Ben’s the Husband From Hell
Ben Affleck is making Jennifer Garner’s post-split life difficult
They always seem like the world’s best co-parents. Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck frequently attend school events together — including a fifth-grade presentation on June 7 and an ice cream social on June 8 — and “They don’t make it awkward,” says an observer. Adds a source: “Jen’s adamant about protecting the kids [Violet, 11, Seraphina, 8, and Samuel, 5] from her and Ben’s messy divorce and doesn’t want to give the parents at school anything to gossip about.”
But in private, Jen has had it with his behavior. Since the couple filed for divorce in April, multiple sources tell In Touch Ben’s been causing drama — from questioning Jen, 45, about her personal life and meddling
with the kids’ schedule to continuing to live a bachelor lifestyle after going to rehab earlier this year. “Ben is very upset that the divorce is proceeding,” and at times is not civil, an insider tells In Touch exclusively. In short, he’s been acting like the ex-husband from hell. “Pals say Ben is angry and jealous because he’s no longer the center of Jen’s world,” says the source. “And Jen’s fed up.”
He can’t stop putting himself first. Ben, 44, recently “decided at the last minute he couldn’t pick up the kids from school and wanted to do it the following day,” says the insider. “But Jen refused to accommodate Ben because she’d already made plans for them after school. There is a schedule in place for a reason, and Ben needs to abide by it.”
His home is now a bachelor pad. “It’s set up like the ultimate bachelor pad, and it’s not very child-friendly,” says the insider, adding that Ben’s luxurious gated, modern house “reeks of becoming a mini–playboy Mansion. He’s even been asking friends to bring over hot starlets for parties.”
But he has a double standard when it comes to Jen. “She’s been enjoying evenings out with girlfriends, which hasn’t gone down well with Ben,” says the source. Whenever she glams up, says the insider, “Ben bombards her with questions about what she’s up to. His jealous behavior drives Jen crazy because she’s doing nothing wrong, and what she does in her personal time is none of his business.”
The tension between them is becoming unbearable. Jen is furious, says the insider. “She’s gone above and beyond to make the divorce as amicable as possible. For Ben to now act like a spoiled, selfish child, creating all of this drama… she’s seeing red.” ◼