These are photos are Ben Affleck out with his daughter Seraphina, six, yesterday. The last time we saw paparazzi photos of Affleck, on Sunday at the farmer’s market with his kids (and a nanny who presumably does her job), he was wearing his wedding ring. Yesterday Affleck’s ring was noticeably absent. Ring watch can get tedious, but Affleck and Garner made a case (through sources to friendly outlets) about continuing to wear their rings for their kids. It seems calculated that Affleck was spotted by the paps without his ring. If we see him wearing it again he’s probably just trying to mess with us and/or Garner. He seems like the type to be passive aggressive.
People Magazine has a “Ben is a great dad” story about how Ben took his kids to a farm on Monday. Apparently the kids were in LA with Ben this weekend while Jennifer remained in Atlanta working on her film Miracles From Heaven. There were plenty of details about how Ben and the kids had a great time at the farm:
On Monday, Affleck was spotted with his three children, Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel 3, at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, California.
“At the farm, Ben and the kids did tons of fun activities,” a source told PEOPLE.
“They rode the cow train and shopped for fruit and vegetables. They rode ponies and took a tractor ride though all of the crops.”
As they wandered around the farm, Affleck carried Sam on his shoulders.
He even joined the kids and took a ride down the tractor slide. “Ben looked like he had as much fun as the kids did,” said the source.
“This is them keeping a normal life, keeping the family solid,” adds a source close to couple. “He flew back to be with the kids this weekend.”
That’s nice, but the ‘happy family despite the split’ stories are kind of being shoved down our throats at this point. I do hope the kids are doing ok, and it seems like their parents are working to keep a sense of normality. At least that’s what they keep telling us.
Meanwhile Ben’s fame-hungry fling, former nanny Christine Ouzounian, is still getting papped somewhat but you can tell the interest in her is waning. None of our photo agencies had the latest candids of her, wearing a crop top and leggings outside a Soul Cycle studio in Brentwood. I love spinning above all other fitness and I would do Soul Cycle class occasionally if there was one nearby, but it is 30 DOLLARS A SESSION. You can get the first introductory class for $20, and if you get a kickback from a tip to a photographer that would pay for itself. This woman thinks she’s rich and famous and she’s going to act like it. The Daily Mail has those photos of Ouzounian.
photo credit: FameFlynet and Pacific Coast News
30 dollars a class?!!! Screw that. I’ll stick with free YouTube videos and riding an actual bike outside.
As for the Afflecks, I got nothing left but I just noticed how much all the kids look like Garner.
Ok this is seriously the best spin class on Youtube. I have done it dozens of times and it just doesn’t get old.
Thanks, CB! I can’t imagine spending that much money to get a good workout. My budget wouldn’t allow it.
Sure LB! I love spin. I did it for free on a two week pass in Berlin at one of the Hard Candy gyms. They had 75 minute classes that were awesome. Here at the YMCA we just have RPM, which is pretty good too it’s just not as hard.
That was really nice of you to share that, thanks.
I just started getting into spin (a friend gave me her equipment for free – the bike, some videos) and it’s killing me, in a good way. I don’t think I’m ready for public classes yet lol.
Thanks for sharing. NPR had a story today about people all over the world participating virtually in group spin classes through a company in NYC. It’s cool and fairly cheap, but the story talked about how the bikes themselves are a significant investment.
Spin has been my go-to workout for years when I really need some serious cardio and my knees need a break from running. Lucky for me my local class breaks down to about only $7 per session! 🙂
I’ve been wanting to try pure barre but it’s $22 dollar per class. $30 is insane. I could buy a months gym membership for that
Pure barre is a really good workout, and I do it twice a week. I can buy a package where it’s $15 a class at my studio. The only thing I don’t like about it is I think they gloss over how much strain it puts on your ankles, because you’re standing for a long time on your tip toes. You really shouldn’t do it more than twice a week, but of course they encourage you to do it every day. Since I’ve been doing it (about a year) I’ve had trouble with the Achilles’ tendon in both feet.
$30 dollars is a lot, but you have think of the neighborhood she is in Brentwood is full of the rich and famous and $30 dollars is nothing to them.
I love Pure Barre. I try to go 3 to 4 times a week. They have modifications for everything, so if something hurts they will show you a different way to do the exercise. As for the money, I know that they have a new client special which is way more cost effective. Of course it gets you hooked before they jack the price up.
They just opened up a Bar Method studio in my office building. The ladies at work have been going and they rave about it. I’m debating on checking it out but I’m scared I’ll suck at it. Do you have to be flexible?
I can only speak to my experience, but I am the least flexible person I know. That being said, I think some of the women are made of silly putty.
I’ve taken Bar method classes because a friend of mine teaches it. Felt like hazing. So little joy in working out. It’s quick though, and my friend’s got incredible tone.
I love barre classes, too, and so far have avoided injury. I have found that the classes at my gym are only as good as the instructors so it’s hit or miss. Sadly the one really kick ass instructor left to open her own studio and it costs a fortune. Plus I’m too self-conscious to work out in a high end, fancy boutique studio in my t-shirt and outlet mall workout pants!
If you live in a major, or even a minor city, you can do a beginner ballet class for $10-$15. Most classes will have ballet teachers with 10-20 years of movement experience as opposed to a weekend training at any ‘Barre’-type work out studio. You’ll have proper instruction, will save money, and will improve your co-ordination. (I teach movement for a living and am kinda bummed that these barre workout places are fleecing people because they are trendy.)
