I’m really tired, so my usually-encyclopedic memory for scandal needed a reboot and a trip through our archives on this one. In March 2016, Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix separated. There were already tabloid stories about how they were living apart and God knows, maybe Casey’s sexual harassment lawsuits had something to do with it. It would have been nice to hear Casey address those stories head-on during his Oscar campaign this year, but unfortunately all of the trade papers insulated the well-connected white dude from any bad press (magical!). Summer did not attend any of Casey’s Oscar-campaign events last year or this year, and I actually haven’t seen any photos of her in a while. Anyway, now Summer Phoenix has filed for divorce.
It’s officially over for Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix. The actress and youngest sibling of the famous Phoenix dynasty has filed for divorce from the Manchester By the Sea star, E! News has exclusively learned. Phoenix’s move to formally end the couple’s marriage comes more than a year after they announced their separation in March 2016.
Casey, 41, and Summer, 38, share two sons together: 13-year-old Indiana Affleck and 9-year-old Atticus Affleck. In court documents filed Monday, Phoenix cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for their split. She’s requesting joint physical and legal custody of their children, as well as spousal support.
Summer and Casey’s love story dates back to 1995 when Joaquin Phoenix introduced the pair after working with Ben Affleck on To Die For. By 2003, the now-exes would be engaged and three years later they tied the knot. In 2001, they both performed in the play This Is Our Youth with Matt Damon, another member of the Affleck pair’s inner circle. The Oscar winner reflected on happier times in a 2013 interview with The Daily Beast. “She was going out with someone else and I said, ‘Man, she’s cute,’ and [Joaquin] said, ‘You should see if she’ll go out with you… don’t worry about that dude,'” Affleck recalled. “So he was leaving town one day and said, ‘My sister’s in my apartment and she’s all by herself—would you mind checking in on her?’ So I checked in on her, and it stuck.”
I realize this isn’t the Affleck divorce that people care about these days, but it’s fascinating to me nonetheless. I would assume that Casey is a difficult man to be married to, and props to Summer for literally spending 22 years dealing with Casey’s bulls–t. What she’s asking for in the divorce doesn’t seem unreasonable – joint custody and spousal support seems realistic. Considering the mostly indie films Casey makes though, I wonder if the spousal support is going to be relatively paltry compared to other Hollywood divorces.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
Good job summer. She’s made a good move. Casey has probably cheated on her so many times. I actually thought they were already divorced.
If she could put up with having Joaquin as a brother being with Casey in the beginning was probably a cakewalk. It probably got dicey when they started having kids.
I didn’t know their boys were that old. Maybe it is because I have not seen photos of the whole family together in a long time.
Also, wasn’t Casey in To Die For and not Ben Affleck? Either I read the excerpted piece wrong or they got it wrong?
Casey was in To Die For, Ben was not. They got it wrong.
“If she could put up with having Joaquin as a brother being with Casey in the beginning was probably a cakewalk.”
I mean, the woman survived a childhood in an abusive cult. I think anything in comparison is probably easier. The Phoenix kids as well as Rose McGowan were raised in the Children of God cult.
I was going to mention the same. She’s lived with a tremendous amount of BS and that’s putting it mildly
I think they had already left the cult by the time she was born. I remember reading years ago (in a River Phoenix biography perhaps) that she was named Summer Joy to reflect the family’s optimism for starting a new life outside of the Children of God. However, she may have experienced some “residue” from that cult through her parents and older siblings.
And like Ben, Casey lives down the road from this family and still takes family vacations with them. I’ll say one thing for those Affleck boys, they atleast chose wives who know how to do divorce.
In the end, I think Ben and Casey are a lot alike. It makes sense because Casey has spoken about how much unsupervised time they spent together as kids because of divorce and working parents. I would not be surprised if Ben was a father figure for Casey. It would help explain how invested and emotional Ben was when Caey won the Oscar.
As far as choosing wives, I think they both chose the type of woman that they needed, emotionally. Strong, nurturing, and extremely devoted to family, those are very attractive qualities anyway, probably more so for them as they both lacked some of these qualities themselves and they seem to have been missing in their family unit. Unfortunately, neither put the work in and had reciprocally supportive relationships with their wives. I think that they will both regret it although it may take years.
It seems so odd for two siblings to get divorced in the same year. But both of their divorces were a long time coming.
Actually they say getting divorced can be kind of “contagious” between close family members and friends.
I recently watched an interview Casey did with Chelsea Handler a couple of years ago. He seemed tipsy to say the least. He made a couple of comments to Chelsea that were, in my opinion, inappropriate. Chelsea wasn’t receptive of them either & was trying the change the subject. I thought it was interesting as it possibly showed the tip of his personality change when drunk. And he was actually trying to be nice but came off as not knowing what’s appropriate and what’s not.
He said in an interview recently that he is sober now, and that his father was an alcoholic who completely ruined his life drinking. Obiviously runs in the family.
Yes the root of the problem is Pere Affleck. I remember reading articles about how the dad just up and left the family and that he was an alcoholic. Obviously that made an impact on the Affleck Bros (not excusing them but you can tell why they are messed up).
Woe betide the woman who marries an Affleck…
The bottom picture looks like the sleazy, gross uncle that comes to every Little League game even though he doesn’t have a kid on the team.
Lmao! That’s perfect.
Casey was in to die for, not Ben.
He is such a scab
LOL perfect description.
What! I thought they’d been divorced for ages! After that whole I’m Still Here debacle 7 years ago. Can’t believe she stayed with this douchebag. I’m glad Summer finally wised up then.
I just came here to say he is a d-bag. We know it. We all know it. And now I feel better having said it again.