People: Jennifer Garner confronted Lindsay in NY to convince her to leave Ben

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Do you think Jennifer Garner regrets calling out People Magazine for running a fake-ish cover story when she didn’t give them an interview? She certainly seems to be using them to get out her side of the story now that Ben is stepping out with his new piece. Maybe that was part of Jen’s long term plan though, to cast doubt on People so that we would question whether the stories about her were true. This one has so many details that it seems like it comes either straight from Jen or from Ben Affleck’s new girlfriend, Lindsay Shookus, whom People is sourcing now. People reports that Jen confronted Lindsay in New York, where Lindsay lives, after she found out about her affair with Ben in 2015. Lindsay’s official response is a variation of “I don’t know her,” by claiming that she doesn’t have a “relationship” with Jen, but come on. Also, how lame is it to confront the other woman about your husband’s affair and not to blame your POS husband for cheating? Nothing is ever Ben’s fault. Of course Lindsay didn’t back down, she was already in it to win it and she eventually did by being enough of a doormat for Ben over the years. She was a better doormat than Jen apparently, enough to be the replacement. So if Lindsay leaked this story she seems even more shameless and if Jen leaked it she also sounds desperate. No one wins here, but I still see Ben as the puppet master.

Jennifer Garner confronted Ben Affleck‘s girlfriend Lindsay Shookus in person after she found out about their affair in 2015, sources tell PEOPLE.

Garner was on a work trip to New York City when she approached Shookus about the fling. “Lindsay refused to back down or quit the affair,” says a source.

Responds a source close to Shookus: “Jennifer and Lindsay do not have any relationship.”

Sources also say Garner spoke to Shookus’ ex about the affair. After appearing on an episode of Late Night with Seth Meyers, where Miller is now a supervising producer, Garner sought him out for a conversation.

The first source says she showed him text messages between Affleck and Shookus, adding, “she had proof.” (Miller and Shookus were already split at the time.)

Affleck and Shookus have been spending time together in L.A. since going public with their relationship last week.

[From People]

Do you remember when Garner and Affleck did that bit on SNL together joking about the state of their marriage? That was in May, 2013, a few weeks after Affleck won the Oscar for Best Film for Argo and thanked Garnerfor working on our marriage for ten Christmases.” That was also apparently when he met Lindsay, who had a baby at home with her then-husband. Lindsay did whatever with Ben for a couple of years, Jen found out and tried to stop it but then Ben cheated with the nanny and that was officially the straw that broke their marriage’s back. Only Jen kept trying to see if things could work, if Ben could change through therapy and empty promises, and Ben was probably fine with that because all these women were fighting for him behind the scenes. He had the dutiful mother to his kids at home and the sidepieces he rotated in according to his schedule and needs.

Now we’re being sold this version of Lindsay as the cool chick, the one who was there for Ben in his time of need, as he cheated on Jen, gambled and drank. It’s even ok for him to take Lindsay to Vegas after he went to rehab because of course it is. Of course he’s not hiding anything. This is who he is and Garner was the one covering up for him, but she’s not doing that anymore. Lindsay is the party chick, she’s not going to try to keep up appearances for Ben. Remember how Ben blamed J.Lo for all his image problems? Just wait.

Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus grab a piece of pizza

Ben Affleck's new girlfriend Lindsay Shookus catches a flight at LAX

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photos credit: WENN and Backgrid

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214 Responses to “People: Jennifer Garner confronted Lindsay in NY to convince her to leave Ben”

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  1. CidyKitty says:

    Jeez Louise Ben looks like crap. He looks terrible. And I can’t help but feel really, really, bad for Jen. Because it’s happened to me. You work on fixing something and you get shafted.

    But Christ Ben looks terrible.

    • argonaut says:

      Yeah, what is all over his shirt? Sweat, or just permanent stains? He looks like such a bloated slob with a puffy, feminized face from all those fillers. Is this really the prize you’ve been chasing after, Lindsay?

      • Lana 234 says:

        Do you really think these women care that Ben looks a hot mess. It’s all about status. To them he is “Ben Affleck actor and director” I am sure Lindsay loves being on his arm. Maybe Lindsay thinks she ” fix” him just like Jennifer thought she could.

    • Mia4s says:

      Just speculation on my part but I get the feeling this new piece might be the “fun chick” who doesn’t pressure him to stay sober (it’s just a drink or two!) and tolerates and joined in on the partying and gambling and trips to Vegas and “gee I’m so much more fun than your scold of a wife!”. Which of course will mean it’s very unlikely he will stay sober if that’s his new “home”. I could see this getting really ugly both personally and professionally. It’s always on the addict of course, but enablers and lack of support systems are a pretty big factor too.

      • burnsie says:

        She seems like a party girl herself. She’s works for SNL, after all

      • Green says:

        Didn’t Ben’s friend(s) criticise her in a book? Kevin Smith or some director? For being controlling.

      • Bethy says:

        @Green, Kevin said after Ben married Jen they had no relationship, implying it was all JG fault.

  2. Angel says:

    He looks bloated and awful. If I were Jen I’d be like yup YOU take him.

    • minx says:

      I think Jen would take him back in a second. She likes being Mrs. Ben Affleck.

      • tracking says:

        Yes, but I also think she is/was genuinely enamored of him and did not want their family to break up.

      • Merritt says:

        I’m not so sure about that at this point. She put up with a lot of crap and in the end it looks like she finally got sick of it.

      • ELX says:

        No, you can love them, but addicts wear you out–you realize one day that you just don’t love him anymore.

      • isabelle says:

        Think its Ben that actually wants her back. He becomes a hot mess once he is outside of their family, she is the same regardless. In love or not, he seemed at least alcohol wise more sober and it shows every time they separate.

      • minx says:

        tracking, yes, she definitely loves him and wanted to save her family. No question. I’m not saying she got with him–or stayed with him–because of his success.

    • annaloo. says:

      He looks like crap. She’s a climber. Poor Jen. Always “Poor Jen”.

      Affleck exhausts me.

  3. Nope. says:

    I wonder what it’s like to be the kid of a celebrity and have this kind of stuff be all over the internet.

    Who’s to say she didn’t confront Ben? But at the same time, she probably also wanted to keep the father of her kids around. I’m sure if the two never had kids, she would’ve left his sorry a** a long time ago.

    • nemera34 says:

      Their children are small. They are not reading gossip sites. And unless you are or are interested in celebrities; it is not hard to not know a thing about any of these people. I have lots of friends/family that could’t pick Be or Jennifer out in a line up. Their children are just being children. Outside of knowing about the divorce I would think they are giving them basic information for their level of understanding.
      Mommy and Daddy are not married but we love you and are still a family.

      • Merritt says:

        Their eldest is 11. Old enough to know what is going on. And old enough to have classmates that might be all too willing to make sure she hears everything bad that comes about her parents.

      • Kate says:

        Their kids are still young but they might wonder (and know) why Nanny Christine was send her merry way. Ben is such an ass.

      • Nope. says:

        My 8 year old nephew spends a lot of time online and now a days be seen toddlers glued to iPhones. You underestimate their access to the internet.

      • perplexed says:

        The stories on the internet don’t really go away. They can probably read these stories when they’re older.

        Wills and Harry never seemed oblivious to what was going on in their parents’ marriage, so I would be surprised if celebrity kids in today’s media climate had no idea what was going on in their parents’ marriage via the media. Kids today seem more media informed from what I can tell.

      • magnoliarose says:

        They aren’t regular children living outside of the Hollywood bubble. Their peers are children whose parents are in the entertainment business in different capacities. Stars on their level will be gossiped about all over town and children of stars are seen as extensions of their famous parents. 11 is not what it used to be and it surely isn’t in those circles. The whole thing is a mess.

