Why We're Worried About Ben Affleck The List
Ben Affleck has been open about his issues throughout the actor's lengthy career in Hollywood, but we're concerned he might be struggling behind the scenes.
By Jan. 20, 2025 9:30 am EST
It seemed like it was only yesterday that the internet was swooning over Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez rekindling their romance in 2021, an incredible 17 years after the former Hollywood power couple called off their first engagement. Fans continued to root for Bennifer as they appeared on red carpets hand-in-hand and ultimately got engaged again, transporting all of us back to the early 2000s in the process. But this time around, it seemed like happily ever after was on the horizon for Affleck and Lopez as they finally made it to the altar, tying the knot in a private ceremony in Las Vegas in July 2022. However, just two years later, their relationship crumbled, and the "Play" hitmaker filed for divorce. It was finalized within five months, in January 2025.
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The singer opened up about the devastating breakup in October 2024, telling comedian Nikki Glaser in a sit-down for Interview magazine, "Sometimes, Nikki, it's going to work out great. And sometimes it won't. And that's f***ing okay, too." The "Argo" director, on the other hand, had not yet publicly addressed the divorce by the time it was finalized, though the exes have met up for a few outings with their respective children in the intervening time. An insider told People that Affleck was happily focusing on work in the aftermath of their split, but considering what went down during his last divorce and the Oscar winner's troubling comments about relationships and media scrutiny, there are quite a few reasons why we're increasingly worried about Affleck.
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A bad relationship habit may have contributed to his split with LopezBen Affleck's dating history includes relationships with fellow stars such as Ana de Armas, Jennifer Garner, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Although they haven't publicly shared the exact reasons behind their breakups, fans have got some hints along the way. Paltrow, for instance, praised Affleck during a 2015 appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," but she also claimed the actor "was not in a good place in his life to have a girlfriend" when they dated in the late 1990s. Meanwhile, during a 2024 Apple Music 1 interview, Jennifer Lopez admitted that she and Affleck originally called it quits back in 2004 because they were not fully prepared for marriage and the work required to make it successful.
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These revelations seemed consistent with Affleck's own confession that he usually doesn't even attempt to work on his relationships once issues start popping up. "If you don't deal with it right then, it just festers and stays there. So instead of saying, 'Look, don't do that, please don't act this way,' I go along with it until I just don't want to be in the relationship at all. Then I create some incident or do something or just don't call," he disclosed to Playboy magazine in 1999, adding, "But that hopefully is something I'm growing out of."
However, the "Good Will Hunting" star may not have been successful in shaking off this particular habit, which likely contributed to his divorce from Lopez. A source even posited to People that while she was eager to work on things rather than just giving up, Affleck "chose to pull away from their marriage and move on with his life, leaving her behind."
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Friends reportedly feared he would suffer another relapse amid his divorceBen Affleck has struggled with alcohol throughout his adult life and has been refreshingly open about it. The beloved actor repeatedly sought help and entered rehab, with his ex-wife Jennifer Garner even once driving Affleck to a Malibu treatment facility in 2018. But like many recovering addicts, the "Mallrats" star's sobriety journey has been riddled with relapses. In late 2019, he admitted to falling off the wagon and drinking at a party after over one year of being sober but remained calm and optimistic regardless. "It happens. It was a slip. But I'm not going to let it derail me," Affleck explained to TMZ at the time.
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The Oscar winner has a history of turning to alcohol when things get tough. In 2021, Affleck revealed on "The Howard Stern Show" that when he became unhappy in his marriage to Garner, he started drinking because he couldn't easily leave due to their three children and felt stuck. His comments about Garner and their marriage sparked controversy at the time, and Affleck had to clarify that he wasn't blaming his ex-wife for his issues.
However, the "Dogma" star's friends reportedly feared history would repeat itself, and he would relapse once more when his marriage to Jennifer Lopez broke down. In June 2024, an insider told the Daily Mail that Affleck's close friend Matt Damon did his best to keep him occupied, including urging his pal to "focus on his work." They added, "[Damon] would not let him get back on the bottle and has been on him to make sure of this."
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If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).
