Tragic Details About Ben Affleck's Life

The following article contains references to substance use, sexual violence, and suicide.

Given the string of personal and professional downturns his life has taken over the decades, Ben Affleck has emerged as the industry's involuntary poster face for misery. His life was dramatic from the start, growing up amidst parental issues of addiction and divorce — a foreshadowing of the themes that would appear later during his own adulthood. Affleck's superstar status was also embroiled in excesses that didn't bode well for his personality, relationships, or his public image.

This sentiment of persistent agony stuck with him through the years and all Affleck could do was, as he told Los Angeles Times, "hope and believe that people will still like the movies I make if I'm not in the midst of something they think of as agonizing." He didn't find too much luck there either. Instead, he ended up tracing quite an iffy trajectory in popular culture, transitioning from a tabloid headliner to a meme.

Here are tragic details about Ben Affleck that have defined key moments in his life. 

The first foundations of Ben Affleck's status as a tragic figure can be traced all the way back to his childhood in Massachusetts, where he grew up in an unstable home. His father, Timothy Affleck — who unsuccessfully dablled in acting and writing, besides other odd jobs — was an alcoholic, with whom Ben didn't quite share the strongest relationship. By the time Ben entered his teens, Chris Anne Boldt, Ben's mother, was raising him and his brother Casey Affleck by herself, while his father became increasingly estranged from the family. 

"There's a lot of alcoholism and mental illness in my family. The legacy of that is quite powerful and sometimes hard to shake," he told The New York Times, recalling his father's years-long struggle with addiction, as well as other troubled family members who succumbed to suicide and drugs. It wasn't until Affleck was 19 and an adult himself that he was able to rekindle a bond with his father, who got sober with the help of rehab.  

It took Affleck several more years — and likely his own journey with alcoholism — to put his childhood into perspective. "I learned to be able to look at things that I wish were different about my childhood and say they [my parents] did their best," he told People. "The goal is to try and break some of these painful cycles." 

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).

When Ben Affleck co-wrote and starred in "Good Will Hunting" alongside with his childhood buddy Matt Damon, he was already a few acclaimed films old. The former child star had definitive coming-of-age '90s titles like "Dazed and Confused" and "Mallrats" under his belt, indicative of a promising Hollywood career that was yet to unfold. And unfold it did!

"Good Will Hunting" shook the industry upon its release in 1997, earning a slew of nominations at the Oscars the following year and taking home the award for Best Screenplay. It was yet another sign of Affleck's inherent knack for entertainment. The actor seemed poised to only go up from there, but the streak soon broke, sending Affleck's career into a tailspin. 

His downfall — cemented by disastrous flops like 2003's "Gigli" and a string of other fails — played out in the spotlight, with the media liberally underlining his failures. Affleck also tried his hand at filmmaking — a venture that wouldn't receive much attention until 2012, the year of his award-sweeping directorial "Argo." While the milestone didn't entirely set Affleck's career back on track, it did revive some of his lost glory. Nevertheless, that old insecurity still looms large over Affleck, who told Deadline, "Whether we're actors or directors or writers, the phone could stop ringing for us." 

Pop culture fans couldn't have known that an important piece of Hollywood history was being written when Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez met on the sets of "Gigli" in 2001. One an Oscar-winning writer and lifelong actor, the other a singing sensation shaking up both the music and film industries — it was a seismic pairing of two stars at the heights of their fame. 

So when Affleck and Lopez embarked on their first relationship together while filming "Jersey Girl," it made headlines like no other celebrity pairing could at the time. "You know, there's always a story of the month, and me dating Jennifer Lopez happened to be that tabloid story at the time when that business grew exponentially," Affleck said on The Hollywood Reporter's "Awards Chatter" podcast, recalling the vitriolic coverage of their relationship that even involved racism against the Latina singer. 

The good-looking couple, forever known by the nickname "Bennifer," tried to push through with heart-stopping red carpet appearances and iconic collaborations like the "Jenny from the Block" music video. And by the end of 2002, they were engaged. Unfortunately, the sound of their wedding bells was drowned out by the massive pressure of public scrutiny they were under. Lopez and Affleck postponed their wedding, citing "excessive media attention" in a joint statement. Their fairytale relationship ultimately gave way and the celebrity pair parted ways by early 2004. 

Not too long after his split from Jennifer Lopez in 2004, Ben Affleck linked up with another Jennifer: Jennifer Garner. She had been his co-star in "Pearl Harbor" and "Daredevil," and while their romance didn't begin on either set, their professional history helped set the foundation for their later love story. Within a year of dating, Affleck popped the question to his ladylove and, this time, he managed to go through with a wedding shrouded in tight secrecy. The couple, who later welcomed children Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel, quickly became one of the hottest couples on the showbiz circuit, proving that a successful Hollywood marriage wasn't a myth. 

