Jennifer Garner allegedly convinced Ben Affleck to split with Lindsay Shookus. The 46-year-old actress reportedly did not approve of his relationship with the Saturday Night Live producer.
According to Globe, Garner couldn't stand Shookus because she had a fling with the Argo actor while they were supposedly still trying to save their marriage. The Daredevil co-actors shocked everyone by announcing their split in 2015 and later filed for a divorce in April 2017.
A source said: "Jen viewed Lindsay as a homewrecker, and she was never going to let that go."
"She [also] believed Lindsay was leading Ben down the wrong path when he was trying to stay sober," the insider added. "Ben appreciates Jen's opinion, and when she said Lindsay wasn't right for him, Ben listened. Jen said he should date other people and he agreed. So he ended things with Lindsay."
However, Garner was fine with Affleck dating the Playboy model Shauna Sexton. The source shared: "Jen may not be thrilled Ben's dating a Playboy pinup, but she doesn't see Shauna as a threat."
Meanwhile, the 22-year-old model hit back at claims that Affleck's latest stint in rehab is her fault. Sexton was seen with the Justice League star before he was admitted to a Malibu rehab in August.
After she posted a picture of herself with a glass of red wine on Instagram, fans accused her of getting the 46-year-old actor into rehab. She replied by saying: "It's bizarre to me that you can somehow correlate someone's poor decisions to anyone other than that person. Never drank around or with him for the record."
Following that, many questioned her about being arrested in the past for underage drinking and public intoxication. She explained her side by posting a lengthy message on Instagram, she wrote: "I love to drink and party! Absolutely dude. Most 22-year-olds do. Yes, you're correct. I got put in the drunk tank when I was 17 for having a fake ID and drinking underage at a bar in Virginia Beach, and despite the fact most people have used a fake ID as well as drank underage, it was a dumb mistake on my behalf and an embarrassing one at that."
"I have limitless respect people who have the humility and maturity to admit when they need to fix something in their life. I have even more respect for those who take action and actually do something about it," she went on.
"With that being said, Ben is a grown ass man, baby," she concluded. "He makes his own decisions. Blaming a 22 year old for someone's 3rd time in rehab is just ridiculous. He is human. I am a human. You are human. We all are going to f–k up it's just a matter of learning from it. Don't be so quick to throw shade on people. Take a step back, accept that we are all on our own journey, and be a little less critical. Take care xx"