The class I go to has a live piano player playing classical music for us. Pretty awesome.
Also wanted to add that I’m 59, so that may have something to do with the fact that it hurt my feet.
@Kitten – I don’t think you have to be especially flexible. The upper body and abs part is planks, push ups and crunches, and the lower body is a version of squats on your tip toes. Obviously more complex than that but I can’t think of anything except the stretches you do after working each body area that requires flexibility. The good news is, I was by far the oldest and least skinny of all the women, but everyone is working so hard they aren’t looking at you. So even if you sucked, you would be the only one who noticed.
Ladies who spin: be careful! Make sure your seat is high enough every time. Mine was low once about four years ago, I knew something was off and just pushed through, and my knees haven’t been the same since.
My spin instructor said stand next to the bike and the seat should come to your hips.
The top pic is so cute, it looks as if Violet is going like “Phew! He finally took the ring off…hopefully they’re done faking this crap!” …LOL…She’s a cutie pie…
I don’t care about the ring now because my eyes divert to the moobs and it’s pretty disturbing
About time the charade stops
This is becoming a snooze. + 1 about the moobs!!!!
Does his body want to be a dad bod or built like a super hero. Even his body is conflicted!
I think he’s still got some chisle-effect going on from filming the Batman movie and post-production it’s ever-so-slowly going away because he’s not keeping up that specific, intense workout. Shame that it propelled man boobs … egad!
I’m more disgusted with his smug look. He’s such a douche.
Between his moobs and nanny’s friend’s tiny top, this could be a (need for a) bro/bra advertisement.
His pectorals i.e. man boobs creep me out.
Every pic of him creeps me out now.
Could be because he is a creep.
Call me stupid, but what causes those man boobs…I mean, I know if a dude gets fat, he can get them, but Ben seems in pretty awsome shape, except for the boobs! I would seriously, like to know, if anyone has the answer…
Some men have actual breast tissue, like female breast tissue. There’s a name for it, but I can’t think of it off the top of my head. The only solution is surgery. I’ve seen specials about it on TLC.
Human Growth Hormones are notorious for causing man boobs aka gynecomastia. He was probably using HGH to bulk up for Batman. He could just be naturally prone but honestly, what are the odds that he gets it this bad immediately following filming for a buff superhero.
Gynecomastia. Generally, the dude’s hormones are out of whack, sometimes natutally and sometimes due to steroids and some prescription medication.
Maybe unemployed nanny can drive him to the lipo clinic?
I dated a guy once who said he got Gynecomastia from drinking too many protein shakes. Something about all the soy?
@Kitten – soy mimics estrogen so if you’re a guy doing a lot of soy protein shakes it can result in moobs.
My husband had Gynecomastia and his was hereditary–his father has it. He had surgery a few years ago to get rid of it.
Chichi, I’m w/you on the HGH…
As I posted on another thread, its use may be common among male stars of a certain age who need to bulk up quickly for a film. And since they’re not professional athletes, it’s also quietly accepted. It might also explain the moodiness or his appearance on Bill Maher, though I don’t if it causes the same rage as actual steroids do (A Body To Die For: The Aaron Henry Story).
This is why I wonder if someone saw him injecting, hence the heroin rumors?
Eh, he’s working on a little gut as well, so my guess is it’s just good ol’ fat in the peck area.
Speaking of moobs (I mean BOOBS!) nanny’s little friend needs a bra in the worst way.
…and he’s still an as*hole
agreed. not sure still why you would get involved with the nanny…although it sounds bad, him or jen should have known better than to hire a good looking nanny. what they need is a memaw who is no nonsense and older.
With any luck, Jen will remarry a great guy who treats her and the kids with respect and spends lots of time with them. Fair weather gambling and drug addict dad will fade (probably into the beds of many nanny friends) and become a distant memory.
Geez, that’s harsh. He isn’t THAT bad.
The very best they can do for their kids is to fly under the paps’ and
radar. Their careers don’t benefit from the photos of going for ice cream, etc. A photo of him or her with or without a ring won’t generate buzz that sells movie tickets.
Let the ex-nanny keep us talking. Let her do the pap strolls. Affleck and Garner, you don’t need it. More importantly, your kids really, really don’t need it.
This. Don’t just talk about being great parents actually be responsible parents and stop using your children as good press splashing tem across tabloids.
That’s the most disgusting part of the Affleck Garner family, they exploit their kids for their own fame, and they are gross enough to continue to do it during the break up of their family. They are awful parents.
Finally he listens his RP and WB ” stop to look miserable when you spend time with your kids! you were a shitty husband .Stop to look a shitty father”
He can’t win. Now he looks so smug, it’s even worse than his miserable look )) You see his teeth too, and they look weirdly artificial.
His teeth ARE weirdly artificial, CB just linked to a vintage Entertainment Tonight clip and his original real teeth are TORE UP. I couldn’t even believe he made it that far, far enough to be interviewed on ET with his original teeth. And he was even talking about being a hunk! Nope.
As much as I dislike his behavior, I understand he grew up fatherless (father a gambler, too) and his mother (I think I read) worked multiple jobs to support the 2 kids. Because of that, maybe calling out teeth issues, especially from his early years is throwing shade at his Mom and things that were out of their control. I’m sure she is proud of her sons’ work accomplishments in spite of their childhood issues, especially having been forced to raise them herself. Just felt the need to stand up for the single mom here – comrades and all.