When that romance unraveled after 10 years, the world was naturally shocked. "After much thought and careful consideration, we have made the difficult decision to divorce," the pair said in a joint statement provided to People in 2015. Over a prolonged separation period, Affleck and Garner went back and forth on their divorce, ultimately finalizing it in 2017. It was one of Hollywood's less acrimonious splits, with Garner and Affleck continuing to share a partnership as co-parents and remaining generous in their affection for each other. "We grew apart. We had a marriage that didn't work. ... It's somebody that I love and respect, but to whom I shouldn't be married any longer," Affleck explained on "The Howard Stern Show."

One of the most scandalous scent trails the tabloids sniffed out and ran with following the announcement of Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner's divorce pointed toward infidelity. The press was inundated with speculation that the "Gone Girl" star had pursued an extramarital relationship with his children's 28-year-old nanny, Christine Ouzounian. 

Nannygate, as the scandal was called, implied that Affleck had cheated on Garner — a widespread rumor Affleck's team unsurprisingly denied. Interestingly, Garner also insisted cheating didn't lead to her divorce from Affleck. "We had been separated for months before I ever heard about the nanny," Garner told Vanity Fair. "She had nothing to do with our decision to divorce. She was not a part of the equation." 

Ouzounian's camp, meanwhile, maintained that her alleged affair with Affleck was very real. "Christine is in love with him," a person close to the former nanny told People, reportedly presenting photographic proof of the couple's intimate rendezvous. While the source confirmed that Affleck did not cheat on Garner, they did claim that the "13 Going on 30" star was not happy when she found out about her husband's affair. The tabloids eventually had its fill of this headline and, as it typically does, moved on from the disputed issue. But Affleck's time in the eye of the storm was far from over. 

Ben Affleck had already had a brush with alcoholism during his youth, achieving sobriety in 2001 before he fell back on the addiction during his marriage with Jennifer Garner. This time around, the alcohol dependence came back with renewed force into the actor's life, which was tearing at the seams under the pressures of marital distress and fatherhood. "I started to drink every day. I mean, I'd come home from work and I'd start to drink. And then I'd just sit there and drink till I pass out on the couch," he told ABC News' Diane Sawyer. Desperate to escape the legacy of his father's alcoholism, Affleck took time to come to terms with his own addiction.  

"People with compulsive behavior, and I am one, have this kind of basic discomfort all the time that they're trying to make go away," he told The New York Times, talking about getting caught in a cycle of pain and avoidance that was hard to break out of. Though his decade-long marriage was jeopardized, an unhappy Affleck continued to remain in it for the sake of the three children he shares with Garner. It resulted in him drinking more. In 2017, just weeks before his divorce became official, Affleck announced that he had completed a second stint in rehab. He kept at his journey of recovery, entering rehab once more in 2018 with Garner's help. 

2017 was a year of upheaval for Hollywood, as the the #MeToo movement emboldened survivors to seek help following the sexual assaults that rippled through the industry. One of the many names accused of sexual misconduct that surfaced — besides and in relation to disgraced Miramax mogul Harvey Weinstein — was Ben Affleck's. Rose McGowan, Affleck's co-star from "Phantoms," accused Weinstein of rape and later insinuated that the Oscar-winning actor was aware of the producer's sex offenses. 

The charges against Affleck blew open wider, when it resurfaced that the actor had groped former "Total Request Live" host Hilarie Burton on her show. Burton partook in the conversation, saying she hadn't forgotten the incident from 2003. "I had to laugh back then so I wouldn't cry," she tweeted. Affleck was prompted to issue an apology for his behavior toward Burton, though he claimed he didn't remember the episode. 

In 2020, Affleck's name came up again as a New York court moved to sentence Weinstein for his sexual assault crimes and made public some damning documents. Variety reported that the "Good Will Hunting" star featured on an index of around 70 names that made up Weinstein's "red flag list" of people he was worried might talk about his record of abuse. 

If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

In the wake of a turbulent love life, sharp-tongued interviews, and brooding persona, Ben Affleck has had to reckon with a bit of a bad boy image in Hollywood. In his personal life, the actor deals with what seems like a far more complicated inner dialogue. Not one to cover his insecurities up, Affleck has openly discussed the troubles plaguing the many aspects of his personality since he joined showbiz. 

"I think when I was young, people saw me as somebody who had too much or was successful too easily or looked like some kind of cavalier, insincere, callow frat guy," he told the Los Angeles Times. But through his lens, the reality was totally different. "I felt like this sort of insecure, anxious, overly verbal kid from Boston who had tried to break into this business and was dealing with his own stuff."  

