| | |  | Ben Affleck News & Gossip
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| | Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner announce split after exactly 10 years of marriage | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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The tabloids, particularly The National Enquirer and Radar Online, among others, were correct about the problems in Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s marriage. Affleck and Garner have announced that they are divorcing after 10 years of marriage. Yesterday was their tenth anniversary and it’s unclear if they have officially filed for divorce, but they have given an exclusive statement to People about their split. Their announcement didn’t use the term “mutual,” but said that they will “go forward with love and friendship” and a “commitment to co-parenting.”
Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have split, PEOPLE confirms.
The couple were married for 10 years, having marked their anniversary on Monday.
“After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce,” the couple tells PEOPLE in a joint statement. “We go forward with love and friendship for one another and a commitment to co-parenting our children whose privacy we ask to be respected during this difficult time. This will be our only comment on this private, family matter. Thank you for understanding.”
Garner, 42, and Affleck, 43, intend to seek mediation, says a source close to the couple.
The two are parents to three kids: Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Samuel, 3.
[From People]
This was expected, and honestly I kept checking People Magazine on Friday because I thought People would get the exclusive. Instead they had a brief story about Garner visiting a children’s hospital. I do think that they may have wanted to announce Friday but that they took the weekend and talked it out more before making the announcement. It’s possible that Garner put her foot down and made Ben wait to file until their 10 year anniversary had passed and she had more community properly rights. We’ve heard that Ben wanted to make the announcement prior to their anniversary.
Both Garner and Affleck have mentioned that marriage is work and Affleck seemed particularly unhappy lately. This is sad for their kids, and I hope that they’re able to divorce somewhat amicably and reduce their kids’ exposure to the press. I think we’ll be hearing more in the days and weeks to come about what really happened.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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| | Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner are 'fine,' say sources who are not official reps | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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In our last story on Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner’s headline-making presumed split, many of you pointed out that it’s telling that their reps haven’t issued a denial at all. GossipCop reports that they have a source or sources close to the couple (probably a rep off the record), but that the source, who was previously reliable, has not replied to repeated requests for comment. When GossipCop doesn’t shoot down a rumor, you know it’s bad.
Entertainment Tonight does have a kind of weak denial, which dovetails with a report in People last week about their latest outings and social plans. They claim that Ben and Jen are “fine,” which is what people always say when things aren’t fine, right? Whenever I ask my kid to do something he doesn’t want to do he says “fine,” with a sigh. This is basically all ET wrote about it, which sounds just like my kid before doing an unpleasant task.
ET can confirm that the A-list couple isn’t headed towards an imminent split.
Sources tell ET that Ben and Jen “are fine,” and that the pair is actually focusing on spending time together as a family this summer.
[From ET Online]
ET is billing this as an exclusive and add in their video report that “our sources say divorce is not on the horizon.” They add “every marriage has good times and bad, but all is ok for Ben and Jen.” Why is this coming from a “source” and not a rep?
The NY Daily News has a report which may come from one of the neighbors in the Affleck’s posh neighborhood. Apparently the two used to go out to specific places at certain times, but their couple-y outings have dwindled down.
We hear the duo’s once frequent lovey dovey brunches at the private, members only Jonathan Club on Palisades Beach Road in Santa Monica have all but died down in recent weeks, and the duo have been experiencing troubles for some time, says our source.
“The haven’t been seen at the Jonathan Club, the beach one in some time, and Ben and Jen were also talking about land and property expansion as late as December,” says our insider. “That’s all in the past.”
Our source adds that neighboring residents in Affleck and Garner’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood are throwing a private neighborhood block party soon for nearby homeowners, but have yet to hear from Garner, who usually attends most neighborhood functions with her kids.
“They’ve been out of the loop socially for a while,” says our source…
Confidenti@l reported recently that the couple have been leading separate lives for a very long time, and have sadly been on a long, slow drift apart.
“They had good times when they were living in Brentwood and hanging at Matt’s (house),” said one insider. “Things were definitely a lot more upbeat and optimistic then. Now there’s friction and tension between them. They’re like two ships passing in the night.”
