Jennifer Garner expected Ben Affleck to date publicly, he just cant be alone
On Saturday Jennifer Garner went to the gym, which is typical for her. (She goes to Body by Simone, as you can see Simone in the background in one of those pics. I love her workouts on YouTube!) On Sunday she went to church with her kids, also as usual, and Ben was not there, as he usually is not. As you know, Ben went public late last week with a woman he’s been dating, an SNL Producer named Lindsay Shookus. It’s unclear whether he did it on purpose or whether he just got “caught” by the paparazzi. Garner sources claim that Ben and Lindsay have been seeing each other for over three year. Affleck sources claim it was just three months and they were only friends before. My theory is that Affleck had a bunch of sidechicks on the hook and that Lindsay is the one who stuck around after the nanny scandal, the on-off bullsh-t with Garner in the tabloids, and all his promises which inevitably fell through. Lindsay was also in an unhappy marriage (probably because she was cheating with Ben) but living very close to her ex and coparenting with him, so she may have bonded with Ben over their similar situations.
Both People Magazine and US have stories from Garner’s perspective and while most people believe that she’s the one who blew the lid off Ben’s longstanding affair after he got papped with Lindsay, she’s playing it cool. Garner is the cool mom in official sources and she’s the one behind the scenes who patiently waits to get her story out when it’s warranted. I admire her game. Of course she’s thinking of her kids by being silent for so long, but ultimately she’s telling her truth and letting us get a glimpse of some of the sh-t she’s seen. Here is People’s report from her side:
Jennifer Garner isn’t happy that Ben Affleck is moving on with a woman connected to his past — but she’s staying in “mama-bear mode,” sources say.
“It’s not an easy situation for Jen,” says a source close to the actress.
She expected Affleck to start dating publicly following their split and divorce filing in April, says the source: “She knew it would happen soon. Ben just can’t be alone.”
The first source close to Garner says “it would have been easier for Jen if Ben would have just dated someone that Jen wasn’t familiar with.” But another source says Garner, 45, has long since moved on: “Of course there are issues given it was a major affair, but Jen is her own woman and is completely fine. Nothing is new for her here. She’s in mama-bear mode . . . putting the kids’ happiness first.”
Shookus, who shares a daughter with her ex, hasn’t met Affleck and Garner’s kids yet, the source close to Garner says. “Jen and Ben have talked about not introducing the kids to people they date until it’s serious,” the source explains — adding that now Garner “isn’t thinking about dating — she just wants to protect and spend time with the kids.”
“As long as he stays healthy and sober, she will support him spending as much time with the kids as he wants,” the Garner source says. Affleck completed treatment for alcohol addiction in March.
I love that line from People “She knew it would happen soon. Ben just can’t be alone.” In my mind I also hear “bless his heart.” You can also read the shade in “As long as he stays healthy and sober…” She’s not expecting him to stay sober, not when he’s back with this random, not when he likely swore up and down he would no longer see her, only to take up with the nanny a few months after he got busted cheating with Lindsay. Imagine what Garner has gone through and how hard she’s worked to save her family’s image and to save Ben’s image. She’s done this for years. A lot of people call her weak and codependent for this, and there’s an element of that definitely. There’s also strength in hiding and plotting, and she was thinking of her family and her bottom line. She covered up for Ben for years and he’s about to find out what it’s like when she doesn’t keep her mouth shut. Imagine all the other dirt she has and how much damage she could do. This is just a warning from her. She’s calculated as hell and Ben probably didn’t even imagine she was capable of going this far.
There are several other stories and similar-sounding sourced quotes we haven’t covered yet but it’s clear now which side is leaking which quotes. Radar has a story about how Jen caught Ben cheating when a high end boutique called to verify an expensive ring he allegedly bought for Lindsay. It’s possible Radar concocted that story, but we know Ben’s MO and so does Garner.
photos credit: WENN and Backgrid
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7pLHLnpmirJOdxm%2BvzqZmbmxhbn95e8mepaehlpq%2FoLPAq6Weqo%2BaxbGxwq2cnZeSmrugrcWfo56bm5TBsKvDmquel6Cqr621wqWwmKCVlLe2v9OYmpqmpJSvpqvApaannV8%3D