As superficial as it may seem, the comment on teeth stayed with me because I always thought Jen was the one with fake looking teeth!!! When you look at pre-Alias , pre-Hollywood photos of her, her smile is a lot different…her teeth look normal and straight in the early photos, but there’s something different and I can’t put my finger on it. Veneers? Who knows.
I am officially Bored Of The Rings.
Ha!
lmao^^^^^^^^^^
^^^Gold.
Lol, you win!
Ha, nice. Me, too. In fact I see his photo and boredom immediately starts to set in.
+1
It seems like this is the most time Ben has spent with his kids in a long time. He seemed to have back to back to back movie projects, either directing or acting. I have a friend, who’s husband was hardly ever home with his wife and the kids. Then they got divorced and he turned into a great Dad. He HAD to spend time with them on “his” days, and found out he really enjoyed it! Of course, they didn’t have a nanny, so he had to take care of his kids. But, hopefully, if Ben and Jen divorce, Ben will actually be more present in his kids lives! Sometimes, being a crappy husband, doesn’t mean being a crappy Dad! Let’s hope so, anyway, for the kid’s sake!
Yeah, he’s worked back to back on film projects for almost a year. Before that when Jen would work some every year, she always said they traded off and he would stay with the kids. He had a nanny or his mom there to help, but he was papped out a lot doing school runs and out with his kids alone. This is just normal when she’s gone that he is out with them. He’s usually much more scowly-faced when he spots paps, though. He’s trying to put on that PR face now.
Same thing happened to a friend of mine when they separated! In fact I think she was hoping to reconcile because she’ never seen that side of him, he’d always been such an absent and distant dad up until them. Alas they still divorced. I’d like to think Ben is reconnecting with his kids and not doing it all for PR.
The “such a wonderful parent!!!!” story plants about Ben AND Jennifer are pathetic. Apparently I’m supposed to be impressed that they….wait for it….take their children on outings!!!! And…..pay attention to them!!!! And….smile at them!!!!
What do they want? A cookie? That’s what parents are supposed to do and do everyday with far less money and resources than these two. I’m deeply unimpressed.
Well that’s what all these new photo ops with the kids are about to fix the public opinion of Ben. He not a cheating a$$ who slept with the nanny, drinks, gambles and works all the time, but a wonderful dad who so hands on.🙀
Hopefully his kids never feel that daddy pimped them out to fix his image (which he did).
edit
Jen has always shown she is a great mom and she always spent time with the kids so she is still the same. Ben, on the other hand, has never been seen spending this much time with his kids … he is doing it now to save himself from the pr damage his affairs caused. His pap walks now are accompanied with a smile when before he looked like the last place he wanted to be was with his family.
His current pr outings with his children cannot erase his past actions. He is a hypocrite and only cares about himself.
im sure she’s devoted to her kids. But the photo ops she’s done for years are not a sign of good parenting.
Yes, you’re supposed to be impressed that they take their kids on outings to pump up ratings for themselves and their movies. Gross.
It’s very well crafted WB PR. storyboards and wardrobed, like a movie.
Ben at first wore Detroit t shirt which was calculated to give him ‘Everyman/working class vibe’. Ben got pretty impressive goodwill from the last lot of filming he did in Detroit. Plain cap.
Ring/no ring/ring/no ring calculated to make us all well & truly sick of the ring issue.
Ben starts wearing GOT cap- huge WB property with huge amounts of public goodwill. See the connection? WB=goodwill.
Ben attends PR events for upcoming WB release Batman vs Superman. Looks low key & contrite. Ben looks & dresses low key (not living it up), looks unshaven & dishevelled (taking the break up of his family hard). Cooperating with Jen re kids (family, family, family).
Nanny- who is being paid to keep DETAILS of her affair with Ben out of the press gets expensive new car & hotel paid for by mysterious benefactor. Paps are arranged. She gets her 15 seconds of fame, a nice stay in a hotel & a new car. Meanwhile, Ben looking contrite, wearing WB merchandise in public (no other conspicuous branding), Jen looking CONSPICUOUSLY THE SAME AS BEFORE BREAKUP & Nanny looks like the famewh*re/wh*re/homewreaker.
Ben appears otherwise with family/kids/family/kids/kids. Wearing GOT/WB cap again. Association- WB/goodwill+family+kids….= goodwill towards a property WB hopes to earn around a billion dollars from ONLY IF they can get their errant leading man back in favour with the families they hope will take their kids to theatres & buy all of the related merchandise.
See what I’m getting at? Micromanage the masses; make the issue about the famewh*re Nanny, make Ben look low key, make the focus on family, make us sick of the wedding ring issues.
Basically all I see is grossness when I look at him. I never thought he was much of anything, I recall being shocked as hell when Gwenyth started dating him. I was like that dude? He has never ever done it for me. Now it’s more like an active repulsion.
As for Nanny, she’s nothing but a scheming hussy. She gives nannying a horrible Face.
Imho, the only person deserving to give nannying a face is Fran. This girl was working as their nanny from may til july? Two months. She’s not the face of nannying )) She most likely hasn’t even noticed some kids were there, so preoccupied was she with their father.
Absolutely share your sentiments on Ben.
Wow that chick next to the nanny sure has some strong nipples.
That’s from Nip Cycle.
I do Soul Cycle once or twice a month I view it as a splurge like going out to drinks with friends. It’s definitely harder than an average spin class.
