Late on Friday and into holiday weekend, People ran three different stories on Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s divorce. I kind of wish the Garner-Affleck PR team would know when to leave well enough alone. They’re trying to dominate the news media by revealing just enough to satiate the public without telling the real story, whatever that may be. The casual gossip consumer may be convinced by these stories, but they’re somewhat transparent to the rest of us. Ben and Jen were doing photo ops as recently as three weeks ago (thanks to Lainey for making this point). It makes you wonder what the most recent catalyst could be, but maybe they were just keeping up appearances and biding their time.
In these newish stories, Ben is “leaning on his mom,” while Garner is “leaning on friends.” People actually ran two separate stories with that exact wording in the titles when they could have just combined them into one story about how the A-listers are coping now that they’re consciously uncoupling or whatever. Are they trying to paint Ben as a mama’s boy and Jennifer as the cool one? I personally have no problem with someone reconnecting with their family in the wake of a split. I did that, it helped me a lot. No one knows you better than your family. Here’s more:
Ben: Leaning on his mom
People’s source: “While Jen is turning to her family and friends, the person in Ben’s life is his mother. She is a constant rock for him. She had remained close to the family as well. She’s been there for him through this extremely difficult time. He is really leaning on his mother for support. Ben and his mom have always been very close.”
Jennifer: Leaning on friends
People’s source: “Jen has been leaning on friends. She has a close circle of pals who she trusts and are really protective of her. Her girlfriends have been really supportive. They just want her to be happy.”
People is careful to note that Jennifer has a “close knit circle” of friends which “includes both Hollywood and childhood friends.” It sounds more and more to me that Jennifer is the one behind this PR onslaught and that Ben is going along with it because he also has an image to protect. I never really bought into the “dimple parade” narrative and saw Jennifer more as the “making lemonade” type with the paparazzi, but maybe she is just ruthlessly protective of her image. She’s excellent at it, that’s for sure.
There’s another story in People which came out over the weekend. It’s all about Ben’s failed relationships with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez, and it seems to tacitly place blame on Affleck for the end of his marriage. It ends with the quote from a source that Ben and Jen “are two very different people.” I’m telling you, she’s good. I’m really wondering what her next move will be, especially when Ben ramps up the Superman v. Batman promotion.
Oh and there are rumors that Ben is hooking up with Margot Robbie on the Suicide Squad set, but sources have denied that to The Daily Mail. Ben is probably getting some strange, but we just haven’t heard the details yet.
Photos of Ben and his mother are from June, 2015 and May, 2014. Photos of Jennifer out with friends are from September, 2014 and July, 2014. Credit: FameFlynet
I agree with Lainey. He cheated again and it was put out there so much that Garner finally had enough. He won’t get help with his gambling and other addictions. All the blinds have shown he needs rehab badly and maybe she finally just couldn’t take it anymore. I’m shocked since I thought she stay with him for life since she’s always put herself down when she talks about how smart Affleck is.
I hope Affleck does get help since I do think he’s really talented.
I could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure Affleck has been cheating since Day 1… He was probably cheating on somebody with Garner when they first hooked up… The guy has impulse control issues, clearly; especially when it comes to gambling and sex; I think the booze is the lubricant that allows him to compulsively do the self destructive things he’s so compelled to do….
I think Garner knew who she was marrying; she probably thought she could fix him, or that fatherhood would ground him or something. He likely thought so too at first.
She’ll be just fine. He will not. She was probably the only thing keeping him somewhat stabilized.
I agree she kept him stabilized. One wonders if he will become the new Johnny Depp?
I agree completely with how you characterize the relationship. I think eventually Affleck will be just fine because he’s just the type that always lands on his feet after screwing everything up.
My guess is that Affleck finally convinced her to divorce and they yet broke up at her birthday .He probably met someone on one of his 3 last filmings and it’s serious between them or he is tired to fake
The recent photo-ops were just to calm their kids and to control the rumors …of course
Heaven help whomever he gets with next. I think being his baby sitter gets old after a while. He messes up before Batman V Superman he’s going to be toast.
