He’s Your Problem Now!
After years of dealing with Ben Affleck’s demons, Jennifer Garner tells friends it’s time for his new love to bear the burden
They were in a great mood. On July 30, while vacationing in Maine, Ben Affleck and new girlfriend Lindsay Shookus stopped by a local supermarket. “They picked up two bottles of rosé and a bottle of Skinnygirl Margarita — Lindsay paid for it,” an employee at The Umbrella Factory in Naples, Maine, tells In Touch. “They were both smiling as they got into their car and even stopped for a quick kiss. They seemed like a really happy couple.”
For now. Lindsay may not be prepared for the ups and downs that can come with being Ben’s partner. For years, Ben’s ex, Jennifer Garner, 45, tried her best to help him stay sober. But now that Ben, 44, is drinking again and dating Lindsay, 37, Jen “feels like Ben’s drinking is Lindsay’s problem now,” a source tells In Touch, noting that Ben revealed just four months ago that he’d completed his second rehab stint for alcohol addiction ( his first was in 2001). “Of course, Jen worries about Ben’s health because he is the father of her children [Violet,11, Seraphina, 8, and Samuel, 5], but she feels like she’s done everything she can to help him over the years. It’s Lindsay’s turn.”
So far, Lindsay hasn’t had a positive effect on Ben’s sobriety. “Ben and Lindsay drink together,” says the source. As In Touch previously reported, the Oscar winner is drinking again. He was seen sharing a bottle of red wine with the Saturday Night Live producer on July 6 at Giorgio Baldi in Santa Monica. “Jen is very surprised that Lindsay is drinking around Ben,” says the source. “But she feels that ultimately it’s up to [Lindsay] how she wants to handle the situation.”
Jen is trying to move on. “She’s quietly dating someone. He works in the entrainment industry but is not an actor,” says the source, adding that Jen — who began dating her mystery man this past winter —
has no plans to go public with the romance. “She sees no reason to have this relationship undergo the scrutiny that she has endured with Ben for years. Jen’s very happy and is finally feeling at peace for the first time in years.”
But her new romance is fueling Ben’s issues. “The relationship has completely made Ben unravel. He realizes he is never going to get Jen back,” says the source, noting that it’s part of the reason he’s been so public with Lindsay. “It’s his way of lashing out at Jen for daring to move on.” But Jen is unfazed. “With Ben, it’s constant drama all the time,” adds the source. “She’s tired of it. Of course, she wants him to be healthy, but it’s not her problem anymore.” ◼