When I first saw these headlines about director Kevin Smith revealing that Ben Affleck no longer talks to him, I thought it was one of those clickbaity articles about old news. Didn’t Kevin Smith talk about this months ago? Yes he did, and we appreciate that Kevin Smith is a gossipy bitch. We love our own kind. Kevin said earlier this year that Ben didn’t contact him after his near deadly heart attack. Kevin attributed that to some quotes he gave in the summer of 2017, relating that Ben told him, in 1996 when they were filming Chasing Amy, that Ben felt like a serious actor because “Kissing another man is the hardest acting challenge an actor will ever face.” (Ben kissed Jason Lee in that movie.) Kevin said the quotes were from over 20 years ago but outlets ran headlines and articles suggesting they
were new. So Ben held a grudge apparently and over six months later couldn’t even be bothered to tell Kevin, who gave him leading roles early in his career, that he was happy he was still alive.
Anyway Kevin responded to a tweet wondering why he doesn’t talk to Ben anymore. He said it was because he told a bunch of stories about Ben essentially:
If I had to guess? It’s because one of us has a big mouth and told too many candid stories that sometimes weren’t his to tell, and the other one is Ben. https://t.co/kwj82A20SJ
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) November 26, 2018
Nothing is more offensive to Ben than bad press and he will cut people out and lie about things that aren’t flattering to him.
Kevin is doing great, it’s nice to hear about him. He’s lost over 50 pounds since his heart attack. Like a lot of us he’s struggling with feeling low this time of year. He helped a struggling fan by relating a story about feeling better after visiting a set in Britain.
I, too, have been blue this week. But yesterday and today, I visited the set of a British flick and got to see how other filmmakers work. All of them were so passionate about the story they were telling, it served as a gentle reminder that Art is always good for what ails you. https://t.co/gAMXrTwtRi
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) November 27, 2018
Also, he took a selfie with his wife outside Windsor Castle! One of us.
Had a dream I went to Windsor to pop by the newlyweds’ starter home with housewarming weed, only to get dragged away by Beefeaters as I yelled “You can’t do this to me! I’m an American and a fan of ‘Suits’!” When I woke up, I took @JenSchwalbach to see the majestic castle IRL. pic.twitter.com/CPpsmdsyl6
— KevinSmith (@ThatKevinSmith) November 26, 2018
photos credit: WENN, Getty and via Instagram and Twitter
He needs to move on and find a new friend. Why is he so obsessed with Ben Affleck? Ben must have hella charisma because people seem to be unable to move on from him.
How is him replying to a tweet, being honest and taking responsibility for his actions an obsession? He mentioned the Ben issue ONCE in an interview. The only othwr mention is the reply on Twitter.
I like Kevin Smith, and I applaud his honesty. That’s not easy. I used to be a blabber mouth, too, when I was younger, sharing things I thought were funny/innocent, that weren’t mine to share.
I lost two friends at different times in my life to feather-headed moves like that… it’s a tough lesson. But a needed one, if you’re not great at filtering and respecting boundaries. Because they’re friends, maybe they forgive you, and wish you well… but if they choose to no longer trust you, or have you in their lives, that’s a consequence of your poor choices, and you have to accept it… and if YOU’RE a true friend, you’ll wish them well, and move on, and learn from your mistakes.
Kevin Smith sounds like he understands all of that process, and has handled his missteps, and their consequences, in a mature way.
It’s also hard to be selfaware… to see something in your personality that needs to change, admit you f’d up, and fix it.
He’s a role model in that respect.
In fairness, though, he was only responding to a question someone asked him.
That’s really not fair. He gets asked about it ALL the time. Then there are the clueless ones who are constantly: hey when is Affleck going to be on your podcast! What’s up with Affleck and Batman?
It’s amazing how people on the internet have endless search options but are beyond clueless and naive. Guys, they’re not friends anymore, get it?
So every once in awhile he tries to clear things up, no big deal.
In this instance he was answering a question, but he used to talk about Ben without prompting all the time in interviews. I wouldn’t want my friends gossiping about me in public either, even if they meant no harm.
Lol I never thought about it, but he does seem to inspire intense loyalty/clinginess? in people
He’s exactly right about why Ben doesn’t speak to him anymore, but I don’t think he’s really pissed about anything Kevin said in the past, just scared of what he could say if he knew anything about Ben’s private life.
Kevin’s totally the type of person who’d reveal an affair or addiction or embarrassing gambling losses or so on without even meaning too. The guys an open book with a motormouth. No way is Ben risking it.
The irony of him worrying about Smith giving him bad press is hilarious!! Affleck is a public train wreck all on his own. Does he think we haven’t noticed? Meanwhile Smith has been married 20 years without a hint of scandal. At this point Smith could be a could be a positive influence on him.