      • Erinn says:

        They can still see tabloids in a grocery store, though.

      • The Original G says:

        Their kids know whats going on and their friends know what’s going on. They have a front seat. Don’t kid yourselves.

      • InVain says:

        They absolutely know, especially the oldest who may even feel the need to protect her younger siblings from as much of it as she can. Trust me, I went through something very similar myself as a child (without the internet) – albeit not in Hollywood, which is probably 100x worse on kids. They know. Kids are much more observant and understanding at that age than you’re giving them credit for – internet or not. They might not be able to think like an adult, but they know something is up. I feel for them on every level.

    • Ana says:

      She’s trying to keep him alive for her kids. Not dead.

      The new GF is a social climber. Being in Hollywood will open more doors for her via Ben’s connections.

      • nemera34 says:

        Peope accused Jennifer of being a social climber too. Maybe this Lindsay woman just wants Ben. She looks and acts like she is ready for whatever is going to come.

      • Ana says:

        Yes, what is there not to love and like about Ben. 😜

      • perplexed says:

        At least Jennifer Garner had Ben Affleck when he was good-looking and people only laughed at him for that J-Lo video. I don’t get what the current girlfriend gets out of the current nanny-liking version of Ben.

      • nemera34 says:

        I didn’t realize people still said.. so and so had them when they were good looking or hot. You would hope they had the person when they were at their best. not just physically. Ben has had issues his whole life. I think he needs therapy. Not just for his addictions. But for what makes him repeat these patterns. He needs to talk to someone.

      • Merritt says:

        Or just has bad taste in men. Being with Ben Affleck never improved a career. If anything is has caused career damage.

    • mar_time says:

      I also wonder if Ben was like “she won’t leave me alone!” and that’s why Jen confronted her…I have a feeling he kept playing her, lying and apologizing and that’s why she stayed for so long

  4. Lucy says:

    He’s disgusting, I’m placing him in the same category as Tom Cruise and Johnny Depp, different reasons but each POS in their own right. I can’t believe a man would be this disrespectful, degrading, rude and selfish to his wife of over a decade and to his small children. She is wayyyy too nice, because I would not have anything to do with his degrading ass.
    As for his new side piece, karma is a thing and her little baby will grow up and one day learn that his mom was a cheating POS as well.
    Also he looks hungover and bloated and in desperate need of a shower and some clean clothes.

  5. Jeesie says:

    I’m not sure this woman is a doormat. In even the most unflattering to her stories, it doesn’t sound like she was waiting and pining for Ben to choose her, more that they were just two similarly adulterous people who had a connection and would hook up when it was convenient. I suspect she had/has some other guys on the side too.

    • nemera34 says:

      She seems strong enough to me. I said on a previous thread she probably told Ben it was time to go pubic if he wanted her. And she looks ready to handle whatever is coming. I don’t know. It is a weird situation all around. But maybe some of the stories are not real. Maybe Jennifer and Ben talked about this and it is not a surprise for anyone. TMZ was implying that Ben and Jennifer were both “seeing other people”. That is most likely not the case; but it is being thrown out there for obvious reasons.

      • Lady D says:

        …because TMZ has to slam the woman in the story no matter her position. They had to run 4 Rob K. stories in a row, before they could find an unflattering one of Blak China. You could almost see how desperate they were to find a disparaging story, until one of her exes contacted them with supposed dirt. You could almost see the glee in the article. Oh good she looks like shit here, type of story.

      • KB says:

        How is it a slam on Jen if she’s seeing someone else? I think she is. They separated almost three years ago and she was never single for long in the past. I’ll bet she’s got some successful, handsome, and sober guy she’s been spending time with.

    • OriginallyBlue says:

      She doesn’t seem like a doormat, just someone who doesn’t care. Starting a relationship with a man you know is married married (I can understand legally married, but separated or divorcing) is ballsy and gross. They continued it and she must have known she wasn’t the only one. His wife asks you to end it and you say no and probably have a laugh about it with her husband. That takes a special kind of person.

    • burnsie says:

      Same, Lindsay isn’t coming across as a doormat, just as a woman who is doing her own thing, doesn’t really give a f*ck about anything else. I agree that it comes off as ballsy, in a way

      • nemera34 says:

        And if Jennifer did confront her. Which I really hope she didn’t. The fact that Lindsay said.. NO, I’m not going anywhere; well there you girl. Girl is not scared or intimidated by Jennifer nor the press or us on gossip sites.

      • burnsie says:

        Exactly @nemera34. US Weekly is saying that when Jen confronted her, Lindsay’s response was that she’d stop when Ben asked her to stop. Lindsay sounds like a woman with no f*cks to give — not a doormat

      • Otaku Fairy says:

        She sounds narcissistic.

    • magnoliarose says:

      She didn’t get as far as she has by being a weak doormat. We don’t even know what the story is between them. She doesn’t seem to care about the gossip. I don’t know if she is simply shameless or she knows gossip won’t affect her career so she doesn’t care. I can’t figure out why anyone would want him in the first place so the rest is a mystery.

  6. Sage says:

    This is the new celeb triangle.
    Can Jennifer parlay the scorned wife into a sympathic figure for the next 10 years or until Ben and Lindsay breakup? She should hire Aniston publicist.

  7. Wren says:

    Am I the only one who finds Jen pathetic? Yes, of course Ben is too, but come on. She has known for years who and what Ben is, and that he clearly does not want her anymore. They have been separated for ages and yet they keep spending ” family” time together like the 4th of July. She is not doing the kids any favors by confusing them like that.

    She and Ben are over, let him get on with his addict ways and new GF and move on with your life. I swear, Jen is acting like a kid in middle school with all the ” look at me the responsible parent and woman scorned” stuff.

    Ben is a mess, he is no longer married to you, move on.

    • Kate says:

      She is pathetic. She should be relieved her pig of an ex is someone’s else problem rather than confronting the mistress/girlfriend/whatever.

    • She’s keeping her family together, even though the divorce is happening. My cousin did the same thing for her children when she divorced their alcoholic father. He came to Thanksgiving, Christmas, birthdays, etc. When they were all grown, her daughter came to her and said, “Thank you for making us still feel like we are a family, even though you and Daddy divorced.” It’s called putting your children first and I think that’s what Jennifer is doing.

      I don’t find her pathetic. I think she’s being incredibly strong for her children.

      • Miss S says:

        I understand that perspective but I guess there’s a point where it becomes too much. We are on a gossip blog judging all of it by what is public and naturally, we don’t know everything, but didn’t she do enough already? She didn’t say negative things about him, she indeed put the kids first. But if he is moving on she needs to let go, she can’t try to manage Ben’s image to protect their kids, it seems it’s more about protecting the family’s image. Let’s not forget how friendly she is with paparazzi when it’s convenient, this is someone who tries to control the narrative and I suspect she gets a pass on a lot of things because she hides behind the “mama bear” image.

      • Wren says:

        Sherrie, I would say that she was strong if she was doing it in private, but she is all over the media about ” what a good mom I am.” I too a, the product of divorced parents and if it is so bad when they are together then it is not helping the kids.

        She is usind her kids for media attention. I dislike both her and Ben but at least Ben is what he is and doesn’t pretend.

      • Luca76 says:

        Hmm if it were about keeping the family together wouldn’t she be setting aside whatever personal animosity she has for the newbie and keep all details out of the press? Like Goop did? I doubt Jen is planning on inviting Lindsey to these vacations in the future or to celebrate a blended family holiday season . In fact it’s getting ugly in the press now because after 2 years of dating these two are going public. It’s not really about the kids.

