Ben Affleck Is currently facing a significant amount of backlash over comments he made on The Howard Stern Show, which seemed to be blaming ex-wife Jennifer Garner for his struggles with alcoholism. In the interview, the actor said that he'd "probably still be drinking" if he had remained "trapped" in that marriage. “I was like ’I can’t leave ’cause of my kids, but I’m not happy, what do I do? And what I did was drink a bottle of scotch and fall asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution.”
Appearing to ignore the fact that Garner was the one to drive Affleck to rehab three separate times even after they had divorced, many observers took umbrage with the actor's apparent effort to shift the responsibility away from himself. "I was rooting for Ben Affleck but to blame his drinking on his marriage to Jennifer Garner is so silly," author Roxanne Gay tweeted. "She dried his ass out multiple times! After they broke up even. Mmmmm. He best take himself to a meeting or something."
I was rooting for Ben Affleck but to blame his drinking on his marriage to Jennifer Garner is so silly. She dried his ass out multiple times! After they broke up even. Mmmmm. He best take himself to a meeting or something.— roxane gay (@roxane gay) 1639582668
ben affleck really blaming jennifer for his drinking like she didn't drive his ass to rehab 3 whole years after they announced their divorce????????????????? crusty and dusty!— meg z (@meg z) 1639584709
reminder: ben affleck can give 100 interviews about jennifer garner, but she only needs one to absolutely destroy himpic.twitter.com/hnZwIkkg2F— Cole Delbyck (@Cole Delbyck) 1639579877
I grew up in a home with alcoholics, and I sympathize with those who struggle with this disease. But Ben Affleck blaming Jennifer Garner, of all people, for his drinking problems is so completely shitty. What an asshole. He made his choices, and he should be responsible for them.— Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@Charlotte Clymer \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1639613678
According Page Six, even current girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, wasn't too thrilled about the interview either with sources saying, “she is getting pulled into this because she is dating him. She doesn’t want to be dragged into this.” Another source tells the publication that Lopez's focus is on getting to know the children better as is evidenced by the fact that she, Affleck and Garner all recently were seen trick-or-treating together for Halloween
In an attempt at what appeared to be damage control, Affleck went on Jimmy Kimmel to fight back against the image that he was the “worst, most insensitive, stupid, awful guy.” Describing the appearance on Howard Stern as a “really cool, long-form, in-depth, two-hour interview," Affleck attributed the negative backlash to "clickbait" that “had literally taken the conversation that I had had for two hours and made it seem as if I was saying the exact opposite of what I had said.”
Affleck did not deny that he had in fact said those things but said that the image being portrayed of him as patently false. “I don’t believe that — it’s the exact opposite of who I am, what I believe, and I would never want my kids to ever say a bad word about their mom," the actor explained, adding that “It hurts my feelings, man."
Garner nor any of her representatives have yet to comment, but given that the internet doesn't appear to be buying Affleck's story, it's not like she needs to at this point.
Photo via Getty/ Jason Merritt
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