I love Kevin Smith and have been a fan for ages; also, he comes off as a sincere and loyal friend. Ben Affleck is insufferable.
I agree with all portions of this comment.
Ben is gross but just for context, he’s also a big time alcoholic, a lifelong battle for a lot of people. His dad was and the research suggests alcohol dependence is as much as 50% genetic. He’s a messed up individual and probably another person might have taken Kevin Smith’s big mouth in their stride.
Kevin talks, it what he does. And as noted above, Ben tries very hard to control what’s said about him. But beyond that, don’t discount exactly what a huge debacle and turning point Jersey Girl was. That failure is laid squarely at the feet of Ben and J Lo, but it also affected Kevin’s career profoundly as well. Not to mention, Kevin wasn’t exactly discreet talking about Ben and J Lo hooking up in the trailer.
The dude is an open book. He will tell you basically anything and everything, but at the end of the day he still comes across as a pretty decent guy. With Ben, I go back to his original apology and rebuild phase, and while he ate $&!? for his paycheck roles, he also really hung Jennifer out to dry. You could say he did the same with Smith in order to distance himself from that phase too. Which is sad.
I remember how Kevin said at some podcast or some speaking event how Affleck bragged to him about “mouth-raping” Jennifer Garner back when they did that dumb comic book movie in the early 2000s, before they were public. Way too personal and if I had been Garner I would have ordered a purge.
And Jennifer did just that, considering Kevin Smith too uncouth for her special snowflake. 🙂 Kevin explained once that his retelling of that story, years ago, was why Ben wasn’t allowed to hang with him anymore (this was way before the Afflecks separated). But you’re saying it much harsher than Kevin did. He said, in an interview, that Ben told him (something more in line with) “I just got a BJ from Electra.” But it was when Jen and Ben were first dating, before they were an official couple. Jen never forgave Kevin for that comment.
That’s also just Kevin Smith. He’s an over sharer with no filter and a foul mouth. It’s part of his charm (if you’ve seen any of his movies this isn’t a shock). But while it’s not exactly news that Jennifer Garner really didn’t like him, I’m not going to play into the narrative of shrewish woman separates bro from his friends. The irony being, Ben is just as foul mouthed as Kevin.
Kerfuffle, at the time, based upon his comments in interviews, Kevin Smith seemed to think that Jennifer was interfering with his friendship with Ben. He talked about only being at the Affleck house once, and never being asked back, because (he reasoned) Jennifer found him foul mouthed and crass (in light of his spilling the ‘Electra gave me a BJ’ secret). But I think he now knows it was Ben’s decision to drop him for whatever reason.
I don’t think that’s it. When my friends are deeply ashamed of stuff going on in their life, they tend to avoid or hide away from me. They get the impression I’d be disappointed in their choices or judging them from some weird impossible standard (I don’t). They only come back when they’ve sorted their lives out.
His dream about being a fan of suits is so funny! I had never heard of it until the whole Prince Harry / Megan Markle thing. And then my best friend’s father, who is 78, told me that suits is his favorite show, and I still just find that hilarious. I tried watching once, and wasn’t my thing
I like friends who are discreet and not blabbermouths, that’s just me.
I think most people do but especially those whose true lifestyles are very different from their manufactured image.
Kevin is/was a WW ambassador bc I saw him show up in the WW app feed a couple of months ago and was like “THE Kevin Smith?!” And he was actually replying to people in the thread. Glad he’s found a way to get his health back on track.
This is just my opinion, but I wager that Ben dropping him like a hot potato, legit hurt him. And while he might be able to guess why, he probably can’t REALLY comprehend it.
Kevin is insanely loyal and I don’t think just dropping people for any reason is in his DNA.
Plus he’s an emotional being. I’ve heard that man cry more often than I myself have cried.
Just today I listened to the latest episode of Smodcast, with him and Scott Mosier (longtime friend/producer, now Co-Director of the new Grinch-movie) and Kev cried cause he was just so proud and happy about his friends success. That’s who he is.
Yeah, he is a blabbermouth, but as his friend, Ben could’ve just talked to him about that … you know, like mature people do.
They always ask Kevin about Ben Affleck but what about Matt Damon? Didnt Matt have some cameo roles with Ben in movies Kevin directed?
Guess he was closer to Ben..
Did he not direct & star in Catch & Release with Jennifer Garner? I believe that movie came out after Electra , while Ben was dating or maybe even married to Jennifer.
I’m sure Kevin’s big mouth is a part of why Ben dropped him, but I think it’s more so to do with the fact that Kevin can’t do anything to help Ben’s career anymore. Ben has no use for him anymore. Ben dropped him when Ben started directing his own movies and getting accolades for that. I’ve noticed that Ben dropped several people he used to be friends with or work with in the 90’s.