Ben is coming off as relieved . I know most here think he has regrets about separation but I just don’t see it. He wanted to look remorseful for his image especially after the nanny scandal but I believe he’s been trying to extricate himself from the marriage for ages. I just don’t think he cared at all for Garners’ feelings (hence messing around under her nose with the help) , and the timing benefits him financially. I think he knew if he wanted out he had to do it right now while their assets are fairly equal or he’d have to give her a huge payout down the line.
He could have filed for divorce a long time ago! He is old enough to do that.
Yeah but look at those PBS emails he cares way too much about what everybody thinks. Wants to look like the good guy. She wanted to stay married, ‘work’ on their issues, and keep up the facade of a perfect image for the public, and was willing to look the other way from his infidelities. He wanted her to leave, he hated the idea of looking like he abandoned his family, he was too immature to end it like an adult and whether consciously or not cheated with the very worst person possible to get her to admit it was over.
@luca
I would like to think that as a wife and as a mother, JG worked hard and tried hard to make the marriage work. So, if everything else failed, she will not have any feeling of regrets. I would have done the same so when I look back I could say I did my best.
Yes, the relief is palpable. He screwed over Jen and finally got her to agree to divorce, and got her to agree to help with rehabbing his image as a family man with pap walks to distract from the nanny. Now he’s free and all smiles as a single guy. I wonder if he’ll be making some secret booty calls to the Nanny again.
I think just like us they read tabs and peruse gossip blogs. I’m sure they are aware of the speculation surrounding wearing and not wearing rings. I think just as conscious the decision to continue wearing is how conscious the decision to remove. Personally, as a married woman who in the beginning of her marriage removed her rings when in a heated fight and a former fiancée to an ex with whom I would do the same (remove ring when livid), the status of ring wearing sends the strongest message to your partner. I am projecting but nonetheless offering a valid perspective. I think Ben’s signaling to Jen he is not interested in their marriage. Both times i referenced were ones where my partners were exhibitibg deal breaker behaviors and I was giving an ultimatum that if being in the relationship meant tolerating said objectionable behavior, I was not interested in the relationship. I am happy to say the hubs and I are still married and said behavior ceased. Which is not the same for the ex, ergo why I moved on and married the next.
He’s aware that people realise that the whole wearing the ring thing is part of a charade for the paps. Taking it off is his way of saying it’s not his idea and he’s being guilted/bribed/threatened into playing along.
The nanny is always pictured with unfortunate looking friends who look even more excruciatingly dull, gormless and instantly forgettable than she is (while making her look comparatively hot). What kind of reality show does she think people are going to create for them? They are the type of people who watch television, not appear on it.
Ugh, that nanny. I loved what you said about her. Plots for her show – looking unsuccessfully for a new nanny job, looking unsuccessfully for a new boyfriend, looking unsuccessfully for an audience. That’s about it.
^ THIS^ lol
If the first two weeks were all she has, then her undeserved 15 minutes are up.
The only thing I even half-heartedly would like to know, is if she was asked to leave the hotel or just ran out of money (credit). A couple of people have claimed that hotel is very privacy oriented, and I wonder if they tired of those ‘pap’ shots around the bar and pool.
You have to admit though that she and Ben really deserve one another. Marriage made in egotistical heaven.
I would like to know more about the Brady/Vegas situation.
You said it, JoJo. Ben seems to like being with his kids, but if he has to play the pap game and go to JoAnn’s Fabrics to get mention of Jen’s craft line for kids in People, then the ring is comin’ off!
As for the nanny, this is when I’d really like Charlize to show up and get the fame-ho, realityTV-wannabe kicked out of SoulCycle. Wouldn’t that be GREAT?
*Oops, sorry, I meant Jas*
Am I the only one that can’t see the pictures at the daily mail? I click at the link and it says error.
I think with his stress weight gain his ring doesn’t fit anymore. LOL
Little Seraphina is a little mini me of Ben with her eyes.
I highly doubt he “forgot” to put his wedding ring on. Men don’t need to take their rings off for any reason at all unless they’re working with heavy machinery! Lol. Plus, other outlets reported he’s been without it for two days – at a farm with his kids on Monday and out in LA on Tuesday. So, that’s deliberate, not a mistake. I wrote this in the other post from yesterday, but I think this is a good thing. I think the best thing Ben and Jen can do (even for PR, while I hate to say that) is to stop the charade and move on. By wearing their rings, they’re only furthering the speculation and attention. Wearing them for the kids was pure BS. Kids only care whether they feel loved and whether you spend time with them.
As for Ben being a parent, I absolutely believe he loves his kids more than anything. Has he maybe been absentee at times? I’m sure. I do think he’s a workaholic and probably struggles to balance home/career. I don’t think him and Jen worked out well together, but I would never accuse him of not loving his kids, and if anything, now that he can be with them independently and not under the guise of a “happy” marriage, maybe he’ll want to be with them even more.
JoJo, I agree.
While I believe that Ben/Jen may just be incompatible, sometimes differences in parenting (one spouse insisting on doing things their way or “the right way”, and the other always feeling wrong and useless) can cause further tension in an already struggling relationship.
Both Ben and Jen may actually become more contented people, parenting separately and not under the pressure anymore of working together to “save the marriage”.
