Ben Affleck & Ana got a Washington Post story: ‘pandemic’s only tabloid celebrities’

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas looking for a real estate investment
Do you guys remember when Ben Affleck responded to a story in The New Yorker a couple of years ago pointing out that he looked despondent in paparazzi photos? It was titled “The Great Sadness of Ben Affleck,” and author Naomi Fry pointed out that Ben’s career was taking second place to his tabloid fixture status after he dated the nanny and got that giant phoenix back tattoo. Ben tweeted in response that he was “doing just fine. Thick skin bolstered by garish tattoos.”

Ben has learned to tolerate the near-constant ribbing by sites like us that talk smack for a living, but he hates it when the mainstream press makes fun of him, like when he made headlines for making Finding Your Roots edit out his slave-owning ancestors. He defended his toxic white male fragility by saying it was the same as lobbying directors for changes. So how do you think he feels about The Washington Post pointing out that Ben and Ana are giving us the fast food celebrity quarantine content we need? Their near-daily pap strolls are no longer just covered by the gossip blogs, they often go viral on Twitter and the mainstream press has noticed. This is in the freaking Washington Post, the best paper of record. (F-k the NY Times.) Update: It’s written by Emily Yahr, whom Roxana Hahidi at Pajiba knows from college. I’m sorry for not crediting her earlier!

The 47-year-old actor has been a gossip staple for more than two decades, and that has continued through the covid-19 crisis — an era when people have little patience for the daily activities of wealthy celebrities while the country is in turmoil.

This time, Affleck’s ubiquitous nature is because of his relationship with Ana de Armas, 32, who just had her breakout year in Hollywood as the star of the hit movie “Knives Out.” The couple (dubbed “BenAna,” which rivals “Bennifer” in the celebrity portmanteau hall of fame) has drawn a curious amount of attention since they started dating earlier this year. Their relationship went public around the time the world started to shut down because of the novel coronavirus, and they decided to quarantine together in Los Angeles. Ever since, practically everything they do becomes a tabloid story.

They walk adorable dogs. Wear sweatpants. Drink excessive amounts of Dunkin’ coffee. (One time, Affleck carried two gigantic iced coffees that appeared to both be for him.) Lock themselves out of the house. Hang out with Affleck’s kids. Set out cardboard cutouts of Armas on the lawn, for unexplained reasons. Kiss while wearing masks. They also attended a rally to support the black community in Venice, Calif., which resulted in a much-circulated photo of Affleck holding up a Black Lives Matter sign.

As much as the mild obsession with them is understandable — two attractive, famous people in a relationship will always make news — the BenAna fascination is also startling. Even with a lack of celebrity content as most of Hollywood is still shut down, they don’t do anything that interesting except sometimes get tangled in their dogs’ leashes. And yet, they remain oddly riveting in a way that other stars in this time simply do not.

Though Affleck and de Armas’s publicists did not respond to requests for comment about why the pair has become a phenomenon, others believe that seeing photos of BenAna’s daily mundane activities has provided an unexpected source of comfort in an unsettling time.

[From The Washington Post]

After that they quote Lainey from Lainey Gossip and AJ from Ana de Armas updates so definitely check out the full article. The story had too positive an angle. Ben and Ana not a sense of comfort for us so much as a predictable, easy couple fo mock. WaPo made Ben-Ana’s thirstiness into a positive story, but this will still piss Ben off.

Wapo’s line “The 47-year-old actor has been a gossip staple for more than two decades” is telling. Remember Ben’s talking points during his Argo press tour? He repeatedly referenced his tabloid past and the fact that he was pigeonholed for dating Jennifer Lopez. That was in 2012, and he did it again in 2016 when he was promoting Live By Night. Referencing Gigli, he saidAngelina Jolie had a bad movie which came out that year – nobody cared, but because I was dating Jennifer Lopez that made it a big f-ing deal… It got unfairly maligned.” Gigli was a POS movie and Affleck bought Jennifer Lopez a giant pink diamond ring, rubbed her butt on a boat in a music video, got photographed out with her before paparazzi were a thing, and then cheated on her a week before their wedding. He does this to himself, and he’s doing it so obviously again that even The Washington Post is noticing. He’s going to need someone to blame for it when his mood goes inevitably south and you know who the main target will be.

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas looking for a real estate investment

Here are photos of Ben and Ana checking out new real estate in Venice. I’m assuming she’s renting her place and that they’re looking for a bigger place. Ana just keeps taking her mask off for the paparazzi. If you were doing business with a celebrity, would you ask them to kindly put their mask back on when they’re talking to you? If you’re trying to make a fat commission off them, you might not do that.

Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas looking for a real estate investment

Ana did wear her mask yesterday in photos taken outside her house. She kept lifting up her arm to smooth her hair back. Wonder why that was.
Ana De Armas returns home after running some errands

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Photos credit: Backgrid

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32 Responses to “Ben Affleck & Ana got a Washington Post story: ‘pandemic’s only tabloid celebrities’”

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  1. Astrid says:

    I’m thankful that Ben and his latest girlfriend are providing fodder for discussion. Go Ben!

    • Jess says:

      I’m kinda with ya! I mean they are literally serving new pap shots every day. Even Eiza & Timothée are keeping some respect without the constant shots post their Mexico adventure!

  2. Greta says:

    If I’m not mistaken, this is actually their second write up in a major newspaper? I could be wrong, but I remember the New York Times mentioning them a few months back? But that article was more about the business of paps, and how they were managing during the pandemic. I just remember reading about them, and shaking my head.

  3. Jess says:

    Totally agree on them not being seen as a ‘comfort’ of the celeb mainstays pre COVID. They are being ridiculed because of their D-list style thirst for attention during a pandemic.

  4. Char says:

    I kinda liked her, but now I’m just appalled at her inability to wear a mask. How hard is it, girl?

  5. petite hirondelle says:

    The difference with JLO is that she was already famous (even more than him) so here Ana is getting famous thanks to him but will not be famous without him anymore, juste being his ex. I have the feeling she wants to reproduce the same level. … i don’t think you can keep that kind of paparazzi frenzy for long

  6. lunchcoma says:

    You know who I haven’t seen a bit of during the pandemic? JLo. If Ben were actually quiet and retiring and not thirsty AF, he might actually learn and date someone who doesn’t like to be papped. As it is, it seems like some of his exes got tired of that before he didm

    • detritus says:

      I think she’s lying low after the gym rental and the fact that her house looks SO much like the place in parasite.

    • Greta says:

      I mean I agree that Ben is thirsty as hell, and I’m not trying to defend him ( I don’t like him even a little bit), but JLO has been papped quite a bit during this period. There are new pics of her riding a bike in the Hamptons just this weekend. Just like there were pap pics of her and Arod landing last week, and several gym pics of them out and about in Miami before that.

      Just like Jennifer Garner has been papped almost as much as Affleck since the pandemic began. The others i mentioned just don’t seem as thirsty and annoying as Ben and Ana. The way I see it, paps will pap it’s their job. But Ben and Ana still deserve to be dragged for their silly thirsty ways during a pandemic. It’s not a good look.

  7. Case says:

    It’s just so interesting to me that the vast majority of celebrities are taking this time to just live their lives WITHOUT extra attention, and then here’s these two, calling the paps every day.

  8. Mrs. Peel says:

    Expect a pregnancy announcement soon. This girl won’t stop until she’s stolen all the headlines.

  9. B says:

    People are obsessed with them because there’s literally nothing else to talk about.

  10. ChillyWilly says:

    Ben has been making an ass of himself in the press for a looong time. He apparently can’t help himself.
    I just don’t get why Ana is doing this to her career. I finally watched Knives Out this weekend and she is really likeable and talented! This overexposure is going to backfire on her.

  11. Janie says:

    I’m not really into Ana or him that thirst vibe is too strong in her and honestly wasn’t impressed by her acting in Knives Out I felt Daniel Craig carried that movie. She’s just annoying at this point and wonder if Jennifer Garner is tired of her involvement of her kids in that thirst trap. Garner & JLo more respectable than her.

    • Amelie says:

      See I feel the opposite. Daniel Craig’s accent was annoying and his weird lines about the whole mystery being a donut around a donut or what have you were not funny, just plain weird and cringy. I really liked Knives Out mostly for the ensemble cast but Daniel Craig’s character stuck out like a sore thumb. Also the “big reveal” at the end, there were some clever plot points in the way the mystery was framed but I’ve watched the movie twice now and the big reveal still confuses me due to the way Leblanc explains it.

  12. Mia4s says:

    I just thought of something hilarious: what if that movie they are in together turns out to really suck?! I mean…what if it bombs? 😂 The horrible awkwardness that would follow would be soooooooo entertaining!!

    • Snarkysnarkerston says:

      Ohhhh… that might be her karma for refusing to wear a mask for more than 3 minutes.

      • Theo says:

        Her karma for refusing to wear a mask will be to test positive for coronavirus and to stay at home or at a hospital without paps and photos for several days. They are playing russian roulette with their health and with the health of other innocent people as his kids.

  13. Valiantly Varnished says:

    Insert that gif of Robert Downey Jr as Tony Stark rolling his eyes.

  14. Kat says:

    Chris evans and lily james spotted in London recently. What is it with celebs acting like covid isn’t a thing?

  15. Marietta58 says:

    Her movie, Blonde was moved to 2021. I think someone wants an Oscar nod. But notice Deep Water and No Time to Die were not. Ana doesn’t have a big part in NTTD, but she is a lead in DW. I think DW is probably not that great (maybe why we are watching this charade in the first place) and most likely will bomb.