    • Miss S says:

      Yes. She is just trying too hard to make it work on whatever level, but it comes across as someone who doesn’t have much self-respect. Ben does what Ben does and it’s not a secret to anyone at this point and she keeps playing the understanding wife/ex-wife when she should, in fact, be less flexible. She does look like a bit of a doormat and what kind of f*ckery is that to complain to the mistress and not focus solely on the husband? That’s a lot o BS right there. Maybe she is trying to appeal to the minivan majority, but I wonder if it’s worth it. What about her dignity, what about of not treating Ben as a child and make sure he is held accountable for whatever he does. Being the father of her kids is not a pass.

    • Idky says:

      No, you are not the only one. I think JG is pathetic as well. She didn’t stay with him only because of her kids. She did everything she could do to remain Mrs. Affleck, but there comes a time when you have to say “enough is enough” and face reality.

    • Louise says:

      Spot on! and if she confronted Lindsay it means she wanted her to stop seeing Ben and the marriage to continue! If Lindsay had said yes ok, Jen would have said ok. I believe Ben pulled the plug or he did something so bad (prob the nanny) that even she realised he didn’t want to be there.

      He has looked miserable in pics for years. I predict that there wont be too many en famille pictures going forward. It will be Ben and the kids without Jen and vice versa.

      I still find it amazing she kept a lid on it for the Vanity Fair interview. I think even then she was hoping he would wake up and see how wonderful she was.

      Dont shout at me but he is smiling in those pictures with Lindsay. He actually looks happier (for whatever reason)

    • magnoliarose says:

      I think when you find yourself begging another woman to leave your man alone all self respect has left a lone time ago. It is like driving by an ex’s house daily to check on what they are doing.
      It is over. Period.

      • mellie says:

        I feel for her….I’ve been there, not when I had kids (I’d probably be even worse!), but when I was younger, I just couldn’t let go and it SUCKS. I hated feeling that way. I’m not judging her for one minute because I don’t even have enough self control to stay away from the Snickers bar in the vending machine so I know I’d probably be the same darn way. It’s just going to take time for her to move on and I imagine everything going on in public is that much worse.

      • magnoliarose says:

        I feel like shaking her out of it. I don’t blame her for her pain and trying to hold a family together. I don’t blame her for falling for an ass. Most of us have one or two in our pasts. But this is so public after a long drawn out whatever they were doing. She is young enough to have a long happy life with or without a man. Men like Ben crash through life destroying and hurting without looking back.
        By going to the tabloids she is still in his mess. He won’t care if she is broken beyond repair but her kids will and her family and friends will. He is not worth this.
        I think some of the criticism is fatigue with their drama and thinking finally she can move on only she won’t. How ugly is this going to get?

    • Carrie says:

      Nope I agree with you. I’m actually not even giving her pathetic – I think Garner has experienced some karma with this. Unfortunately she brought kids into it and so did he. Now those kids are going through more than any of the adults which is awful.

      Garner and Affleck are the same, she just hid hers under saccharine. I just can’t forget how she treated Foley and Vartan.

    • Ash says:

      I don’t think Ben ever really loved Jennifer. He was in a funk, she made herself available, and they settled. I don’t understand why Jennifer doesn’t move on either.

    • Lisa says:

      He did in the beginning, He said himself when they found out they were having Violet, “we were really in love so we just embraced it “. She is a smart and accomplished woman, she must have been getting something from him besides more celebrity (which when they met was a true negative for her) and some d*ck. Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t try as hard as she did if you weren’t getting something back from the other person. Guys like him can be very two-faced and manipulative and at the time you don’t really realize you are being had. And I really don’t think she cares about being famous as you all do.

      • Ash says:

        Of course, Ben would say that. He got Jen pregnant and they weren’t even married. I’ve never perceived Jennifer Garner as a woman fine with having children, unless marriage was part of the deal.

        “Let’s be honest, you wouldn’t try as hard as she did if you weren’t getting something back from the other person. Guys like him can be very two-faced and manipulative and at the time you don’t really realize you are being had.”

        I wouldn’t waste time with a guy whose baggage is out there for everyone to see and has a history being an asshole to his girlfriends. I wouldn’t be so arrogant to think I can change him either. I wouldn’t keep having children with man who’s a hot mess. That’s just stupid piling on stupid.

        I know some of you guys like to give Jennifer Garner a pass as if she’s some victim who was blindsided by Ben, but they’re both assholes.

  8. grabbyhands says:

    Mother of God, does his penis grant immortality or something? Why do women always fight over such worthless men??

    • Kate says:

      I do not know. He looks like crap, he acts like an asshole, he’s a lousy actor and an average to good director. Ladies, whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy?????

      • Evie says:

        $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

      • Lady D says:

        A drug addicted, alcoholic, gambler that can’t keep it in his pants? Wow, where do I sign up?

      • magnoliarose says:

        He is probably charming, he is wealthy and connected and I have to believe he is no slouch intimately. I wouldn’t let him touch me. If I had to shake his hand I would wipe if off as fast as I could.

    • Carrie says:

      Women are jerks too… some anyway. I mean, like attracts like especially with advancing age. I’m always happy to see jerks stick to their own kind and leave the decent people at peace to find other decent people.

      In this situation, ALL the adults are jerks so I don’t care about them. The kids…. when jerks have kids, what kind of developmental impact does that have? Not easy on them and they didn’t have any say in this. It’s awful.

    • Ash says:

      grabbyhands- +1

      Thank you! I wish someone would explain that to me.

  9. Squiggisbig says:

    I hope Jen did not actually confront Lindsay’s husband at his work. Because man the only thing that seems worse than having your wife cheat on you with this bloated hot mess is to have all your co workers gossiping about how a movie star tried to show you evidence of the affair while you were working.

    I’m also curious about the timeline with the nanny. Slash how did they get rid of her lol?

    • Merritt says:

      I’m sure the co-workers already knew.

      I think the nanny played her hand too quickly and never got the payout she was looking for. Some people think she was paid to go away, but why pay someone who has already spilled the tea. I think she ran out of stories to sell and went back to her ex.

    • Ramona says:

      Timeline: Well about six months before the nanny, CB was already on divorce watch if you recall. At some point she was even tracking how frequently they were in the same city. Those were the days of dubious Ben sightings in random towns and of course Vegas. At some point in that period, Jen appeared on a talk show and cried out of the blue. I thought even then she was weepy from depression. Then one day a moving truck showed up at their house but we were told they were merely remodelling the house.

      Then they went on that vacation with the kids and announced from there together that they were splitting. Two days later, nannygate begins. We assumed that this affair had kept Ben and Jen apart for months and was the reason for the time apart. But sources were saying that Ben has been living at a hotel for months implying they were seperated when the nanny thing happened. And Jen gave her interview and confirmed that they were already in trouble before the nanny. But Ben and Jen are then spotted at therapists offices, riding in the same car, attending Church together and he even maintains a home on the same compound as her. Since nanny had disappeared, it is assumed that they are working on their marriage.

      Then this year, Ben announces that he has completed rehab and thanks Jen by name for her support. A few weeks later, they finally file for divorce. Two months later, Shookus shows her face.

      I think Ben was pulling a Chris Brown – claiming to be in love with two women and giving them the impression that either could “win” (lol) him. That explains his pap walks with Jen. He had to make Jen feel publicly acknowledged but scowled because Shookus will see those pics and he needs to show her he is unhappy with wifey. The nanny was a turning point for Jen but it took two years to start to let go. I think a hyper competitive person would really struggle with letting a mistress “win”.

