Is Affleck in rehab or not?
Ben Affleck is back home after less than two weeks at an exclusive rehab facility in Malibu, where he was reportedly dealing with a relapse of his alcohol addiction, according to a celebrity photo agency that on Wednesday published images of the actor outside his Pacific Palisades mansion.
The site X17online reported that Affleck’s estranged wife, Jennifer Garner, picked Affleck up at the Van Nuys airport Friday.
On Wednesday, People reported that a source said Affleck is only leaving the rehab facility to work out for a few hours a day: “He goes home to his gym to work out with his trainers. ... He’s always accompanied by his coach and therapist.”
On Aug. 22, Garner whisked Affleck from his mansion after staging what was described as an intervention because, TMZ said, the actor, 46, had fallen off the wagon “a while ago” and become “progressively worse” in his drinking.
The day of the supposed intervention, Garner had arrived at Affleck’s home with an attorney and a Bible. A distraught, disheveled Affleck, 46, was ready to hear what Garner had to say, TMZ said, reporting that Affleck “knows he needs help and was receptive.”
Affleck reportedly had checked himself into The Canyon in Malibu for “an extended stay” but it wasn’t clear whether that stay involved the standard 28 days of inpatient treatment or some other time frame.
X17online also showed a photo that suggested Affleck had a visitor Wednesday morning: 22-year-old Playboy model Shauna Sexton. The site said Sexton’s blue Acura sedan was parked in front of Affleck’s home as he strolled up Wednesday morning, perhaps after he had gone for a walk or run around his neighborhood.
The actor had been squiring Sexton around last month, just as news came that he had broken up with his longtime girlfriend, “Saturday Night Live” producer Lindsay Shookus.
It’s been reported that Affleck and Garner have stayed friendly and enjoy a strong co-parenting relationship for the sake of their children, Violet, 12; Seraphina, 9; and Samuel, 6.
Garner and Affleck first broke up in 2015, around the time she learned he had been secretly dating Shookus. They filed for divorce in 2016 but have delayed finalizing the split due to Garner’s concerns about Affleck’s health and sobriety.