The happy pap walks this week along with the ring-thing indicate that he wants to parent, but just doesn’t want to be married anymore.
i think he is transitioning now in his image to a single man. His PR release in People refers to Jennifer as their mother instead of his estranged or ex wife. That and the no ring looks like he is separating his image from her. I find myself uninterested in reading articles just about him. There is just something there that I actually find repulsive. He appears to have no conscience and I doubt he even cares who gets hurt by his choices. He just wants what he wants. He’s always going to carry the dirty old man image. That taints him as Batman for sure – I can’t imagine Bruce Wayne as a stripper/hooker kind of guy?! [shuddering]
I do look forward to seeing Jen transition. I think she is going to do well once she realizes she is free of the burden of trying to save him from himself.
I agree I am not interested in him as a stand alone. I was only interested in him because I was caught up in what I thought was the “adorable Affleck-Garner fairy tale”. I thought they were adorable together. I hope Jen finds herself a gorgeous “stable” hunk that the kids will adore and send Ben to wallow in jealousy over how he has been replaced. He will never be totally replaced with his kids but for him to see someone else fathering them will not be easy for him I don’t think. He will no doubt get into another relationship (if there isn’t one already – I think there is someone “onhold” until he gets untangled) and in time he will cheat on that person too and they will break up – repeat this scenario numerous times.
ITA. He’s a creepy old man. The Nannyf*cker.
Forever the slime ball who hits on his teen daughters’ friends. We always knew it from the gossip about him constantly hitting on and sleeping with his young costars, now the rest of the public knows it. He makes Batman gross now too.
This supports my theory that the pap strolls are all Ben’s idea. He started it when campaigning for the Oscar and now he’s trying to repair his reputation as the oh-so-dedicated family man. Jennifer Garner, on the other hand, hasn’t had anything to gain from these outings except for strangers criticising her choice in footwear.
There were so many more pap strolls with Garner and kids then there were with Ben along. He did it only to campaign , now for damage control. She did it to remain visible and to brand herself as the perfect mom. She’s not the only one but the hypocrisy of campaigning against the paps while simultaneously using them to her benefit was galling.
So she is supposed to lock herself and her kids up at home except when they have to go to school to avoid the paps right? Going to the farmers market brands one how exactly? A person has a right to go get her own food stuff herself without worrying about labels from some people. Thank God she does not give a damn about what some people think of her.
At this point we know because people speak about photo ops. We know that paparazzi are called by actors for publicity. Enough people have spoken about the farmers market or pumpkin patch that is nearby that celebrities can go to and not get photographed. We know that celebrities can disappear for months on end when they are in LA and not be photographed unless they want to be.
NannyGate is on it’s last legs. Poor Nanny Isuzu…the fame thang just isn’t panning out. Awwwwww.
Lol!
“Nanny Isuzu” lol
*winks @Kitten*
I was hoping someone would pick up on that. I’m so old I remember those commercials, and every time I saw her name that’s what I thought of. Haha!
I prefer Flywheel or Peloton to Soul Cycle. The workouts are more challenging – and the real plus is their bikes provide metrics. This way you can monitor your progress or see how you do relative to your peers.
Thanks for the spin video. The students have good technique.
Ring on ring off is stupid. Don’t care.
The truth is Ben can never win if he wants out of the marriage with Jen he is a douchebag but if he stays to please Jennifer Garner’s fans of who he should be and what he has to want he is miserable.Tbh I get his point to an extent.Even though I sympathise with Jennifer it is a no win situation.
It’s not about whether he stays married to her or not (in my opinion), it’s about the utterly horrific lack of respect or consideration he has shown to her and the marriage. If you want to live a single life, divorce the wife and do so. He enjoyed the benefits of having her as a stable wife and home as it related to his career, but didn’t give her any respect for what she did for him. That is a reflection on HIS lack of character. That is what makes him a ***.
I completely agree!
Totally agree @Diane!
Clearly you are right about him being an ass. On the other hand Jen knew who he was from day one. I’m not saying it’s her fault but people put her on a pedestal as some sort of saint. She’s no saint she made some god awful choices. Just because Ben is worse that doesn’t make Jen perfect.
@luca76
Some people when in love see past the imperfections of their partner. For sure, JG knew it. At that time Ben’s rep was at the lowest. But to be treated so callously by your husband, publicly humiliated by him and being cheated on for 10 years are in no way acceptable. No one is perfect but she endured.
@ Ana Ben did her wrong for sure. No one deserves that kind of humiliation however she made some choices. She publicly chased Affleck for a good long time while they were both very much attached to other people. She was really hypocritical in her anti-paparazzi stance, and she put the image of a perfect family above everything else even when everyone knew what was going on. People choose to see that as sympathetic but I see her as someone with antiquated ambitions that backfired. I’m sure she’s humiliated that things went public but I do believe if Ben was more discreet, and wanted to stay married she would be happily doing photo ops at the farmers market , and joking around on talk shows about that rascal Ben. I just think there is a fundamental difference in the way we see her. I’ll say that I don’t hate her but I find her to be much more calculated than most do.
Jen is not nor was she responsible for Ben’s actions. Saying she knew who Ben was when she began dating him, therefore, she deserves what happened to her is just cruel and not right. Give her a break. She fell in love. Sometimes love is blind people! And then you wake up and say to yourself “what was I thinking!” I believe that is where Jen is right now.
Never said she was responsible for his actions (in fact I’ve said a million times that she isn’t) but she is responsible for her own. They go beyond being blinded by love.