[From The NY Daily News]
It’s been well over a month since rumors of their rift have covered a tabloid and now it’s on the cover of US, but still no comment. Affleck has a Facebook account where he addressed the issue of asking PBS’s Finding Your Roots program to edit out his slave-owning ancestor. That was in late April. At any point he could have put up a quick note with something like “I love my wife very much and these rumors are harmful to our children,” but so far nothing. Maybe he really has been living in a hotel and consulting lawyers, which would just be sad.
candid photos are from 5-28 and 6-14 credit: Pacific Coast News and FameFlynet. Event photos are from November, 2014. Credit: WENN.com
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| | Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner step out for a perfectly timed pap outing | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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You guys called it. You said that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner would do a pap stroll to counter the stories that they’re divorcing and you were right. These photos are from yesterday. Multiple outlets had them, so it’s somewhat unlikely that they just happened to be caught out. (To be fair, there’s always a lot of paparazzi interest in them and it’s even more so now.) So does this mean that they aren’t divorcing or just that they want to keep up the facade for now?
Earlier this week, Radar claimed that Ben Affleck was planning to announce a divorce from Jennifer Garner just before their tenth anniversary, which is June 29th. That would put Affleck and Garner under the mythical “10 year rule” in California. (There are a lot of misconceptions about the “10 year rule,” and the legal interpretation of it may vary. It does not result in indefinite spousal support payments, however there are changes in law that may result in a financial hit to the wealthier party. Here is an article which explains it the simplest.)
Radar’s evidence included details that these two had seemingly been apart for over a month, that Affleck has been gambling in Vegas, and that he was spotted in Nova Scotia, Canada, last month around the time of Garner’s birthday. In a follow up story, Radar claims that Affleck wasn’t even with the mother of his children on Mother’s Day and that he was with his mom and brother instead. If this is true, it sounds very bad indeed:
According to an insider, Affleck, 42, opted to spend the holiday with his brother, Casey, and his own mom. Meanwhile, Garner?s mother and father flew to L.A. From West Virginia to spend the day with her and her kids.
[From Radar]
The more Radar pushes this “Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner are over” story, the more persuaded I get. Plus, Lainey has a new blind item that pretty much cinches it for me. If you didn’t know, Lainey of LaineyGossip is a Canadian entertainment reporter and (unlike other outlets) her blind items often pan out. So when Lainey has Canadian-centric gossip, it’s even more convincing. She doesn’t name the celebrity in this item, but many people think this is about Ben:
You remember when he turned up in a small, out-of-the-way-of-Hollywood town not too long ago, for no apparent reason? He was trying to go undercover. Because it turns out, he was there with a woman?a very attractive woman? who is not his wife. They were seen holding hands at the hotel. But can you ever really hide? No. Not even out of the country. Not even by the sea. He ended up getting busted by fans and the local media got a hold of it. And the thing is, he told his wife that he was somewhere else. He and his companion have been having an affair for some time…
Of course it?s not the first time. He thought it wouldn?t get back to her that time in Oklahoma and that didn?t work out for him either. His wife forgave him then, as she always does, patiently supporting him as he works through his issues and compulsions. But he can?t help himself. When things are going well, he will always find a way to f-ck himself up.
[From Lainey Gossip]
Bedhead pointed out to me that Ben filmed To The Wonder in Oklahoma. Ben was in Cheticamp, Nova Scotia in mid April. Cheticamp is right on the Atlantic Ocean.
Gawker has some analysis as to when Ben and Jen could announce a split. They’re basing it on Radar’s reporting so this all hinges on whether Radar is correct.
I’m still hoping that this isn’t true; that the tabloids are hyping circumstantial evidence to get us through a slow gossip cycle. Maybe there’s a grain of truth to it but it doesn’t mean that these two have to be over at this point, right? Ben does self sabotage, but Jen puts up with it and I like to think that he’s A) not cheating and B) that they’ll work it out. These photos of their family outing suggest B) at least.
Here’s a photo of Affleck in character as Batman on the Suicide Squad set in Toronto this week. (It’s possible some of these shots are of a stunt double, it’s hard to tell.) Garner was said to be filming Nine Lives in Montreal, which is a five hour drive or short plane ride away. She’s obviously back in LA at this point though, for whatever reason.
Photo credit: Pacific Coast News and FameFlynet
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| | Are Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner going to divorce in the next month? | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Last year, Ben Affleck got in trouble in Las Vegas for counting cards at blackjack tables. He was blacklisted from playing at The Hard Rock Casino, however the casino was careful to mention to the press that Affleck was still welcome there, just presumably not at blackjack. Affleck loves to gamble, signs point to it being an addiction, and the tabloids have been calling it a problem for his marriage for years.