Affleck was also counting the pain points in his romantic life out loud to Playboy as far back as 1999. "I think what happens is, I end up wanting to be out of the relationship," he said, scrutinizing his issues with communication and "passive-aggressive rage" that eventually leads to a fallout. "But that hopefully is something I'm growing out of." 

Ben Affleck has been as forthcoming about his troubled family history as he has about the mental health struggles it brought with it. Growing up in the shadow of alcoholism — an addiction that tormented some of his closest kin, including his father and grandparents – translated into depression for the "Air" actor. The frenzied media attention that overwhelmed his superstar days also admittedly had an effect on his behavior. In a sit-down with ABC News' Diane Sawyer, Affleck revealed that he began taking antidepressants when he was 26. "They're very helpful for me," he said, not without pointing out the "awful" side effects these medicines sometimes came with. 

"I've experienced depression and anxiety," he told People, talking about the stigma that is still attached to mental health. "Sometimes it's hard to differentiate 'Something bad happened to me, so I feel bad' versus 'I'm feeling bad because something is not working right chemically in my brain.'" Besides the genetic inclinations that Affleck has said were at play behind his mental health issues, his own slide into alcohol addiction as an adult, during and after his first marriage, didn't make things any easier. 

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

In the wild, whacky world of memes — where daily existence is nothing short of an affliction — Ben Affleck is a goldmine that just keeps giving. The near-constant look of misery on his face during his more candid moments have made even mundane activities of his everyday life, like smoking or getting coffee, social media sport — and it is all too relatable for a generation drudging through life. 

One of the biggest contributors to this phenomenon was the viral "Sad Affleck" meme that showed the actor zoning out during an interview for "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," as co-star Henry Cavill monologued beside him. The internet was also endlessly amused by Affleck's thoroughly unimpressed mien at the 2023 Grammys. And who can ever forget that iconic shot of Affleck trying hard to catch a break with a cigarette between his fingers? 

As entertaining as the whole thing may be for internet residents, the truth of the matter actually falls in a gray area for the man himself. He told the Los Angeles Times that, notwithstanding the humor of memes like "Sad Affleck," he is prompted to worry about his children when they see those visuals of him looking despondent: "Oh, are they going to think their dad is fundamentally sad or they have to worry about me?" 

When Jennifer Lopez and Ben Affleck rekindled their romance in 2021 and tied the knot a year later, it felt like some kind of balance had been restored in the universe. It was a full-circle moment for the ages, the coming together of this iconic Y2K couple whose whirlwind romance was pop culture obsession once upon a time, and now once again. While Affleck remained largely tight-lipped about the symbolism of the Bennifer reunion, Lopez didn't restrain herself. "When you find somebody and you really, really love them and you get a second chance at that? That is a really rare, precious, beautiful thing and we don't take it for granted," she told People. 

From red carpet PDAs to matching tattoos, proof of Affleck and J.Lo's passion were in the open for the world to see. So when reports of tension in their marriage began surfacing in 2024, jaws dropped. While the press highlighted the supposedly separate lives the couple was living, social media did some sleuthing of its own by reading into Lopez's songs and jewelry to look for clues of trouble in paradise. The singer left little room for doubt when she eventually filed for divorce from Affleck. According to Page Six, cracks in their relationship began to show as early as their honeymoon and especially once that loved-up phase was over. "He sold her on him being a changed man, and that lasted a very short time," a source alleged.

Ensuring his children's privacy has perhaps been one of the biggest hurdles in Ben Affleck's life, which has been besieged by paparazzi attention for as long as he has been a mainstream movie star. The media frenzy surrounding his family during his marriage to Jennifer Garner was especially troublesome, so much so that it prompted his ex-wife to pursue legal action in a bid to limit the press coverage of celebrity children. 

"The tragic thing is, people who see those pictures naturally think it's sweet," he explained to Playboy back in 2013 (via CNN). "They don't see the gigantic former gang member with a huge lens standing over a 4-year-old and screaming to get the kid's attention." Affleck revealed that this experience of growing up in the limelight had instilled a fear of shutterbugs in his three children. 

The mania has hardly died down and in recent years, Affleck has had multiple confrontations with camera-wielding mediapersons — including one in 2024 where he lambasted them for jeopardizing his daughter Violet's safety near his Beverly Hills home. "Don't flash your lights when someone is driving down the driveway," a furious Affleck told paps in a video obtained by TMZ. "My daughter's coming down here. If you flash the lights on her, you're putting her in danger."