      • Lisa says:

        Great time line there Ramona. During the VF interview she said they were already separated when the Nanny happened and that’s not why they split up but nobody here believed her. She said it wasn’t good that they had to explain to the kids about that scandal and I’m sure they already knew their parents had earlier separated because of Lindsey because kids just know. I think people here are now wrong to think the conscious uncoupling thing they’ve been doing for 2 years means they were trying to get back together but it was tabloids saying that not them. Everybody said that about Chris and GOOP too in the beginning.

    • Valois says:

      This is SNL we’re talking about. The workplace where people indulge in coke at their afterparty, where you make out with a host while your boss is around and god knows what else is going on. I highly doubt this is unusual for them 😀

  10. JA says:

    Ugh Jennn!!! I was rooting for you, we were all rooting for you!!! She better have a hot piece of succesful with his own money ass soon or I see no hope for her. These side chicks never learn even when they are college educated SNL writers…karma is a bitch and she seriously needs to pay a visit to the STD known as Affleck

  11. Kate says:

    Did Jen did that with all the other rumoured mistresses or does she consider that Lindsay special? Either way, she should have confronted her scumbag of a husband, called him out on his bs and called her lawyer years ago. What did she think? That if Ben stopped his thing with Lindsay, he would be faithful to her and work on their marriage? She cannot be that stupid.

    • Ramona says:

      I’m pretty sure she confronted Ben too. Ben was living at the Beverly Hills Hotel for months before they announced the split. He had clearly been kicked out. (I dont believe he went willingly because of how hard he has clung to her apron strings these last two years).

    • Evie says:

      @Kate: I don’t consider Jen pathetic. The three kids change the dynamic. Don’t forget, Ben’s been gambling and tomcatting around for several years now. Their oldest boy is now 11 — but three or four years ago, he was 7 or 8 and the younger ones were toddlers. I think she truly did love him and probably hoped against hope that the relationship could be salvaged at least for the sake of her kids. She did throw him out and also tried to work on the marriage. All to no avail. Lindsay, the Nanny and the other side pieces actually did Jen a big favor. Hopefully Jen moves on now and never looks back. Affleck looks awful and unhealthy.

  12. Clare says:

    Truthfully, I can’t hate on a woman for trying to save her marriage. Whatever the husband is like, she was his wife, he was her family, the father of her children, and if she felt like she had to confront his mistress then fair enough (does NOT let the man off the hook!!!!!).

    On the other hand, it takes a special kind of asshole to 1. knowingly start a relationship with a married man and 2. continue that relationship 3. express disdain for the wife trying to save her marriage/family (for whatever reason).

    Was it the mistress’s responsibility to save their marriage? No. But, it is every humans responsibility to try not to do shit that hurts other people, in this case, a wife and 3 young children.

    While it is not the ‘other woman’s’ fault when a man cheats (at all) – some responsibility does lie with her when she knowingly continues a relationship with a man cheating on his wife.

    Y’all can think Garner is pathetic (and she may well be), but she is not the one that’s an asshole in this equation. Its the two people who cheated on their respective spouses.

    • Ana says:

      Very well said! The new chick is an a$$hol3.

    • LadyT says:

      Agreed. Just because she confronted Lindsay and her husband doesn’t mean she wasn’t unleashing hell on Ben. I’m sure she was. Um… anyone remember the Blake Lively pictures sent to Ben, then the “leaks”, then Ben with a black eye?
      I personally think she was spinning plates like a mad women trying to keep her family together and Ben more or less in line until JUST recently. Now she’s just watching him crash and burn like the rest of us. There’d be some secret satisfaction in that. Later, strictly because he is her children’s father, she’ll try to guide him again.

      • Kate says:

        Unleashing hell on Ben? I don’t think so. Maybe she confronted Ben after the Lively nude pics’ saga but what did she do after that? Oh yeah, that’s right, give him a third child.
        She just does not love herself.

      • LadyT says:

        I disagree. Lots of women do stay because they feel worthless and undeserving. But in Garner’s case I think it’s quite the opposite. However I’ll-advised it may have been, she fought for her family and to save him with amazing strength of character. Have you ever seen her crying or stumbling thru interviews? She’s sharp–at a futile task–but sharp.

      • CL says:

        I will go to my grave convinced that Jen G had something to do with Blake’s photos getting “leaked”. talk about revenge!

    • Carrie says:

      Oh but some of us remember how and when Garner and Affleck got together…. so, trying to save this particular marriage is worse than pathetic. Garner is calculating and was from the start. Marrying a non-marrying type is never going to end well and she knew this going in but believes she is Wonder Woman or something. Calculating. Not love relationship, a calculated curated relationship.

      • Ash says:

        Too many seem to think Jen’s a saint. She and Ben are damaged goods. In that sense, they kind of deserve each other.

      • nemera34 says:

        I think they both need to counselling.

      • S says:

        @Ash, A person doesn’t have to be a saint, or perfect, or flawless in any way, to have sympathy for them. No one “deserves” to be cheated on. No behavior of the partner justifies it.

    • Marianne says:

      I think Jen really loved Ben, and the added fact that he is her children’s father made her feel like she could work it out. Obviously it got to a point where she couldnt do that anymore.

    • Keaton says:

      Well said!

  13. nemera34 says:

    The press is of course bring in her ex husband. But from all accounts she and her ex are just fine. He probably has a new relationship and they are friendly and co-parenting their child. The crazy drama is with Ben and Jen

    • Sami says:

      From what accounts?? Lindsay and Mister are not celebs so any drama would not have been documented in real time. I’ll wait to hear it from his own mouth thanks.

      • Luca76 says:

        The point is he very likely has nothing to say to the media. He isn’t going to go there very possibly because he really is interested in coparenting and moving on with his life.

    • kibbles says:

      How do we really know how he felt through all of this? They aren’t famous celebrities, so his feelings haven’t been the focus for any of the media until now. He’s probably moved on but there certainly could have been many arguments, tears, and hurt feelings before Lindsay and her ex-husband decided to get a divorce. Whatever he feels he probably wants to stay away from any media attention.

  14. S says:

    Honestly, this just makes me feel badly for Garner. To have what was likely one of your life’s low points put on blast, years later, is pretty grim.

    Because I’m a married woman over 40 and live in the world, I know at least three strong, smart and capable women who have confronted their husband’s mistresses while in the throes of the collapse of their relationships. NOT because they don’t blame their husbands, but because they’re sad, scared, angry, confused and broken. In my experience, they all regret it later. It’s not about logical, rational thought; it’s desperation and fear and pain … And, all things considered, to simply shout at or cajole or whatever someone is unadvisable, but also understandable, IF you allow yourself the empathy to put yourself in the position of a women who is losing her family, the life she’s known, her partner and father of her children whom she still loves. There’s also a real weird bond between the wife and the mistress; a shared experience that no one else can really get. It’s real easy to say, ‘You’re better off without him,’ or ‘You should have known better,’ or a million other heartless, even if rational, platitudes while on the outside looking in.

    My philosophy on this is very much, there but for the grace of God because, yeah, the person needing compassion, understanding and kindness in the face of devastation may someday be you.

    I’ve seen the anguish friends endured dealing with this relatively privately, and how badly it can still hurt even years later, when they’ve healed, so the only thing this story pings for me is sympathy.

    • Devereaux says:

      +1000. What a beautifully empathetic way of describing this. It is sooo painful. I watched my Mother suffer through it. Shudder. So glad karma is real.

      • S says:

        The first time it happened to a friend, I didn’t get it. I don’t think many in our circle did. I mean, don’t get me wrong, we were sympathetic and caring and angry at her husband for being an a$$hole, but we also didn’t really get why she was SO upset, why she wouldn’t just cut her losses once she learned the truth, why she did so-called “crazy” stuff to keep him. I admit we were judge-y about what an emotional wreck she was.