Radar Online claims that Ben and his wife, Jennifer Garner, haven’t been spotted together for 31 days. They point to the couple’s separate schedules, and Ben’s gambling, as evidence that they’re having problems. Here’s part of their report. It all sounds circumstantial to me.
Garner was photographed having lunch with a friend at Sant Ambroeus in Manhattan on May 13. She left their kids, Violet, 9, Seraphina, 6, and Sam, 3, back in L.A. But according to insiders, Affleck was not playing babysitter. Instead, he was spotted gambling hours away in Las Vegas!
Twitter user @LetsGoBulls11 posted at 3:19 am on May 14, ?Ben Affleck here at the #Venetian, high stakes #poker #Vegas.?
Hours later, Affleck was back in Los Angeles, photographed taking his kids to school and looking slightly worse for the wear.
As Radar has reported, Affleck has increasingly been spotted outside the family home as his marriage has crumbled. He was also photographed in Las Vegas on May 3, where he played high-stakes poker for several hours, according to reports.
And on Garner?s birthday, April 17, he was spotted on a solo trip to Canada ? not wearing his wedding ring.
[From Radar Online]
I do think that Affleck is trying to find himself, and he obviously still struggles with fame. He’s mentioned repeatedly that he hated being a tabloid fixture during the J.Lo debacle. He’s still a tabloid target, sometimes with good reason.
I’m a Garner-Affleck looney, so take my opinion for what it is. I don’t think some time apart and Ben’s gambling add up to a divorce. They fly on private jets and their jobs take them around the world. Of course they’re going to be in different places at times. Radar also claims to have a quote from an insider who says Ben has “told Jen that he wants the official [divorce] statement to come out before their ten-year wedding anniversary on June 29.” I really doubt this is true. Ben revels in his status as a family man and he uses it for legitimacy in Hollywood. They have young children together that they adore. Jennifer has said that marriage is work too, and she seems like she’ll stick around no matter what. Radar and their sister publication The Enquirer have made these claims for years. They could be onto something, but I really hope not.
Photos are of Ben out getting coffee yesterday, 5/26. Jennifer is shown on 5/19. Photo of Ben and Jen together is from 4-24-15. Credit: FameFlynet
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| | Ben Affleck explains censoring PBS: 'I lobbied the same way I lobby directors' | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Yesterday we ran a story about how Ben Affleck had yet to respond to the controversy over the fact that he had requested that the PBS show, Finding Your Roots, remove footage revealing that he had an ancestor who was a slave owner. We knew this because emails from host Louis Gates Jr. were revealed as part of the Sony hack. In the emails, Gates expressed concern over the fact that a celebrity guest was trying to influence the show. We read, in Gates’s own words, that the show had “never had anyone ever try to censor or edit what we found” and that to remove the material “would be a violation of PBS rules.” Affleck’s lack of a statement at that point was kind of glaring after Gates and PBS had both issued statements on Friday explaining the change as one of editorial choice, not undue influence.
Well Affleck issued a statement last night, and unlike Gates’s kind of brief, well-stated response, Affleck tried to explain his position more thoroughly. That’s understandable, considering that the story grew so much in the interim, but I think he could have nipped it in the bud with a shorter statement earlier. The longer he avoided it, the more this story grew. Affleck wrote that he asked that parts be included and excluded from his segment, similar to the movie-making process where he makes his preferences known to a director. He’s a director too, so it makes sense to me that he wanted that level of control. Then he talked about how he felt embarrassed for his family and that it was hard to be vulnerable or something and he lost me there.
After an exhaustive search of my ancestry for “Finding Your Roots,” it was discovered that one of my distant relatives was an owner of slaves.
I didn’t want any television show about my family to include a guy who owned slaves. I was embarrassed. The very thought left a bad taste in my mouth.
Skip decided what went into the show. I lobbied him the same way I lobby directors about what takes of mine I think they should use. This is the collaborative creative process. Skip agreed with me on the slave owner but made other choices I disagreed with. In the end, it’s his show and I knew that going in. I’m proud to be his friend and proud to have participated.