I agree with Lainey as well. I think Garner finally got fed up. She always had that goony, enchanted, enamored look around him. But he chipped away at the pedestal she put him on with (a) the multiple infidelities, (b) the multiple addictions, (c) his tendency to not be around as much, (d) her constantly having to put off projects for his burgeoning career (a career – with an image – she substantially helped him re-build)
I saw the pictures of them in the Bahamas that People has up. I also saw the pictures at the Farmers Market a few weeks ago. She no longer has that enchanted, goony look she has always had around him. She looks exhausted.
I also don’t buy the over-for-ten-months nonsense, because she still looked enamored in December 2014 and March 2015. I think he f’ed up again and she said, “Suck it, Ben Affleck!”
You make sense to me, LB
Haha, acid wash jean sweats eh? I kind of want them.
I’m thinking you have to work really hard to come up with an outfit that bad. It can’t be by chance.
I don’t think Jen came up with the Ben leaning on his mom narrative. That sounds like Ben’s camp. Otherwise, people might suspect that he’s taking in sympathy in the form of a roulette wheel or a stripper, FWIW.
I agree. This PR onslaught is all Ben. He’s trying to gain points for being a mama’s boy and ‘family,’ man since he’s leaving his wife and young family. His rep alreadyvtook a hit with the slave ancestor debacle. I don’t see Garner being behind this at all. Usually if ones being painted as going back to family (mom/dad) after a split, THAT is the one behind the narrative.
I don’t buy it..Jen was just on the Today show crying about her ‘under the weather,’ Mom a few months ago, and how close she and her sisters were (something many of us thought was really a breakdown over her marriage coming apart) – yet she’s the one, NOT leaning on family?
Heh.
Well played Batfleck.
As Celebitchy point out People Magazine ran two separate stories so they’re both running to People magazine.
I can only imagine what their vacation must be like. Ben running to the bathroom to tell his PR person to print some story in People magazine and Jen running into another room doing the same.
He needs for her to play this like she’s fine, because it’s over for him if she and the kids look like they’re taking this hard. Leave the perfect family & a devoted wife who helpwd rehab your career because you’re a self-destructive jerk? Kiss that big summer movie good goodbye.
Ben + his mom = image carwash.
Ben + friends = pole dancers, poker players, mob
Kiddo, I wore outfits like this…back as a kid in the 80s. (Esprit, Bennetton, Keds, Minnetonka mocs, & jelly shoes? Cool…)
I almost feel like that outfit is the cover of a “Jen is falling apart” story waiting to happen……
Either that, or to further her ‘every mom’ image. So busy and weary from it all.
That picture of Jen with a friend was from last summer. Affleck was in Detroit.
It’s a nice change of pace to see her in light springy colors instead of the depressing fall/autumn colors she always wears.. brown, brown, and more brown. Plus, cute shoes.
Awww….let’s give her a break. She seems sweet and nice…a good friend. She’s probably been so focused on parenting 3 kids and on saving her relationship for the past few years that she has neglected her wardrobe. That being said, she looks cute and comfortable. The best thing she has done in years is remove the emotional and physical baggage otherwise known as Ben Affleck—NOW THAT is an article of clothing that has outlived its relevance.
But even if one neglects one’s wardrobe at what point did she actually go out and make the conscious choice to buy those monstrosities? It’s fine to not update it for a while but if those were in there from the beginning that’s just woeful.
Jen looks like she has given up trying to stay thin for Ben.
Even when she was skinny, Ben still cheated, drank and gambled.
This marriage was doomed from the start. Look how Ben treated Gwyneth and J-Lo!
Did Jen think she could change him?
Ben should not be married to anyone – he is selfish to the bone. I am tired of his phony photo ops with his Mommy.
Ditto to everything you said.
From the first time I ever saw Affleck on screen I’ve been put off by his empty eyes. There is truly no ‘there’ there. If the eyes are the window to the soul, then he is one emotionally-cold and unreliable dude who should never be depended on to invest in anything but his own selfish desires.
I am leaning on a table.
I’m leaning on a wall.
Wow she really DOES have a large collection of bad sandals.
….a large collection of bad and EXPENSIVE sandals ! It’s worse for me
For all their talk about asking for privacy they sure are spending alot of time running to People Magazine. From telling People Magazine were there vacationing post split announcement, to giving these details to people and so on.