        Then when it happened it again, to one of my fellow judge-y friends, I saw how similar it was. How the woman who had said she’d never ever do A, B & C that we ALL thought Friend 1 had “indulged” in … Did all that and then some.

        These aren’t dumb gals. They aren’t milquetoast clingers. They aren’t social climbers. Or needy, greedy, or whatever other negative label you want to give them. These are strong, smart, educated, independent women who were betrayed by men they loved. Men they will forever remain connected to through children. Who one day had lives many would envy and the next were thrust into an entirely different socioeconomic strata, while at the same time being emotionally devastated and betrayed AND dealing with your children, the people you love most on the planet AND are totally responsible for, who are going through all the same crap. To say they should just “move on” and “deal with it” is pretty f’ing heartless.

        The best description I’ve heard from my friends who’ve endured this is … It’s like being run over by a train and then, on the way to the hospital in the ambulance, getting hit by a Mack truck, right after hearing your house had also burned down. It’s just blow after blow after blow … to your heart, to your ego, to your intelligence (you question EVERYTHING you thought you knew). It’s losing a husband, yes, but often also friends, family (his), home, school, sometimes even jobs when you worked together. In short: the very conception of who you are. That’s a big deal, I don’t care who you are.

    • Ana says:

      My mother did the same thing. There’s three of us young kids back then, and she was trying to work on keeping the family together. My father had mistresses, a gambler and a lousy father. I truly resented my father till the day he died but I had the deepest love for my mother.

    • Kate says:

      I totally would get that behavior if it was the first time Ben was cheating but come on, we know this asshole. Lindsay was not the first, the second or the fifth. Did she confront all the other ones? Comes a point when it’s not the mistress(es), it’s your husband.

      • Ana says:

        I hope this will not happen to you. There are many nuances and grey areas, especially with kids. I would assume you don’t have a child yet? We are not JG and we don’t know what exactly is happening or has happened behind closed doors. Us, we are just typing on our keyboards our observations from a bird’s eye view.

      • elle says:

        Hey, I don’t even know these people, and I feel betrayed by Ben!

        Of course, we all knew of his many addictions and infidelities, but w/the heartfelt FB posts acknowledging his rehab stay and more recently his listening-learning trip to the DRC, I really thought he was healthier and happier.

        We also know how common relapse is, especially in the first 3-6 months, but how disappointed are we all to see him not give AF anymore, just self-destruct?

      • Luca76 says:

        Ana what is the grey area of a habitual womanizer that has never been faithful to any woman continuing to be a habitual womanizer after procreating? It’s not like this was a happy marriage that had one slip up. This man was never faithful. Jen picked a bad egg. Therapy is a wonderful way of changing patterns so that we understand that we don’t have to repeat the same mistakes of our mothers and friends. I don’t think her behavior is uncommon but it sure as hell isn’t healthy or admirable.

      • CynicalAnn says:

        @Ana-I’m a mom and I’ve been married for over 20 years. She picked someone who was an addict and chronically unfaithful. She knew what she was getting.

    • Felicia says:

      @S: I’ve seen the exact same thing. It’s all fine and dandy to say “what you think you would do” but if that particular reality ever strikes, there are a whole raft of parameters that come into play that have nothing to do with the black/white and no grey vision someone on the outside has.

      • Ana says:

        Thank you! It is difficult to say what those grey areas are. It is different for each cases. Once you are in that situation, all objective responses become subjective. So easy for us to type here how we see Ben and Jen but these are two complex individuals who are just like any human beings. They are just Hollywood people.

    • Laura E Boreing says:

      Yes it is exactly how your friends describe it. I am a divorced woman over 40 with three children and my now ex-husband had a year long affair that blew up all of our worlds and it was devastating. I have always really hated some of the completely insensitive and very judgmental comments on the JG posts. It is really a hell on earth to live through.

      • CynicalAnn says:

        But was he unfaithful to every woman he’d been with before? I get being blindsided and how devastating that would be. But Affleck has been a messy, drunk, gambling, cheating mess ever since he hit Hollywood-it’s not like it was a surprise.

  15. holly hobby says:

    Jenn should let it go. I know she has some kind of Americana idea of a strong family unit but this guy isn’t it. As for Ben and that woman, good luck there. She will either leave him or he will leave her or they will end up in rehab together.

  16. JoJo says:

    Just raising a point to CB and others here – not a single outlet has actually pinpointed WHEN in 2015 Jen found out about Lindsay. Was it before or after they announced the separation in June?

    By the time of Ben/Jen’s “secret” separation BEFORE they announced in June, Jen had already lived with years and years of Ben’s absences, addiction and infidelity and fruitless therapy. Reportedly, they were on the edge of a split right before Sam in 2010/2011. And yet, Jen was still in it for yet another round and confronted Lindsay about backing off.

    If Jen found out AFTER they formally separated in June 2015, then she not only knew about Lindsay but also the nanny – adding massive insult to injury – and yet she STILL was prepared to fight for a man who no longer wanted to fight with her and hadn’t for nearly a decade.

    As Lainey said before in a blind, “This one doesn’t get enough credit for her tenacity” and also that she had told Ben she would never, ever leave him.

    At this point, I actually don’t believe Jen was the one who wanted to file in April. I think Ben was pushing ahead with his relationship with Lindsay and left her no choice in the matter. I read a quote in some story over the last few days that Lindsay “supported Ben through rehab.” Whether that’s bad or good isn’t my point – just that clearly Lindsay was already/still in the picture at that time. Ben/Jen likely agreed that she’d file first, although in reality the documents were basically filed at the same time.

    • Sami says:

      I think Jen found out earlier that year and thats how Ben ended up at what Radar online was calling “a bachelor bangalow” at the Beverly Hills Hotel from where he screwed the nanny. He was probably at the bungalow having been thrown out for cheating with this other woman.

    • Luca76 says:

      I think people really, really are buying what Jen’s selling eventhough many of the circumstances surrounding the separation just don’t support that narrative.
      And just a personal feeling when he screwed the nanny that was consciously or not a very strong FU to Garner. Jen wasn’t going to face the reality of the marriage being over no matter what and Ben is too weak and concerned about the PR to actually cut the cord hence the self destructive womanizing , drugs and booze.

      • Lisa says:

        It was a bigger FU to his kids. Can you imagine, it was probably while they were sleeping down the hall from them.

    • KB says:

      If she confronted Lindsay’s ex-husband with the evidence when she was a guest on Seth Meyers show, that would’ve been March 17, 2015.

  17. LooperFor says:

    “We were doing alright and then Lindsay Shookus.”

    • Luca76 says:

      I admire the pun but is there a way to add Blake Lively, Rebecca Hall, the nanny and about half a dozen other randoms in there???

  18. perplexed says:

    Was Ben dating the nanny and this lady at the same time? I’m so confused by his love life.

    • Kate says:

      Apparently. Honestly, he needs to come help ME with my schedule because I can barely handle with my classes, my work after class and my little job. And here comes Ben juggling wife, kids (kind of) and mistresses on different coasts.

      • kibbles says:

        Money helps a lot. If you have nannies, personal drivers, personal trainers, personal chefs, personal assistants, private jets with no lines at the airport, and the ability to go anywhere at anytime and stay at any luxury hotel of your choice, you would have a lot more time within a 24-hour day. Ben Affleck is a hot mess. I doubt he knows how to manage anything well let alone a daily schedule.

  19. Moptop says:

    Goop said it long ago. Ben’s ideal woman would be a stripper holding a can of beer in each hand.