@KNOW-IT-ALL
Ben can do something to stop being the asshole that he is. Looks like he seriously has a drinking, gambling, cheating, and possible drug problem. He needs to 100% commit to rehab and therapy to become a better human being. The problem is does he want to be better bad enough? Maybe he loves that lifestyle and doesn’t care if he hurts people along the way. Addiction is hard but people can change if they work at it. Robert Downey Jr. did it. I don’t think it is fair to compare Jen’s situation vs Ben’s. You can’t help who you fall in love with but Ben can work on conquering his demons.
Of course Jen is responsible for her actions. That is a given. But what is her most horrible action/choice? Yes, falling in love with Ben Affleck and giving him too many chances to get his sh*t together and become a responsible husband and father. Seems like she just wanted to keep her family together. As I said … Love is blind sometimes and I think she fell deeply in love and because if it she was too kind to Ben and put up with way too much. He probably cried and begged for second chances and because of her kids she believed him. I still don’t understand how when it’s obvious who the guilty party is some still will find a way to blame the victim in this whole mess. Her crime was too fall in love with an asshole.
Have you thought that Ben may be an asshole just because he cannot help himself.So please before you judge him remember the same way Jen could not help herself for falling for an asshole is the same way he cannot help being an asshole right now everybody feels sorry for Jen understandable but lets remember everyone has their own weaknesses.
@Knowit-All you are so right. It is also difficult to judge, how far has he gone every time he does something, when they both are in the middle of things. They both couldn’t see or judge themselves objectively, so what right do we have?
I do judge, however, the calculated outings with kids, the pretense, the intensity of this pap walk attack on us. They don’t need it for career or family, but are doing it nevertheless.
You are so right. Their reasons for hating on Jen are so petty too. She always liked him so what. In support of this claim they post a video where she was allegedly ”flirting openly” with him. I have watched the video, I saw none of that. They say she cheated on Scott Foley, Scott says she didn’t but they will never let that go. Ben and Jen started dating after Electra so how could she have cheated on Scott that she was already divorced from. Yes, she left Michael Vartan for Ben Affleck. They make it seem as if that is the most heinous crime in the history of mankind. How many of us have left one person for another. Why is she a horrible person for doing so. Especially when Michael himself said they became more like brother and sister “a benign relationship””. You find so many people on the internet that just want to cry more than the bereaved, its a strange phenomenon.
@ KNOW-IT-ALL
That’s the biggest load of BS if I’ve ever heard. Ben can help cheating on his wife, ex-girlfriends and fiancé. Way to take away all responsible and make people the victims of their own actions.😱😱😱😱
Ya tell Bill Cosby many victims that he nor responsible for what he did he just cannot help himself.
I am a Jen fan and I want him gone. No one that cares about Jen would want him near her in the future. Her life will be more peaceful and a lot more decent without the dark forces that surround him. She should not allow the co habitation idea, its another poor decision. He should get his own place far away from her and the kids can go visit him when he is not so busy. I guess she is trying to avoid a situation where the kids would have to go stay with him for lengthy periods without supervision. I mean, the addiction rumours are still out there.
You can totally tell that Ben favors Seraphina, total daddy’s girl too, and the only one that looks like him.
She does look like him. The other kids are Jennifer’s mini me’s.
Violet adores her daddy and you can see how much he adores her too. I don’t get where he favors one over the other at all. What a thing to say. There’s a ton of photos of Violet and Dad and she’s always holding his hand or he’s carrying her over the years. He talked in an interview this year the next time he goes to Africa for his organization he wants to take Violet.
Sera is definitely a little mini-me Ben, though.
That cannot be Jen’s fault though or can it? Lol
LOL! Of course it has to be Jen’s fault somehow.
The wedding ring for Ben doesn’t really mean a thing. During his marriage, he never really respected his wife nor honor their vow. So, a wedding ring for Ben is just an accessory. Nothing to do with being actually married. He has shown that in the last 10 years. #nanny #blakelively #strippersandextras
I never ever bought into the happy marriage charade from day one. It seemed obvious after just a few years that they were extremely unhappy. So this whole thing didn’t surprise me one bit – I always felt like it was a just matter of time. I don’t know – I personally don’t mind Ben. I can separate whatever he did in his personal life from his career. Plus, none of us will ever really know what went on behind closed doors. Whatever it was, Jen stayed and continued to knowingly have more kids. Yes, I’m sure she had a blind spot, but the reality is they both stayed in a marriage that seemed to be bad for a very long time. Just like everyone says no one forced Ben to marry Jen when she was pregnant, it’s also true that no one forced Jennifer to stay in the marriage year after year when clearly Ben wasn’t happy or going to change. It’s called codependency, and there are TWO people involved. I’m not going to hate on either one of them at this point. He did bad things (allegedly), she overlooked them for way too many years (yep, that’s her fault) because she wanted to be Ben Affleck’s wife. I just hope they move on and find happiness.
I agree with your take (as I’ve said many times before) the only thing I disagree with you about-I can’t stand Ben Affleck. I remember going to see Good Will Hunting in the theater and loving everything except for the d-bag best friend. Sometimes I’m able to ignore his presence in a film-the only perfect casting for him was Gone Girl. As for her she’s a dud I mean she was great in Alias (perfect casting and great physicality) and good in Juno but besides that she’s so boring on screen. She’s a perfect spokeswoman for products (non offensive, pretty, sympathetic) and I’m sure that’s going to be her focal point in the future.
