Names and faces
Ben Affleck says battling addiction is “a lifelong and difficult struggle.” The 46-year-old actor posted on Instagram Thursday that he has completed a 40day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remains in outpatient care. Affleck says the support he has received from family and friends has given him strength to speak about “his illness” with others. He says he is fighting for himself and his family. Affleck says battling addiction is a full-time commitment and “one is never really in or out of treatment.” He had previously sought treatment in 2001 and 2017. Affleck has been separated from actress Jennifer Garner since 2015. They have three children.
Bette Midler expressed regret Thursday after calling women the “N-word of the world” in a tweet that drew social media backlash. “Angrily I tweeted w/o thinking my choice of words would be enraging to black women who doubly suffer, both by being women and by being black. I am an ally and stand with you; always have. And I apologize,” Midler wrote. The 72-year-old actress blamed the “brief investigation of allegations against [Supreme Court nominee Brett] Kavanaugh” for her actions. Her since-deleted tweet referenced a 1972 song written by John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Part of the lyrics in the once-contentious song Midler was referring to are, “Woman is the n—r of the world, yes she is. If you don’t believe me take a look at the one you’re with. Woman is the slave to the slaves. Yes she is, if you believe me, you better scream about it.” Midler wrote in her tweet: ‘“Women, are the n-word of the world. Raped, beaten, enslaved, married off, worked like dumb animals; denied education and inheritance; enduring the pain and danger of childbirth and life IN SILENCE for THOUSANDS of years They are the most disrespected creatures on earth.” In another deleted tweet, she said the song she was referring to “rang true then, and it rings true today, whether you like it or not. This is not about race, this is about the status of women; THEIR HISTORY.” Even though Midler deleted both tweets, Twitter users still were able to salvage them and share with the world. “I was afraid Bette Midler was dead but it’s worse. She’s erasing Black women’s experiences in pursuit of her own agenda,” another Twitter user wrote.