  20. OriginallyBlue says:

    I feel like this is going to crash and burn spectacularly for Ben amd there isn’t going to be a nice doting wife to clean it up. Jen did her damnedest to protect his image as well as hers and shelter her children. Ben is off the hook with this “new” girlfriend who doesn’t seem to GAF and is not going to cover for him. No more church and farmers market pap strolls. The fact that he went to rehab not too long ago and just spent the weekend in Vegas does not bode well.

  21. xo says:

    still don’t understand why anyone is going public with this mess. yowza.

  22. TheOtherSam says:

    Yikes! these two in the 1st photo: they look like a pair of drunks leaving my all-night local Walmart after a munchie & soda bender. Just ugh. Jen with her bad shoes and wet hair here looks like a vision of couture loveliness next to them.

  23. jccw says:

    Reports are saying he fell hard for Lindsay because she “lets him be him”. I’m now seriously worried his life will have an early tragic ending with all his vices. Once again they are trying to make Snookums a saint by supporting him in rehab. Shame on me for thinking she has as many vices as him.

  24. Wren says:

    I do have to say I am impressed with Ben’s scheduling abilities. Juggling Jen, the nanny, this other woman, seeing his kids, being on different coasts, and acting and directing once in awhile. How does he find time for each and try to keep the, separate? Sorry, but you have to admit the ability to schedule is impressive no matter how much of an ass Ben is otherwise. Maybe he needs to organize my calendar.

  25. tina says:

    @S – your description is dead-on. I have had friends tell me they called/confronted the other woman. They have described feeling like the floor has dropped out from underneath them and there is nothing to keep them from falling down a well. It is a life-changing event and although they eventually move on with their lives – their trust in people is forever damaged. My mother stayed with an alcoholic, gambling, womanizer. She was young with 4 kids. To this day she questions her decisions and has become quite bitter. If anything, the fact that she confronted Lindsay puts a “human face” on the situation. These are real people and if we are honest people do horrible things to each other everyday. At this point I have to wonder how much Ben loves Lindsay more than he loves hurting his ex-wife?

  26. Avery says:

    I am wondering if Jen hired the nanny AFTER she found out about the affair KNOWING that she was Ben’s type and to set him up with an affair. I always wondered why Jen would hire this young blonde to be her kids nanny knowing full well her husband is a cheat. Now I see why!

  27. Jenfan says:

    This rollout and backlash is so interesting. 2 years ago all the media scrutiny over the divorce announcement and nanny scandal. Followed by two years of “will they won’t they reconcile ” with no public girlfriends- Ben managed to keep her hidden for 2 long years, I guess in hopes that she would be looked at as the new gf, appropriately timed, after separation, after divorce filing. And two years later, the public reaction is as bad as if he had rolled her out the day the divorce was announced. He just should have gone public then – saved us two stupid years of the back and forth – he looks just as bad – and now looks like a bigger liar to boot.

    • cherrypie says:

      Exactly this @ Jenfan. 2 years of trying to fool the public….both ben and jen by the way.

    • Kate says:

      It’s the difference between having Jen Garner on your side or not having her on your side. The rehab annoucement was handled in a much better way. This? This is a mess? Because Garner is not on it. Say what you want on her but this woman knows how to do pr.

      • Jenfan says:

        She hid his rehab for him, giving people and IS other stories to run about their relationship- teasing a reconciliation- only to file a month later. She totally protected him until he could own and make the announcement himself. Though knowing about shookas now just totally changes the way I view that.

      • K says:

        I was thinking that. He’s had Garner managing his personal image for the majority of this century, no? She’s clearly had enough, and I don’t even think she needs to sink him. I think he’ll do that all by himself.

    • Tina says:

      Maybe Lindsay and Ben thought that waiting till the kids were older was a better option. It is not fair, but a woman will always be judged harshly when she has young children and is not behaving as society says she should. Maybe he really did try and work on himself – who knows? Personally, I think Ben and Jennifer were comfortable being separated and not divorcing. I have known many couples like that. One quote I read in the last few days that I found enlightening was from Garner’s camp saying she would always support his relationship with the kids as long as he is healthy and sober. Kind of interesting since he is not driving himself these days. I hope he can maintain his sobriety -it is not easy.

      • Lisa says:

        I agree. I think he wanted to just be separated. As a separated person, its as good as divorced but you don’t have to give 50% of the money up. I think HE was the one that didn’t want to file. Casey hasn’t filed yet and their own parents didn’t actually divorce for I think 11 years or something like that – Ben was in his 20s.

      • kaiko says:

        i doubt it, it seems like this new goodtime gal doesn’t GAF about how society views her, motherhood or not. it’s human nature for new moms to want to be with their babies, bonding, feeding, spending time together ….and sleeping! who the hell has time or energy for an affair when their baby is 2-3 months old, unless the child is being handed off to another person for the majority if not entirety of the day? jen knows what will happen very soon, she sees his once shaky sobriety as pretty much non existent at this point, that’s why she made that statement. her intelligence has kept him from total self/image annihilation for a long time. i feel bad for their kids, not so much the adults. they are the innocent ones yet they will have to suffer the most.

    • Luca76 says:

      Honestly he could have waited 10 years and it could have been this one or any other and I think it would be the same for Jen…she just won’t let go.

      • kaiko says:

        but she did let go and now it’s the “whys” involved in that process that are being speculated on here. was she so pathetic as to still be in love with him after everything he put her through and willing to stay with him until he filed? or more plausibly is she just a woman who strongly believed in keeping her children’s father in their lives, good bad or otherwise, to the detriment of how it made her and their outside relationship look to everyone else. she is better off without him. him without her? that remains to be seen.

      • Luca76 says:

        Personally kaiko I don’t believe she ‘let him go” I think he finally convinced her to file.
        As far as ‘keeping him in their children’s life’
        thats just a miscategorization of the choice at hand. Filing for divorce or not if he is solidly off banging randoms and getting loaded he isn’t present in their lives whether or not they are married.

  28. cherrypie says:

    I wager that if the thing with the nanny did not blow through the roof in the media, Jen would still be with Ben even after finding out about the numerous affairs. He seems to be relieved its over…he is still a pig

    • JoJo says:

      Oh, 100% agree. If the nanny thing hadn’t gone public and if Lindsay had agreed to back off (or if Ben had backed off of Lindsay), I have no doubt at all that Jen would still be with Ben, in perpetual therapy. I think she’s only in this position because she was backed into it and didn’t have a choice anymore.

    • LearningtheSystem says:

      I’m guessing that part of his jubilation is the freedom to now party as he wants to but Jen probably was always taking him to task for. An addict HATES the thing that comes between them and what they want to do – their brain is driving them to feed the beast (I learned this from AA/ALANON meetings). He’s now seemingly got someone who actually goes with him and they have a great time at it together, so he can be free to feed the beast at will. Non-addicts, understanding addiction, can see he’s possibly driving straight for the train that’s coming down the tracks, but he really can’t see it. Clearly, I’m not there so I am making assumptions based on what I’m seeing in photos, etc. But…it’s really ultimately quite tragic for all concerned.

      • Nancy says:

        @LearningtheSystem: Exactly. Very Charlie Sheen btw. After the divorce from Richards he married Brooke Müller who was a drug addict. They partied together, she drunk while she was pregnant… the whole marriage was gross.
        And what happened with Charlie? Public meltdown.

        It’s not a good sign to commit with someone who let Ben do what he wants to. In the new photos he looks clearly wasted. I can imagine what is going background: partying, drinking, gambling, banging randoms (Lindsay is def okay with that). He need to stop bc his lifestyle will lead him to a massive meltdown. No kidding.