Hahah! Well you’re probably in the majority with your feelings about Ben. I’m from Boston, so I might be a little biased. I will always have a spot for all of the Boston boys – Matt, Ben, even Mark Wahlberg. And if you want to talk about having done some bad things, we should probably start with Mark (vs. Ben), but he (Mark) seems to have cleaned up his act. I agree Ben isn’t the greatest actor. I liked him ok in Chasing Amy, the Company Men, not bad in The Town. But I do think he has real skills as a director and writer.
As for Jen, agree with everything you said. I know this is bad, but I did actually love 13 Going on 30 – kind of dumb, but cute, and she was perfect for it. I also thought she was pretty good in the recent movie Danny Collins. She toned down the dimple/cute factor and just seemed more real.
Some of his acting is wooden, but I’ve liked him in other movies. He was actually really good in Chasing Amy. I wouldn’t have considered his acting wooden at all. I think as a young guy in that movie he was a more open actor and related better since he was young. I think he was like 24 or so.
I’ve never paid ANY attention to Hollywood gossip until this story. I’m sure my past experiences have caused it to stir up a lot of memories and that’s why it’s grabbed me.
Garner tends to do more family friendly stuff and that’s the kind of movie I always sought for my kids and grandkids. I’ve enjoyed all of her stuff that I have seen. She’s had steady and consistent work, so clearly she has appeal.
I’ve only seen Affleck in Armageddon (ugh) and I regretfully did see Gone Girl (that was so disturbing) and I didn’t like him in it – he just seemed so flat. His ICK factor is too far in the red zone for me now and I wouldn’t be able to get past that backstory stuff to ever enjoy anything of his in future. Shame, cause I love my superhero movies and would have liked to be able to enjoy the Batman series, but [shudder again].
Aw, he was awesome as Matt’s douchebag-with-a-heart best buddy in Good Will Hunting. One of my all time favorite movies – probably always will be.
JoJo, as for the Matt-Ben-Mark Boston Triangle…
There was this blind (http://blindgossip.com/?p=14193) “He Only Looks Like a Nice Guy”. From the photo that looks like him, to the song reference from Dazed and Confused, and the clue “Not Matt Damon”, I thought it was meant to mislead us into thinking this was Ben, but that would be too easy a guess.
On the other hand, while Mark is known for his temper, he’s supposedly now a reformed family man and good Catholic who attends regular Sunday Mass at The Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills. He’s also been reported in other blinds, however, as doing coke in his trailer on-set. Since fans have confused him with Matt before and vice-versa (so much so, they even have a joking agreement about it), I always this was more likely Mark.
So who knows, but no matter, it’s awful IF true.
@Laura – That blind is terrible. Agreed, very disturbing, whether Mark or Ben. Wow, seems hard to believe it would be Mark. He seems to have his personal life well wrapped up, and I never hear anything about him. Ugh.
Something about your assessment is getting to my inner feminist, JOJO. I mean, yeah, she may’ve been looking the other way, but why do you automatically assume it’s because she wanted to be *Ben Afflecks* wife? Maybe she just wanted to be the *man she fell in love with’s wife*, like so many non-celebs are forced to decide? Why does it automatically become the tired old narrative that she’s clinging to the rich and famous dude instead of the her children’s dad and the man she loves? Hell, she’s pretty rich and famous in her own right (they have the same amount of money according to TMZ), maybe she’s not clinging at all. Maybe she’s “looking the other way” because that’s part of their arrangement. They could have an open marriage for all we know, and were forced to go public with a divorce to save their image when the nanny threatened them.
You are so right. some people are obsessed with the notion that all she ever wanted in life was to be Ben Affleck’s wife. Why he is such a catch? Only they know the answer to this question because the baggage he comes with far outweighs any redeeming features he may possess. I seriously doubt that they had an open marriage, Jen was too much in love. Even if Ben wanted one, I just don’t see her agreeing to it. I think the Gone Girl director was right about Ben’s duplicitous nature and how convincing he is. If she never actually caught him in the act he seems like the type that would lie about anything and make you think he is being honest. Jen is not the only one to be caught by surprise in a marriage, there are so many men that betray their marriage vows and the wife only finds out because of a sudden event, Jared Fogle anyone.
Whatever it was that made BEN unhappy, he continued to stay and knowingly have more kids.
I don’t think they had an open marriage, but if course, what do I know? What do any of us really know. Even everything we’re saying here is all just speculation. We don’t know anything about their marriage in reality. We know what they want us to see, like most other couples, and what the tabloids report, which is probably a lot of BS much of the time but probably not all of the time. 🙂
@Elisha – I’ve never thought Jen clung to Ben for fame or money at all. Exactly the opposite. I think she was completely enamored with him since before she divorced Scott Foley (no shade there – just obvious from Dinner with Five – and maybe she and Scott would have divorced anyway.) I do think she clung to him against all reason, against what was probably staring her right in the face for years, yes, in order to be Ben Affleck’s wife – because she was enamored with him. That’s just what I think. But I could be wrong, because none of us really know. I do know that she is accountable for continuing to stay, just like any of us are in a bad relationship. He might be responsible for reprehensible actions (allegedly), but she’s accountable for staying in that situation for a very long time. I’ve been in that situation myself, and at the end of the day, I can really only blame myself for staying.