The vacancies together with the kids in Bahamas must be each one call their RP and their lawyers every hour and spy Internet
Some “vacation”, right? And on or before Independence Day, ironically enough…
This seems like them being passive aggressive and nitpicking each other through their publicists.
very carefully laid out. most of the readers of gossip are women and most will be able to identify with Garner and her friends (CHILDHOOD FRIENDS!!!!) and Ben cant give off the impression to spend time with his friends. because if you picture Jen and friends its very emotional and sweet and the image you would get from Ben and friends would be gambling and strippers. the mom story is perfect in that regard.
oh and that australian tabloid womans day is worse than the Enqurirer. but i guess other tabloids love them. they make up the story, the bigger sites like DM and US and People get to report on them and get another story of saying “its all false”. so they get to report falsehoods without any form of responsibility and then can act like they are on the side of facts by reporting that the reports are untrue.
I think the mom story is probably true–at least to some extent. Ben’s always been really close to his mom.
Idem
sure but its also clear that they want people to know he is with his mom.
I agree. He probably also wants some help with the kids. She is/was (?) an elementary school teacher so it’s probably preferred to s nanny who may be reporting back to Jen.
Agree with Gigi, I think he also wants help taking care of the kids. I wonder how he’ll do know, when he’ll be home -which seems to be rare-, with the children.. I guess he’ll always call his mom.
Except Matt Damon and Patrick Whitesell ( his agent.Ben was his best man at his wedding), who are his friends? He always is seen alone ( even during his casino trips) or with his wife and kids
Casey Affleck, his brother, is his best friend also. They are extremely close.
NOt doubting that Garner has friends or that she leans on them, but often when she’s papped with “friends” they are actually paid employees such as her agent, manager or one of her nannies or assistants. Just something I’ve noticed over the years.
It’s what they name her “Hollywood friends” .
Does anyone else remember after she had their second kid (Sera? Something?), she got super thin? I remember that. Julia Roberts made a snotty comment about it sitting next to Jennifer on TV. I always thought that something happened then, like that was the first time she caught Ben cheating so she was all torn up about it. I think Lainey mentioned that they had almost split (maybe I read that here?) before they had the boy, Samuel (?). Sounds like he was a band-aid baby but three years after his birth is long enough for it all to resurface.
found the link to the ‘too thin’ era: http://www.laineygossip.com/Julia-Roberts-calls-out-Jennifer-Garner-for-being-too-thin-04feb10/15863
OMG. I had no clue she was so thin back then after Seraphina. That one photo straight on walking while holding Sera, I don’t think she was ever that thin even on Alias.
Will during her pregnancy with Seraphina she was alone alot while Ben was away filming and maybe cheating.
I remember instead of being with Seraphina fir her first 4th of July and family he was at the opening of some Casino. Which I always thought was odd that person with a gambling addiction would get involved with something like that. It’s like an alcoholic being at opening a liquor store to promote it.
Boy Julia was extra bitchy hete, sheesh #
I remember that too – the part about being super thin – but I missed the Julia Roberts comment which is unfortunate as it would have been gold to see/watch 🙁
See the link above…I think the comment is in the video clip (can’t watch it and don’t remember).
Also the thin pics here: http://www.laineygossip.com/Taupes-little-arms/15323 I mean, that’s SAD EYED JEN. I spy a cheating Ben in those eyes.
And during that period, she was mixing it up more while out and about doing errands.
http://www.denimblog.com/2010/02/jennifer-garner-in-currentelliott/
the problem is that there always were some rumors on their marriage since the beginning .Too fast ,too early ,too mismatched .He married her because she was pregnant .They were happy the 5 first years ( when his career was low) then he directed his first movie and he was less interested by his family life
People forget that she chased Ben for years. There were rumors about them while she was still married to Foley, and they started while she was with Vartan. The pregnancy was what ultimately caused him to marry her. He always had one foot out the door from day one.
I agree. Why keep having babies? That doesn’t solve anything.
@Luca, I remember the rumors of Jen cheating on her then-husband with Ben. There was some blind item that said she had wanted to leave Scott for Ben, but Ben told her not to. Then she ended up with Vartan, cheating on him with Ben again. Finally she managed to get pregnant and a ring. I think she’s devious. Made her bed, etc.