    • KB says:

      Maybe that’s why he wouldn’t pay the nanny off. I never understood why he let her grab headlines for so long. Bikini pictures at that hotel pool, her drop top Lexi, numerous pap walks, Tom Brady’s rings on a private jet. She’d have signed an NDA for high 5 or low 6 figures, which would’ve been nothing for Ben. Maybe he knew only public humiliation would make Jen permanently kick him to the curb. And maybe that’s why he’s being so blatant with Lindsay.

  29. Peaches says:

    Well, like always, crap always has a tendency to boomerang…Good luck to the new flavor of the month. Jen will be fine. She was able to whitewash herself from her past cheating, she’s not stupid. First, cheated on ex-husband, Scott Foley, then cheated on Michael Vartan. Karma always finds you.

    • LearningtheSystem says:

      That really, really gets old. What in the SAM HILL does that have to do with ANYTHING here? I see this “karma” thing about Jen thrown around all over the place. Is Ben now encountering this mystical “karma?” How about Lindsay? Is “karma” coming to find her soon, as well?
      If “karma” is a thing, I have a feeling Ben’s “karma” is nuclear in proportion, right, if cheating is what creates this “karma.”

      • Luca76 says:

        Karma really doesn’t mean what people think it does anyway ask someone who studies eastern religion.
        Jen isn’t a healthy person and like most in Hollywood she’s repeatedly had messy relationships in a public way though she’s great at PR. Same for Ben though he’s terrible at PR.
        Mostly these patterns repeat as long as they crave putting their dirty laundry out for attention and or they get too old and their sex drives slow down.

      • Annetommy says:

        Karma is a load of BS. The suggestion that bad things happen to people as some kind of celestial payback for past transgressions is nuts. Good people get shafted all the time, and horrible people prosper.

    • Jerusha says:

      Scott Foley said there was no cheating. Is he a liar? Or it just doesn’t fit with the karma bites Jen narrative?

      • magnoliarose says:

        At the time he didn’t say that. He was pissed and talking. She was beginning to look like a calculating starlet and Ben came along.
        It doesn’t make her villain or deserving of being treated poorly but it does make her human and flawed like every other person on this planet.

    • Lady D says:

      Both exes have had nice things to say about Jen. Micheal said there was no cheating, they grew apart.
      As for karma, the stepmother I received at 2 tortured me every day for 15 years. Every day. I must have been the devil incarnate as a 2-year-old to deserve that kind of karma.

      • kaiko says:

        LadyD…i think most of us firmly believe there is a special place in He** for creatures (because they aren’t human) that hurt small children in any capacity. karma isn’t needed in such cases, they get served their just desserts in the end, i know it. the universe will always keep a balance between good and evil. you were stronger than her and that’s how you survived her.

      • Annetommy says:

        That sounds so tough Lady D, and no wonder this sort of karma stuff grates. I don’t believe in hell or just desserts either, unfortunately. I hope your experience since then has been a better one. Fu@ck that bit@ch.

  30. JaneDoesWork says:

    Ben is his own worst enemy. He is the real life embodiment of his own character in Gone Girl. I hope Jen moves on with a dreamy good guy.

    • LearningtheSystem says:

      Me, too. She really has been given an opportunity to show what a strong woman does in crisis. I hope she rises from the ashes like the phoenix on his back.

  31. me says:

    I feel sorry for his kids. They are old enough to use the internet and read all this sh*t about their dad. How embarrassing for them.

    • Lisa says:

      Well, they already knew about the nanny so how could this be worse. I hope Ben told them about her before his big roll out. But I have a feeling, if she is why they separated in the first place, they knew about her.

  32. ash says:

    uhhhhh yal forget how jen cheated on her first husband and dropped michael vartan like a hot potato all for ben and then less than 1 year or 2 later winds up pregs by ben…who she always wanted since that poker game in 2003 (flirting shamelessly while married or seperated–not sure)

    Jen is grasping and its time to let go…get back in career acting classes… drop the shit…and go noveau alias hotness again….jeezzz

    • LearningtheSystem says:

      No chance to forget. It’s posted numerous times on each and every story involving her, as if somehow that makes her responsible for every bad thing Ben’s done – she deserves it, right? Everyone woman who has ever done anything is now responsible for all bad that befalls mankind? It’s a tale as old as time.
      She’s let go…now it’s time for you guys to do the same, maybe?

    • Jerusha says:

      Uhhhhh, y’all forget how Scott Foley said there was no cheating. And Vartan said they’d split up. But, go ahead, call them liars.

      • Tiffany :) says:

        ^^^^This. It is kind of odd how some commenters hold a grudge for wrongs that her actual exes say were never committed.

  33. Jenfan says:

    I was thinking about this story – about her confronting Lindsay on a 2015 work trip to NYC. I looked up the dates – Jen was promoting Danny Collins March 18th on the today show when she got emotional. This would tie into this supposed confrontation. Yet 1 week later she was with Ben and Violet in DC when he testified before congress looking genuinely supportive. I always thought that the “10 month ” secret separation was to make a jen look like less pathetic, I always thought that the separation must have been around March / April – she did not go to the Oscars that year with him and then on her birthday he was spotted in Canada. If this really happened my guess it was in the Danny Collins promo tour. I don’t see her on Seth Myers until 2016 – so not sure that ties in. So the facts here (from people) are a little off.

    • Cynical says:

      I wonder if Jen confronted Lindsay in NYC in March, was laughed at, then Ben spent her birthday in April in Canada (with Lindsay??), and then…did Jen hire the nanny, knowing Ben as well as she does, and set him up for a fall? Something about the way Ben handled the nanny thing always kinda seemed like there was something deeper that he didn’t want people to notice, so he let the nanny have some spotlight. And then Jen either planned or went along with this long separation, therapy, rehab thing in the hopes that him and Lindsay would peter out or Ben would come to his senses…but in the end, he was determined, and this is what she’s left with. Part of me hopes she’s a little vengeful to see what we get next, gossip wise, though she knows better than anyone else, Ben will go to the store and buy his own shovel and dig his own hole.

  34. Jennifer says:

    After all of that cheating, there is no way that tinky winky would come home to mama.

  35. DesertReal says:

    Ok.
    So…Jennifer approached Lindsay’s boss?
    And showed him texts?
    Wtf? They all sound like POS.
    Ben is a crap partner, Lindsay is too, and Jen is desperate. You can’t force someone to be in a relationship with you- and dragging peoples coworkers into your vortex is insane.

    • K says:

      I read that as her approaching Lindsay’s husband, not boss, though I could be wrong.

    • KB says:

      She approached Lindsay’s ex-husband Kevin Miller, who was a producer on Seth Meyers’ show, when she was on the show as a guest. That was March 17, 2015.

  36. anon says:

    Imagine leaving your husband to become Ben Affleck’s side piece…. like girl gain some self-respect. It’s not even like Ben chose her over Jen, Ben never left her Jen gave up, also she had to see the stuff about him and the nanny. Why do women allow men to treat them like garbage, I mean this is why they do it because we don’t stand up for ourselves.

  37. Ana says:

    I agree with Lainey. Brad Pitt + Jennifer Garner = epic Hollywood coupling even if it is fake. Hello Hollywood! ☺😆

    • roses says:

      She deserves someone better than that and doesn’t need added drama. Dude is messy himself and needs to work on improving his relationship with his 6 kids. Maybe she will meet a producer type or even better find someone outside of Hollywood.

    • nemera34 says:

      Oh Please.. Lainey is nuts. I don’t see Brad wanting another Jennifer in his life.