Affleck deals with an intense level of scrutiny and self-doubtBen Affleck's success as an actor, producer, and director has given him the opportunity to pursue his passions while building a massive net worth of $150 million at the time of writing. But since shooting to fame, the "Chasing Amy" star's life and relationships have been subjected to never-ending public and media scrutiny. During a 2023 Variety interview, Jennifer Lopez claimed that she and her then-husband "both have PTSD" from all the attention their first romance got. However, the scrutiny appeared no less intense when they gave their love another shot, with the couple's every move making headlines and being endlessly dissected by tabloids.
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In fact, Jacob Elordi, who worked with the actor on "Deep Water," divulged to GQ in 2022 that Affleck had made a troubling admission when he sought advice about dealing with this particular aspect of fame. The Hollywood stalwart confessed that the non-stop scrutiny has led to some dark days where he felt like a fake and began to question whether deep down, he actually wanted the attention from paparazzi. Affleck shared on fellow A-lister Kevin Hart's show "Hart to Heart" that although he's gradually got used to people snapping photos or recording him no matter what he's doing, the actor has never been comfortable with it and doubts he ever will be.
"I [...] don't like a lot of attention. This why people see me [and] they're like, 'Well, this dude always mad...' Because somebody has their camera and sticking to my face," Affleck reasoned (via People). His ongoing plight evoked sympathy from BFF Matt Damon, who acknowledged that he was lucky to have been spared despite them rising to fame around the same time. "I can't imagine living under that kind of scrutiny," Damon admitted on the "Radio Times Podcast."
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He was rumored to be going through a midlife crisis...againBack in 2018, Ben Affleck was clowned on the internet and speculated to be going through a midlife crisis after photos surfaced of a huge, colorful tattoo of a phoenix covering almost his entire back. The actor was first spotted with the divisive ink shortly after he and Jennifer Garner announced their split in the summer of 2015. Affleck initially lied in an interview with "Extra" that his body art was "fake for a movie" but later made it clear on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" that it was indeed real and "represents something important to me." The hype eventually died down but not before the "Gone Girl" star's substantial back tattoo was forever immortalized in viral photos of the actor standing shirtless on a beach, which were referenced in a New Yorker article entitled: "The Great Sadness of Ben Affleck."
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The midlife crisis rumors returned with a vengeance in August 2024 when Affleck debuted a makeover during an outing in Los Angeles. In photos obtained by People, he sported a shaved faux-hawk haircut and an outfit that was edgier than his typical plaid shirt and jeans combo. He rocked a black leather jacket, Red Hot Chili Peppers T-shirt, gray skinny jeans, boots, and aviator sunglasses while riding a motorcycle. Jennifer Lopez hadn't filed for divorce yet, but Affleck had already moved out of their marital home, fueling speculation that this was "back tattoo 2.0." (Lopez later indicated in her paperwork that they separated in April 2024). However, it's possible the transformation may have just been for a project as the Oscar winner was back to rocking his signature style the following month.
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Affleck could face another tragedy right after his divorceFollowing his split from Jennifer Lopez, Ben Affleck bought a $20.5 million mansion in the Pacific Palisades, California, in July 2024. He reportedly loved the property, with insiders dishing to Radar Online, "He's very happy to have a new home that fits him and his needs a whole lot better than the one he and J Lo bought together." However, less than a year later, the actor faced the possibility of losing his new home to the Los Angeles fires, which devastated a massive portion of the Pacific Palisades and Malibu neighborhoods and were only 18% contained a week after breaking out on January 7, 2025 — notably, also just a day after he and Lopez finalized their divorce.
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Affleck was evacuated from his stunning five-bedroom, six-bathroom mansion a day after the fire began making its way along the west side of Los Angeles and temporarily fled to his ex-wife Jennifer Garner's Brentwood home. Footage showed that, fortunately, the fire had not reached Affleck's home as of January 14, 2025, but it had already burned down the residences of several fellow stars, including Paris Hilton, Leighton Meester, Miles Teller, and Anna Faris. "Ben knows many people who unfortunately lost their homes. He has seen a lot of devastation, and it's beyond tragic. [...] Ben is reaching out to anybody he can to help," a source confirmed to Page Six.
In addition to Garner, Lopez also notably offered her support to Affleck too. An insider informed the outlet that Lopez "reached out as soon as she heard about Ben's home possibly being in danger and that he was evacuated" and "has been checking in on Ben throughout this whole ordeal."
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