty of photos of Ben with his kids throughout the years, and not just during the Oscar campaign.
In fact that BG blind is real or not,we don’t care.Too many staged photo ops! too many rumors ! Too many fake smiles!
He always looks miserable when he is with Jennifer Garner with or without the kids.
Maybe it is because of the paps who follow them or not all time.
It is tense between them and it is totally logic actually ( the NannyGate) but their “cordial” co-parenting looks more RP driven than honest .
So on her birthday, he has a weekend away with a mystery woman where he removes his wedding ring, but for his, despite a formal divorce announcement, they all go en famille to a theme park, his wedding ring firmly in evidence?
Only Lainey thinks he was with a mystery woman at Nova Scotia .There is no reports on Twitter,FB,reddit,Instagram…about another woman with him during this trip
Has he another side piece ? In my opinion,yes of course but I guess she dropped him since the NannyGate
Every time Ben looks at his kids he will be reminded of Jen. Violet and Sam are the spittin’ image of her. If Ben is as narcissistic as he seems, he’s probably disappointed his kids don’t even look like him.
Seraphina looks like him but if I was Ben,I would ask myself why my son looks like Matt Damon
He looks like jennifer, the eyes and lips are hers.
I always love how complete strangers reveal what his motives are and what her motives are and what she should be doing and what he is really up to. Maybe they just simply want to effectively co parent their 3 kids and will be able to do that harmoniously. Only time will tell what they are really doing!
Yes indeed.
http://illuminatigossip.com/2015/08/15/illuminati-original-blindrevealthe-chessplayer/
Interesting blind. Ben is looking less and less attractive. I see him on a different light now not because of this blind but because of what he has done to his family.