  38. Carolkoi says:

    Lindsay, Take note: One day you are going to ask Ben’s mistress (an actress, costar, maybe even nanny) to go away because you want to save your marriage. (You may or may not have children with him) but you are going to feel the pain you inflicted on Jen and her children.
    And you will know exactly how Jen felt after being with him for 11 yrs.(You probably won’t make five years, though)
    On a different note, your head must be so far in the clouds, that you can’t see that Ben needs rehab and is not well. I had always liked Ben, but he has never looked so bad. Jen had Ben in his prime but you don’t.
    Lastly Ben, we all know it was your team (The source) that said “you can be finally be yourself” How cruel and passagressive!

    • Tina says:

      The “source” didn’t need to bring Jennifer’s name into the conversation at all. He is supposed to be moving on – leave his ex out of his “new and budding relationship”. His PR is really getting on my nerves. It is just like the WH mess. Once people start digging all the bodies come up. If I was Ben Affleck I would try and demonstrate some class.

  39. Ozogirl says:

    I’m honestly not sure how Jen can be so friendly and civil with that POS.

  40. Green says:

    I think JG is pathetic, not because she tried to save her marriage but because she’s obviously the one leaking this. Lindsay’s or Ben’s side wouldn’t leak this; it makes them look bad. She needs to move on and have some dignity and stop it with all these leaks.

  41. Jeanette says:

    ” Also, how lame is it to confront the other woman about your husband’s affair and not to blame your POS husband for cheating? ”

    I dont understand how you arrive at this conclusion. Why cant she be equal opportunity pissed, but want to work things out for her kids sake? It doesnt mean she was any less pissed trust me on this. It just means she was deluded into thinking things would turn out differently than they are.

    And on Ben blaming Lindsay in the end..Good. Sounds like she signed on, knowing his wife still loved him and wanted her to step back and not be an option to him so that she could make an attempt at salvaging her marriage. Futile effort that it may have been, I think we all know someone in that desperate, hopeless situation. They think because they have babies, that they owe their souls, and self respect to try ANYTHING just for things to be ok and to go on being a family.

    They are both trash. He is crap for cheating on his wife. SHE..broke the law among women. Men stick together in situations, its these kinds I feel like women should.

    • Mary says:

      I understand Jen’s gut reaction to confront Lindsay but the truth is, her vows were with Ben, not Lindsay. And if Ben wasnt going to cheat with lindsay, it would have been some other woman so its pointless to confront her. Ben was her problem, not Lindsay.

      Ben looks awful. Maybe he got some chemical peel or something on his under eye bags? I want to give him the benefit of the doubt but He looks strung out

      • Green says:

        On his appearance, he gets a lot of criticism for his moobs but it’s a very common thing these days. Stay away from canned foods, plastic water bottles, paper receipts, and anything else with BPA and similar hormone-imitating substances.

    • Jeanette says:

      I get that @Mary..but that understanding unfortunately does not come until you are over it or nearly so..not at the point where she is gonna track ho down. Yes@Green. He needs to harness them things!

  42. Ain'tNoTelling says:

    Ben didn’t meet Lindsay in 2013. He’s known her for about 12-13 years, AND… he’s been seeing her off and on, for as long as he has known her.

  43. Carolkoi says:

    It is said when that pap guy (very familiar voice) says to Jen “You were the best thing that happened to Ben”.
    E is still denying that Ben knew Lindsay since 2015. But they are saying this is all going to get nasty now.

    • minx says:

      It’s already nasty. I don’t see how many more shoes can drop. We already know he cheated, so what new details can come out? Threesomes? Doing coke with Donald Trump? Ben’s a closet Republican? The only thing I’m shocked about is how long it took them to split. This was not a fairytale marriage.

      • Lisa says:

        Well, there was something in one tabloid, I can’t remember which, I wish I could, around the time there were all those rumors they were splitting up. It said Jen was out of town and Ben forgot to pick up the kids. The two girls were waiting about an hour in the school office until Ben got there but they wouldn’t let him take them home because he smelled of alcohol and was red-faced. They called Jen and she had to call a friend to come get them. Which completely shocked me but it was a lower tier (could have been a blog) and no one else picked it up so I forgot about it until seeing him recently with the sober nurse & not driving has made me think…maybe it was true. Now that would be worse than a cheating scandal.

      • Ana says:

        That was true. One parent confirmed it.

      • Green says:

        I don’t think she needs to keep playing this out in the media with the leaks. Everyone knows he’s a mega-douche. She can do interviews a year or so down the road and be more subtle about shading him. Her anger is really showing.

  44. Loca says:

    This sounds like it came from Jennifer. She would have done anything to save her marriage to Ben. Not only for the kids but because she could not and would not leave him. No offense but I do see a controlling side of Jen. What Ben did was very wrong and hurtful but I will say anytime you have to go to these lengths to keep someone it tends to backfire in your face whether you like it or not. I just think Ben had enough and wanted out so badly for a long time. I really hope Jen’s next relationship goes very differently and somehow finds healing in all this.

  45. Deb says:

    E isn’t going to come out of this with credibility I think. Remember those emails? Multiple sources? This is a slow disclosure.

  46. Deb says:

    I’m seriously getting a Gone Girl vibe in this.

  47. Sarina says:

    What makes you think Jen is only blaming Ben? Maybe she confronted BOTH, separately. Maybe she confronted Lindsay AFTER she spoke to Ben. Maybe it was a last attempt to reason with Lindsay to ask her as a woman to leave them alone. I find it funny people think just because the wife/partner confronts the other woman, that that means she *didn’t* confront her husband also, and doesn’t blame him, too. You can do BOTH.

    • Tina says:

      I remember reading about the school incident. Jennifer was filming in Canada and she had to find someone to pick the girls up. I also remember after they announced the separation sources saying that she was disappointed in him because he didn’t fight for their marriage. The confrontation with Lindsay would constitute fighting for your marriage.

  48. Carol says:

    @ Aintnotelling
    I thought I had read or heard somewhere that Lindsay dated Ben before Jen dated Ben.
    Did u hear that or do you actually know?

  49. Nick says:

    I wish Jennifer the best, her kid’s are lucky to have her!

  50. Caroline says:

    I was just watching Jen on you tube with David Letterman. It was about a yr. after she married Ben. David Letterman really seemed to like her. He just found out she got married to Ben. David Letterman said to her “So how’s that going? ” She was positively beaming and she said Ben had given up smoking for their daughter. She seemed so happy!
    I don’t recall ever seeing Ben on Letterman at least not after he married Jen. Does anybody else remember him on Letterman?
    I remember him on Leno.

  51. Moon says:

    My father cheated on my mother when I was a kid, and 15 years later my siblings and I are still scarred. I feel so sorry for his daughters. My father cheating and leaving the family always felt like a personal rejection, that he didn’t care enough for his children. His poor kids have to grow up reading all this one day. What are they, 10, 12? Ben – don’t have kids if you can’t get your act together.

  52. Carolinr says:

    I wonder if Jen ever confronted any other of Ben’s flings?
    No wonder she said she
    “definitely put a lot of time in her marriage that I will now have for myself.” “I don’t know how I will use that.”
    Jen managed to keep Ben ‘s family image intact. I don’t think he wants to have the image as a family man. ( which he wasn’t) I think he is going to change the dynamics of his image with the help of Lindsay.
    Lindsay is not PR savy as Jen and will have no idea how to control The narrative!!

  53. serena says:

    I don’t know about Lindsay being ‘the cool chick’, what’s cool about being Ben’s side piece -along with others- while he was married?

  54. ScotiaGirl says:

    Lisa at 11:08 I was posting the exact same thing but lost the post. I remember it too and it was confirmed by parents.

  55. ScotiaGirl says:

    Here’s a Novel thought for all of you:
    What’s to say that she hasn’t indeed moved on and it’s really just the tabloids and us that haven’t moved on???