It’s important to remember that this isn’t a news program. Finding Your Roots is a show where you voluntarily provide a great deal of information about your family, making you quite vulnerable. The assumption is that they will never be dishonest but they will respect your willingness to participate and not look to include things you think would embarrass your family.
I regret my initial thoughts that the issue of slavery not be included in the story. We deserve neither credit nor blame for our ancestors and the degree of interest in this story suggests that we are, as a nation, still grappling with the terrible legacy of slavery. It is an examination well worth continuing. I am glad that my story, however indirectly, will contribute to that discussion. While I don’t like that the guy is an ancestor, I am happy that aspect of our country’s history is being talked about.
[From Facebook]
E! notes that PBS has also launched an internal investigation into what happened in this instance. Outlets were questioning whether PBS had compromised their integrity by caving to Batfleck’s request and PBS took it seriously. They’re not making reality shows, they’re trying to show history good and bad.
NPR had some excellent coverage of this story during Morning Edition today. (You can hear it here.) Commentator Gene Demby pointed out that the omission of Affleck’s slave owning ancestor is very glaring “if you watch the episode in context.” Affleck’s episode focused on the fact that he had a fore-bearer who fought in the Revolutionary war alongside Washington and that his mother was active in the Civil Rights movement. So Affleck’s episode was about freedom, but he refused to include the negative parts of his genealogy along with the positive parts.
At least Affleck addressed this and admits that he should have included the issue of slavery in his story. However, I do find his statement too self-focused and defensive. This sentence in particular bothers me “The assumption is that they will never be dishonest but they will respect your willingness to participate and not look to include things you think would embarrass your family.” Did he not read the emails? He doesn’t even address the editorial integrity of PBS and he’s assuming the “collaborative creative process” applies to what is supposed to be a documentary-type show. He’s still acting as if it was his right to ask them to whitewash his ancestry when the issue was so serious that Gates sought advice on it and PBS is launching an internal investigation.
A Canadian reader sent us a tip that Ben was spotted in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia last Thursday. Reader Steph emailed me that Affleck “was seen near a Buddhist monastery in Cape Breton… He may be on a retreat there and if so, may not even be aware of all the fuss about his ancestor and his attempt to censor the story.” They have video of Affleck and everything so it’s known that he was there. It’s possible that he was on a retreat without electronics, but Affleck was photographed at the Farmer’s Market in LA on Sunday Morning, and again out with his wife yesterday. He must have learned about this story over the weekend at the latest.
Photo credit: FameFlynet, WENN.com and PRPhotos
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| | Ben Affleck is buff and clean cut now: hot or needs some scruff? | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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These are photos of Ben Affleck, 42, taking his daughters Violet and Seraphina out to karate class and shopping for Valentine’s presents. Violet is holding a fuzzy red pillow which The Daily Mail claims is for her mother, Jennifer Garner. Cute! I also like how the girls are in karate. My son used to take karate and it teaches kids discipline, self esteem and of course self defense.
Affleck looks super buff and you know that he’s trying to show it off in that tight shirt. He’s also much more clean cut than we’re used to seeing him. His hair is short and he’s not sporting any of the facial scruff that he usually has. I like this look on him, he looks much younger when he’s clean-shaven like this.
He is of course in shape for his role as Batman in Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, out in 2016. Affleck won’t be able to slack on his fitness or diet routine anytime soon. There are two sequels coming out in which he’ll reprise his role, The Justice League Part 1 in 2017 and Justice League Part 2 in 2019. I wonder if he ever thinks of all the years he’ll tied up in this franchise and questions whether he’s up to the challenge. I bet that Damon’s re-commitment to Bourne helped convince Affleck that he could also do an action franchise. Those two are close and live right down the street from each other. Damon used to say, years ago, that he was getting too old for Bourne, but he’s got a new film coming out in 2016 too.
