Although PEOPLE’s cover story about the Ben Affleck Jennifer Garner divorce focuses primarily on how Jen’s dealing with the “ultimate betrayal”, the magazine does try to offer a rationale for Ben’s attitude about the end of his marriage. As you know, Team Affleck has repeatedly denied the claims that he was having an affair with the nanny, Christine Ouzounian. You’ll recall, last week, when US Weekly first broke the exclusive, his publicist even claimed that they were considering their legal options. But then when the nanny started getting papped everywhere and other outlets started adding their own details about what went on between Ben and Christine, well, we haven’t heard much about lawsuits lately, have we?
Still, sources on Ben’s side maintain that he wasn’t unfaithful. And that the reason Ben was unhappy was because Jen was a proper nag, “nitpicking” at him all the time:
"When you are made to feel like an inadequate husband over and over again," the source says, "your friends are going to say maybe this isn't working.”
Controlling, nitpicking, critical…
Magic words for a certain demo, non? Bunch a guys commiserating over beers, “nothing I ever do is good enough!”, they tell each other. I wrote about this last month – click here for a refresher; if Jennifer Garner has locked down the MiniVan Majority, Ben’s appeal is to the Dude. And also to the women out there who believe a wife’s not doing right by her man if she’s not providing him with comfort only, especially when the man is 6 ft 2 with a dimple in his chin.
As a public relations strategy, it’s not a bad one. But how well is it working?
It’s not working.
And it’s not working because his Poor Me, My Wife Was Never Satisfied message is being drowned out by the pictures of his rumoured mistress and former nanny in a bikini by the pool at one of the most exclusive hotels in LA. IN TOUCH managed to get new shots of Christine Ouzounian this week at the Hotel Bel Air.
Apparently Ben’s paying the bill. So… US Weekly breaks the story that you cheated on your wife with the nanny and that you used to sneak off with her to the Hotel Bel Air. And now you’re putting her up at the Hotel Bel Air? Stupid f-ck. You can’t be the hero to the Dude if your sidepiece has so much sh-t on you that you have to bankroll her lifestyle and go into hiding. Which, by the way, is on his estate on Hampton Island in Georgia.