This is the reason why she needs to move on now. Samuel was not a planned baby from all accounts so even if she wanted to leave, no one will rush to leave a marriage where the last child is so young. Of course Hollywood is different, Gwen Stefani and Megan Fox both have very young kids and they are divorcing but that is against the norm. Even now, Samuel is only three years old so obviously it is never an easy decision once kids are involved whether its just one, two or three. That is why the Blake and Miranda divorce was so fast, compared to others.
I actually used to like Ben and I never thought of him as reprehensible until now. You can just tell that he is capable of sneaking off somewhere for a rendezvous with Isuzu nanny, even now. I have lost all respect for him. Jen should just be thanking her stars that she will soon be rid of him. Good riddance.
I’ve stated before, but it bears repeating. In the case of living with an addict, it’s not black and white while you are in the midst of it. There is a great deal of emotional manipulation involved. Your self image is torn down time and again when the spouse cheats/lies/mistreats, etc. and then they come back all sorry and, if her “sources” are to be believed, beg for forgiveness and make promises of future change. The pattern develops over years and it becomes a natural way of life. Outsiders can see the destructiveness, but inside, co-dependency can take over the strongest of people and blind them to the reality. Also, an addict CAN get help and recover to become the person you see when you look at them. You hang on to that hope because you KNOW it could be great if they did. There just comes a time when they cross a line and you stop and know that you have reached your limit of endurance.
Wow, I must say, in some ways, I do feel bad for Ben. This doesn’t mean I don’t also feel bad for Jen. I do. It’s actually possible to feel bad for two people. But he is being hung, drawn and quartered in the court of public opinion. There is actually no proof of anything. I’m not sayng his alleged transgressions aren’t true – I’m sure some are – but we don’t know what’s true and what isn’t. If the Jen everyone loves so much actually loved and stayed with Ben all those years, I’m quite sure it’s because there was also stuff to love about him.
+1
So that makes two of us. 🙁
I have no doubt he is capable of good things.
Did you also feel bad for him when he cheated and humiliated JLO or cheated on Gwyneth Paltrow?
Does everyone “love” her?
+2 =3…….
I agree with you also.
Ben will always have people who don’t like him. Any Ben Affleck rumor will always be stated as fact ….. no proof required.
Batman v Superman will be major blockbuster. WB is going to work with Ben for years to come……Ben = (Actor/ Writer/ Director, Won 2 Oscars ). There are many people who could careless about celebrity gossip. Most people just like go to the movies and watch good TV . If you don’t like Ben you probably don’t watch his movies. I don’t think he is going to lose to many true fans after everything is said and done.
Plus….The movie sites I visit usually shut down any gossip talk about Ben and Jen. They just want to talk about movies.
A brief comedy aside, leave it to the Daily Fail to explain it all for us and, for lack of anything else, to describe in great, unnecessary detail exactly what everyone was wearing: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3210777/Ben-Affleck-puts-arm-middle-child-Seraphina-enjoy-day-father-daughter-bonding-LA.html
The best part? What is grey…”the intermediate colour between black and white.” Thanks for clarifying that!
Then there’s the one from today informing us that Ben has officially removed his ring (again), which means they’ve hired a mediator to “thrash out” the divorce: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-3211911/The-ring-Ben-Affleck-removes-wedding-band-actor-estranged-wife-Jennifer-Garner-plan-hire-private-mediator-thrash-divorce.html
And now, with Ben wearing the Dad Golf Shirt and Clooney Mom Jeans, I think his image redo will soon be complete.
@laura
He looks like Adam Sandler in his new outfit. Looks like he finally ditched his tight tshirts that show his moobs.
The Adam Sandler comparison is so true!
I LOL when I saw the picture. You can tell he reads the celeb gossip comments people make about him and it’s funny watching him react to them. He has become a joke. Man boobs.
Ha! I know – and I love how they then show you where you can buy the same outfits! 🙂
And Ben’s polo. No, just no. Not a good look for him.
He really likes that kind of drink, carries it in the newest photos as well – without a ring on his fingers.
Doesn’t Ben look like the happy camper now? I think he is sending out a very obvious signal that he is available. I wonder who he will bring out now. I don’t think he will wait. He cannot be alone. I read one report today that said according to a source “it doesn’t seem that Ben has made any contact with his ex-nanny”. I thought hmm, interesting choice of words. Why bother bringing her up at all? I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the nanny. Interesting too that she is going to Soul Cycle because it is well-documented that Jennifer Garner goes there as well. Awkward! As hard as this is on Jennifer Garner, I truly believe once she is away from him she will begin to heal. She won’t be caught up in his dramas anymore. Just work out the time with the kids and be done with it. Move on because he certainly has.
Is that Nanny’s twin sister??? The nose looks the same, height, forhead, hair minus the highlights…
Oh look, it’s Fun Weekend Dad again. Well, not weekend, but he works in Hollywood so he gets to be Fun Dad on a different schedule.
That’s just play, and it’s only a tiny part of parenting. How often has Ben stayed up all night with a kid who had a stomachache? Do his kids feel he’ll be there for them in a general sense, that they can depend on him? Or do they know all that they’ll get from him is Fun Dad — when he feels like it.
The more “Ben Affleck is such a great dad for playing with his kids” articles there are, the more I despise him. This crud makes me dislike him even more than his affairs. Just… ugh.
Who is available and is running around with a boy toy.I just do not understand why people cannot notice the obvious.Who has a history of running back to her exes.Who believes and wrote about true love.What is the definition of true love accepting the good and the bad.If the was a place to bet on Ben s future love I will be betting now and I will be cashing in big time.