Affleck was just announced as one of the presenters at the Oscars on February 22. I hope that his wife, Jennifer Garner, comes too and I hope they pose together on the red carpet, but that’s probably a pipe dream.
photo credit: FameFlynet
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| | Ben Affleck and David Fincher to remake Hitchcock's 'strangers on a Train' | | Added 9 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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View image | gettyimages.com
Fresh off the heels of the success of Gone Girl, Ben Affleck, director David Fincher and writer Gillian Flynn are teaming up again to redo a Hitchcock classic from 1951, Strangers on a Train. Deadline has the details, along with the fact that the film will change some plot points and take place in modern times. It’s surprising that Affleck is taking on this project, considering how busy he’ll soon be with his Battfleck duties. Deadline says he’ll fit it all in, though:
Ben Affleck and David Fincher will reteam on a Warner Bros remake of the classic Hitchcock thriller Strangers On A Train. Gillian Flynn, who adapted her novel Gone Girl for Fincher and Affleck, is in talks to write the script. The film will be produced by Affleck under Pearl Street, the Warner Bros-based banner he runs with Matt Damon. WB?s Jon Berg is overseeing. They are calling it Strangers.
Although the Hitchcock remake ? a Warner Bros library title and an adaptation of the Patricia Highsmith novel ? will be its basis, this film will be contemporary and redefined for the times. This one might be best titled Strangers On A Plane, as Affleck will play a variation of the role played by Farley Granger of a tennis pro who is bored with his marriage and wants to get divorced but instead gets entwined with a wealthy socialite psycho who proposes the notion of exchanging murders. The twist here is a compelling one. Affleck will play a movie star in the middle of a campaign for an Oscar during awards season whose private plane breaks down and is given a ride to LA on another plane by a wealthy stranger. In Fincher?s hands, who knows how that goes, but it sure does seem like fertile ground.
[From Deadline]
My initial, gut response is “oh hell no.” I haven’t seen this film in over 10 years but I remember how excellent it was, and it’s frustrating to see classics get remade because studios are afraid to take chances with new material. (With the exception of best selling books.) I was going to ask, what’s next: Rebecca, Vertigo, Rear Window? The thing is, all of those Hitchcock classics have been remade in some capacity, we just haven’t heard much about them.
Plus, I have to admit that I marathoned A&E’s newish series, Bates Motel, over the holidays. It’s a prequel to Psycho, set in current day and starring Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore. It is SO GOOD. The writing and acting are excellent and the plot is juicy and soapy yet never veers into melodrama. So Hitchcock’s work can be used as a springboard for other, similarly creepy stories, sometimes borrowing heavily from the incredible source material. Hopefully Gillian Flynn and David Fincher can do Hitchcock justice. I’m concerned about Affleck in the lead, but he’s passable usually.
Oh and I had to read DListed to figure out the significance of Affleck playing an Oscar nominated actor who wants his wife dead. I wonder whose initial idea this project was.
photos credit: FameFlynet, WENN.com and Getty Images
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| | Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner Flirt Up a Storm in Los Angeles | | Added 9 years ago | Source: Celebrity Gossip |
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They?ve been married for nearly a decade and it looks like Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner still have that newlywed spark going on.
On Thursday (December 11) the ?Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice? hunk took his ?Alias? lady for a leisurely, kid-free stroll in Los Angeles and they couldn?t stop smiling. Ben wrapped his arm around Jennifer and gazed into her eyes as they chatted away in the chilly fall weather. Mr. Affleck looked especially sharp in a tan trench coat and black jeans, though a black coat-clad Ms. Garner?s beauty definitely stole the moment.
Christian Bale Admits Batman Jealousy Over Ben Affleck
Last month, Jen discussed a typical date with Ben- "We're boring parents, so we just play with the girls. I'll usually cook a meal for everyone, help them with homework, that's usually our date night. Otherwise, he's an amazing husband."
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| | Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner Reveal Thanksgiving Plans: We?re Have Dinner at Matt Damon's House | | Added 10 years ago | Source: Celebrity Gossip |
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They?re big supporters for social rights and Ben Affleck teamed up with wife Jennifer Garner for the second annual Save the Children Illumination Gala at the Plaza Hotel in New York City on Wednesday night (November 19).
The hot Hollywood couple got all gussied up in their finest duds for the red carpet event where the ?Argo? star was honored with the Global Child Advocate Award for his work with the organization.
"He works on Eastern Congo Initiative, and I work on the U.S. programs for Save the Children, and within that, I really work on getting kids started on the right foot from birth to 5, helping families get their kids up and ready for school and healthy," Garner told the Associated Press. "We don't scatter our energy around."
