Fears are mounting for Ben Affleck‘s sobriety, with some sources claiming he is already drinking again as divorce from Jennifer Lopez looms.
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, friends say the actor – who has battled alcoholism and a gambling addiction for decades – is suffering ‘acute sadness’ as his marriage collapses.
They claim Affleck, 51, is either ‘at risk’ of slipping off the wagon, or is already back on the booze.
One says: ‘I hear that he is drinking. He is full of demons – a really troubled person.’
While another adds: ‘I have seen him looking glassy eyed and it is a real worry to everyone who cares about him.’
Fears are mounting for Ben Affleck ‘s sobriety, with some sources claiming he is already drinking again as divorce from Jennifer Lopez looms. (Pictured in 2018 being driven to rehab by his then-wife Jennifer Garner, right)
Speaking exclusively to DailyMail.com, friends say the actor is suffering ‘acute sadness’ as his marriage collapses.
Representatives for Affleck did not respond to requests for comment.
The revelation comes as J.Lo insiders also reveal that her mother, Guadalupe Rodriguez, has now ‘turned against’ Affleck, despite initially encouraging her daughter to reignite the ‘Bennifer’ romance in 2022.
I understand that the 54-year-old singer’s manager Benny Medina also ‘openly dislikes’ Affleck.
Affleck and Lopez were spotted on Sunday night at the $60 million, 12-bedroom and 24-bathroom mansion they used to share. They spent four hours at the house – which is now reportedly on the market – locked in a summit meeting.
After Affleck moved out to a $100,000-a-month rental in Brentwood in May, J.Lo cancelled her entire summer tour in an apparent bid to salvage the marriage. But multiple sources now say divorce is ‘imminent’.
A source said: ‘I understand that he has checked out of the marriage but she has yet to accept the truth of the situation and thinks that with therapy they might make it.’
‘It is made all the more difficult by the fact that we are dealing here with the emotions of the five children they have between them,’ the source added. ‘The reasons why it hasn’t worked out are many but when you lose J.Lo’s family, you lose J.Lo. Her mum and her sisters are against him and Benny [Medina] is also.’
J.Lo has also recently rekindled her friendship with actress Leah Remini. The pair reportedly fell out in 2022 after Remini told her that Affleck wasn’t properly committed to the romance and would end up hurting her.
The revelation comes as sources close to J.Lo’s camp also reveal that her mother, Guadalupe Rodriguez, has now ‘turned against’ Affleck, despite initially encouraging her daughter to reignite the ‘Bennifer’ romance in 2022. (Pictured last month).
I understand that J.Lo’s manager Benny Medina also ‘openly dislikes’ Affleck. (Pictured in 2019).
Another source says: ‘J.Lo has been getting Ben to wear foundation again and has been behind his new look. She is turbo charged with her cosmetic game and wanted him to come along with her. But really he never liked it when they were first engaged and now it feels dumb.’
Affleck said that he first stopped drinking in 1997.
He said then: ‘I just wanted to stop. I started regretting some things I did when I was drunk. It’s funny to be obnoxious or out of control, but then it’s like, “I think I hurt that person’s feelings”, “I made a fool of myself” or “I didn’t want to kiss that girl”. I have almost no inhibitions, so it’s dangerous for me.’
He sought treatment for alcoholism in 2001 and again went to rehab in 2017 and 2018. The following year there was a setback when he was pictured leaving a Halloween party intoxicated.
In 2020 he said: ‘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. You’re trying to make yourself feel better with eating or drinking or sex or gambling or shopping or whatever. But that ends up making your life worse.
‘Then you do more of it to make that discomfort go away. Then the real pain starts. It becomes a vicious cycle you can’t break. That’s at least what happened to me.’