I always thought she fell in love of him the 1rst time that she met him during Pearl Harbor then she waited him
@don’t kill me and @luca76 Totally agree. I’ve always maintained that these two were on the slow track to divorce since day one. SO clearly mismatched. All of Afflecks’s vices aside, and all else being equal, it was always just a matter of time.
Her ex has repeatedly stated she did not cheat on him, I don’t know why people insist she cheated on her first husband despite his words to the contrary.
I don’t blame her. I mean, sure, she was at fault and probably should have dumped him sooner, I guess she was really blinded by this image of perfect love/family.
That thinness coincided with Ben filming The Town (with Blake Lively).
Oh Lord, LOL! People’s website has a World Exclusive (LOL!) photo of them in the Bahamas. Taken from 5ft away and in People so clearly PR sanctioned. These two are shameless…and ridiculous!
I saw those photos too and found it funny that they managed to keep their kids and being photographed when any other time but can’t funny how that works.
Oh wow and if Ben usually looks annoyed in candids this is a whole other level of ‘I don’t give a —‘ lets just get this over with.
Photos taken by an “onlooker”?….stop…just, stop.
They also have photos of her back at work. It seems clear they do not want to be in the same space at the same time from the looks on their faces in the People photos (yeah right, just some random person with a camera and the photos just happen to end up in People’s hands. Someone want to sell me the Golden Gate Bridge, I’m game). The PR war is just heating up..her friends, his mom.. and I think it is going to be a bit of a mess. I think they want to make it look nice, but something tells me it is not going to be a clean, amicable “conscious uncoupling”.
No different from the Brad and Jen on vacataion announcing split with set up photos for release. No different than the Brad and Angie with Maddox on the beach perfectly shot for the big reveal they are a couple without saying so. No different than notoriously private Chris Martin and Gwnneth all having a family vacation while announcing the split with photos set up
They all do it. And, yes, it is always so obvious. But it serves their purpose when celeb couples do this, trying to take the wind out of the drama surrounding their divorce to make it seem amicable and shorter gossip cycle after initial announcement, hopefully.
Ben and Jen’s photo isn’t exactly the loving family photo of Chris and Gwyneth in the Bahamas, though. LOL Ben just wants to get back to his movie sets and away from these set-up photos he has to do for damage control or because it’s what Jennifer wants. Who knows? Of course, Chris and Goopy were much farther along by the time they announced their split.
God, their PR teams deserve a HUGE bonus. It’s been non-stop coverage and People magazine is at the top of their list. Today they have a zillion stories about them and all these “world exclusive” photos and all of this “insider” info crap. They need to lay low and just let things blow over. But they’re both so worried about staying in control of what info gets out there….
I hope they get time and a half for working over the holiday weekend. 🙂
Ben’s worried, it’s not “both of them”, Ben is the one with the summer blockbuster and franchise to worry about, Jen has to get her children to school on time. There is no contest here, on top of which, Ben has been obsessed with his “public image” ever since JLo. Guarantee this onslaught of pro-Ben stories will continue. We’ll hear about how sad he is, how he’s trying to be a good dad, how his family is helping him out, and on and on. There is a major studio with a lot of money on the line worried about his image. No one gives a shit about her image. Which is spotless anyway because she’s a sweet lady.
Ben Affleck = Rich man’s Scott Disick!
Ok, first of all: Horizontal stripes, non.
I feel like Jen and Ben are switching off PR teams, for balance maybe? I wish them both well, but don’t find either of them compelling enough that they need this huge divorce rollout. Now, if it were Brad and Angelina divorcing, I’d probably be in a fetal position in some dive bar lol
if Brangelina divorced,I’m pretty sure that it would be very friendly ( really) because their relation looks more balanced ( they are as powerful as each other)
This will help distract from whoever’s been leaning on Ben’s pole for support.
She got pregnant 8 months into their relationship & marriage and more kids followed. I always thought he sort of just went along with it.
I don’t think he is or will be the happily married type…
I’m sure everybody thinks it’s Ben’s cheating and gambling the problems that led to divorce. I don’t know how he’ll play the ‘poor good one’ part once his movie will come out. He’s a douche.
I hope Jen finds someone better, and please not an old millionarie a la Gwyneth Paltrow.