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| | Ben Affleck & Jennifer Garner pose together on the red carpet: sweet or weird? | | Added 10 years ago | Source: CeleBitchy |
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Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner will pose for the occasional paparazzi photos together, especially around Awards season, but they generally don’t walk red carpets together. Garner has said it’s because she doesn’t want to just be known as the ‘wife of’ a famous husband, but I tend to think it’s Affleck’s idea and she’s just been going along with it. They did make an exception to pose together at the Vanity Fair Oscar party this year and last year, when Argo took home Best Picture.
Here are some photos of the two, married since 2005, at the Save The Children gala in New York last night. Affleck looks a little tipsy to me. Maybe it’s jet lag, but there’s something about his eyes that make it look like he’s had a few. Garner just looks happy to be there and to pose with her husband.
Affleck was there to accept the Global Child Advocate Award for his work founding The Eastern Congo Initiative. In his acceptance speech, Affleck mentioned his argument with Bill Maher and author Sam Harris when he was a guest on Maher’s show last month. Affleck claimed he was making a “Sesame Street” argument that “you don’t judge a whole group of people based on the actions of a few.” I think Affleck was mischaracterizing Harris’ position at least (Maher went a little far with it as is typical of him) and that there was no point in bringing it up again weeks later. Obviously he’s been thinking about it in the interim. Affleck also talked about the charity work that he and his wife do, and I found that part of his speech moving:
Ben Affleck feels more comfortable speaking his mind than pretending to say what people want to hear. So before receiving his award at Wednesday’s Save the Children Illumination Gala, he praised wife Jennifer Garner on her dedication to their family, and then shared insight into his recent spat with “Real Time” host Bill Maher over generalized remarks about Islam.
On an episode last month, Affleck took issue with Maher saying that Islam is “the only religion that acts like the Mafia.”
“I was ultimately making a ‘Sesame Street’ argument. You don’t judge a whole group of people based on the actions of a few,” Affleck said of their heated debate.
The “Gone Girl” actor makes no bones about speaking his mind when it comes to hot-button issues.
“That’s the environment around my dinner table when we talk politics,” he said. “I think I’d rather tell the truth and say what I believe in and make people unhappy than sort of pretend to think something else to accommodate them and try to be liked. That’s just the way it goes and I don’t think I’m any great champion of anything, but if they’re going to put me on a show, I’m going to say what I think.”
As for Garner, the 42-year-old actor says he’s grateful that his wife takes on the “lion’s share” of responsibilities, dedicating her time to raising their three young children, while maintaining her career and charity work.
“She’s been really smart about choosing her projects, doing ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ or ‘Alexander and the Terrible Day,’ smart, good movies that luckily have been successful. And then, they’re not so time-consuming that she can’t do this work and be there for our kids, which is the most important thing to her,” Affleck said.
Garner spoke of how the couple divides their time for philanthropy.
“He works on Eastern Congo Initiative, and I work on the U.S. programs for Save the Children, and within that, I really work on getting kids started on the right foot from birth to 5, helping families get their kids up and ready for school and healthy,” she said, adding: “We don’t scatter our energy around.”
Affleck co-founded the Eastern Congo Initiative in 2010 with Whitney Williams. The organization advocates the economic and social growth of the country through various programs. And while some of their missions focus on the well-being of children, Affleck says he doesn’t make “value judgments” of where the problems are more dire.
“There are children in the United States, my wife has traveled, been in their homes in Kentucky, West Virginia, in the central valley of California who can’t speak and they’re 4 years old, who can’t read until five years later than they should, who get no stimuli, who are really suffering, and we recognize it. In this country, with our wealth, with our, I think, decency and empathy, we should be taking care ? at the very least educating all of our citizenry.”
He added: “I also think it’s important to take care of people who are suffering on a different level, which is in Eastern Congo suffering from war and famine and preventable disease. And where maternal health is non-existent, so 1 in 5 children dies before the age of 5.”
[From AP via Yahoo]
It’s hard to fathom that there are kids in our country who live in such dire conditions that they can’t talk until they’re four. Good for Ben and Jen for dedicating their time to charity. I’m happy they posed together and now that I know more about the event I understand why they did it. They’re united in their charity work for children. I would love it if they just started walking the red carpet together at most events from now on, but I doubt that’s going to happen.
Affleck is shown out with saggy pants on 11-16-14. Credit: FameFlynet. Gala photos credit: WENN.com
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