    Then they’ll break up and Ben will do Bennifer II press tour afterwards for years, blaming the media for the demise of their relationship. Also blaming the bad reviews as the reason no one wanted to watch it. Then he’ll direct a film and get on people’s good graces with that and all will be well… only for him.

    Will Ana make it through though? Only time will tell. I’d say I feel bad for her, but she loves the attention too much for me to care about her in this mess.

  16. TeamMeg says:

    There are those great black wide-legged jeans again!! I want ’em so bad. Anybody got an ID?

  17. Darla says:

    I really love her dress, and I normally dislike her clothes. That’s a great dress.

  18. Amelie says:

    They provide us comfort with daily distractions of their predictable dog walking outings which usually has Ana laughing uproariously and givse us a ton of funny photos to work with. Also Ana not wearing a mask so we can all chide her for knowing better and acting so thirsty. I think it’s the predictability of their thirsty behavior that’s comforting, not that we take comfort in a “normal couple doing normal couple things.”

    Ben is nearly twice her age and has his own personal messy demons. Ana is the new, young up and coming new “It girl.” It just seems like a very unlikely pairing from the start and I think that’s why we are all weirdly fascinated. Though judging by by Ana’s track record, I think she will be the one to pull the plug. I looked up her dating history and she’s been in a series of long term relationships lasting about a year since she got divorced about 7 years ago. I think she gets bored easily and I give BenAna until the end of the year, if it goes that far.

  19. laura-j says:

    That tweet made me laugh out loud. Ben is HILARIOUS.

  20. Jules says:

    I don’t think this piece was meant to be insulting…I think it was about ‘us’ as consumers of gossip and the current times. BUT if it was I think it’s interesting that when he was with Lopez people heavily criticized their relationship (whether rightly or wrongly) and were fascinated by the combination and claimed they were ‘so different.’ By contrast his relationship with Garner was always celebrated and touted as soo much better.

    Meanwhile, he was unhappy and struggling (which we all struggle and his struggles aren’t going to go away just because he’s with another person of course) BUT here he is again in a new relationship with another Latina and they’re being VERY scrutinized. Is it prejudice? Why can’t we let him be happy and live his life? Am I wrong?

    And Ben isn’t strong enough not to let it get to him if he hasn’t grown or starts to get it from close friends and family. The Finding Your Roots example is very apt. He does care. But that also played a part in the end of the relationship with J.Lo and why he continued with Garner once he was unhappy. He needs to not care about coverage and we should examine our own biases as this Post piece seems to bring up. And I hope he and Armas will grow and are real and he won’t let criticism get in the way of being his authentic self.

    • Carolnr says:

      @Jules
      I don’t think they are being scrutinized because she is a Latina. They are being scrutinized because even though Ana is 32, she looks much much younger & most importantly acts much younger.They both seem to be totally oblivious to the fact that there is a serious pandemic & they totally ignored California’s stay at home orders, while Ana is looking directly into the paparazzi cameras. Now while California is one of the states where the numbers are increasing at an alarming rate & yet Ana has been papped numerous times not wearing a mask, which is mandatory. Not to mention Ana is around Ben & Jen’s children now & has not been practicing social distancing ( Again she was papped with no mask hugging her friends at a luncheon)
      This is why they are being scrutinized…

  21. Tina says:

    I actually thought his PR people planted the story. The author doesn’t mention the non-stop stories that were written about them when they went public. So many articles about their instant connection, etc. This overload of gossip, coupled with the daily canoodling pictures, caught people’s attention. Remember the over the top birthday celebration? Ben does care about being in the news. Jennifer Garner said after their separation that he felt she didn’t care because she was refusing to watch the news. Jennifer was photographed often with her children early in the pandemic, but now she seems to have gone silent. Seraphina looked so alone in the latest pictures. Almost invisible.

  22. SM says:

    Ugh. Sooooo disappointing for WP. In the time when even the Hollywood, arguably a place that sustains itself on thirsty people, has toned it down and slowed down, these two insist on shoving themselves into everyone’s faces. There is no allure or mystery, just two very thirsty narcissist searching for attention at any cost. This is what WP should have written.

  23. DinoLover says:

    Can we please NOT with these two Celebitchy????? EVERY.SINGLE.DAY there’s an article showing them walking down the street. That’s it. Walking… down. the. street. PLEASE STOP REPORTING (can it be called that?) ON THESE TWO FAMEHORs. please. Same with Goop, why are we doing this, we’re THAT hard up for stories? Jeez!!

  24. cee says:

    They are both thirsty. Ben has always been especially when he gets positive press he is right out there. Lets see what happens when their movie comes out. I really am not fond of him so this new relationship i find interesting.