Entertainment

Ben Affleck & Lindsay Shookus: A Look Back at Their 'Controversial' Relationship

EntertainmentPublished Jul 18, 2018
By Haley Longman
Lindsay Shookus and Ben AflleckSplash News

It's been a year since Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus went public with their relationship. (Jennifer Garner filed for divorce months before, officially ending their 10-year marriage.) And clearly, a whole lot has happened in that time -- with unexpected updates still unfolding. While the specifics of exactly how and when the Oscar-winning actor and the Saturday Night Live producer got together remain unclear, rumor has it they started hooking up when they were both still married -- though Ben's team has denied such allegations. Regardless, what's quite obvious is that their relationship history is long and complicated (to say the very least).

Fans of "Bennifer" continue to root for their love as they were once a beloved Hollywood couple with staying power, considering the industry. They have three kids together and spent a decade as husband and wife -- so it's not crazy to see people crossing their fingers Jen and Ben will reconcile, seeing as it took almost two full years for them to legally split. As for Lindsay? She was a married first-time mom when the supposed affair began, so there is a whole lot to unpack there.

Here's an in-depth look at Ben and Lindsay's relationship timeline, from the moment they first met to their shocking split, the 22-year-old Playboy playmate involved, and everything in between. To say these two's romance (and split) haven't been full of OMG and WTF moments would be an understatement. And given the new revelations, who the heck knows how everything will continue to unravel.

After all, we are talking about Hollywood.

1/21
How They Met-placeholder
How They Met
Dana Edelson/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

How They Met

Ben first met Lindsay, who was and still is a producer and casting director on SNL, when the actor hosted the show for the fifth time in May 2013. He even brought out his then-wife, Jen, during his monologue. Outlets reported Ben and Linds looked "interested" in each other at that time and were even caught flirting at a Hollywood party one month later. Their "full-on affair" allegedly began shortly thereafter.

2/21
An Alleged Affair & New Baby?-placeholder
An Alleged Affair & New Baby?
Splash News

An Alleged Affair & New Baby?

What's mighty interesting about Ben and Lindsay's rumored romance is that it reportedly happened a few months after the SNL producer became a mom. Shookus and her then-husband, TV producer Kevin Miller, welcomed their first and only child together in early 2013.

"They were not casually dating -- they were having a full-blown affair," an unnamed source alleged to Us Weekly about Ben and Lindsay's secret romance. "They were sleeping together, sending each other cute texts and meeting up whenever they could."

(Scandalous!)

3/21
Jennifer & Lindsay Showdown?-placeholder
Jennifer & Lindsay Showdown?
Derek Storm/Splash News; Splash News

Jennifer & Lindsay Showdown?

Sources have alleged that Ben and Lindsay actually began their affair in 2014, at which point Jen asked Lindsay to back away from her husband and father to her three children (Violet, Seraphina, and Samuel). Knowing what we know about Jen, this seems highly unlikely as she gives off "I'm not confrontational" vibes.

4/21
Separation Announcement-placeholder
Separation Announcement
Danny Moloshok/REUTERS

Separation Announcement

Fast forward to June 2015, and Ben and Jen announced in a joint statement that they were separating -- amicably, of course -- with their children as their utmost priority.

5/21
Nanny Scandal-placeholder
Nanny Scandal
Splash News

Nanny Scandal

Just one month later, the Batman v Superman star's alleged affair with the family nanny, a then 28-year-old Christine Ouzounian, made headlines. This means Ben was seeing Lindsay long before he was sleeping with the help. (Yikes.)

Talk about a Hollywood scandal.

6/21
Officially Divorced-placeholder
Officially Divorced
Danny Moloshok/REUTERS

Officially Divorced

As we know, the parents of three had a long and drawn-out divorce. There was even speculation at one point that the holdup was because they were reconciling. However, in April of 2017, Ben and Jen made it official, legally divorcing after two years of being separated.

7/21
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New Girlfriend Reveal
Splash News

New Girlfriend Reveal

Just three months later, Ben and Lindsay went public with their relationship and were photographed together for the first time in London, where the actor was filming re-shoots for Justice League.

Tons more dates and public sightings followed throughout the month of July -- captured by the paparazzi, of course -- in Los Angeles, New York, and Maine, to name a few places.

8/21
Loving Support From Jen & Lindsay During Rehab-placeholder
Loving Support From Jen & Lindsay During Rehab
Dylan/Reuters/ Splash News

Loving Support From Jen & Lindsay During Rehab

Sadly, the cutesy paparazzi pics quickly turned dark. In October 2017, Ben entered rehab for a third time -- with the support of both his estranged wife and his girlfriend.

Talk about love.

9/21
The Supposed Meetup-placeholder
The Supposed Meetup
Sonia Moskowitz/ZUMA Press / Splash News; XactpiX/Splash News

The Supposed Meetup

By November of 2017, Ben was sober and things were getting serious between him and Lindsay -- so serious, in fact, that Lindsay supposedly met Jen for the first time just after Thanksgiving. It was at that same time that photogs spotted Shookus accompanying her man while he went house hunting in LA.

10/21
Shacking Up?-placeholder
Shacking Up?
Splash News

Shacking Up?

There were conflicting reports back in December about whether or not Lindsay and Ben started shacking up. (He primarily lives in Los Angeles near his kids, and she is often in NYC for SNL.) Us Weekly alleges that Ben stays with his lady friend at her Upper West Side apartment whenever he's in town for business, which is probably code for "they're pretty much living together."

11/21
Engagement?-placeholder
Engagement?
Splash News

Engagement?

With the start of the new year, reports surfaced that Ben was ready to get married again. Fans were not too happy -- you know, probably because of the whole cheating-on-his-other-wife thing -- but this was purely speculation.

12/21

Vacay PDA

Wedding or no wedding, this twosome was clearly still in love in March of 2018 as Lindsay and Ben were spotted holding hands in Hawaii, where the dad of three was filming his movie Triple Frontier.

13/21
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Lindsay Breaks Her Silence
Splash News

Lindsay Breaks Her Silence

Haters be damned as Lindsay opened up about her relationship with Ben -- as well as her new life in the public eye -- for the first time in May 2018. "My entire career has been behind the camera, and that's definitely where I'm most comfortable," she said in a candid interview with Elle. "I'm a producer, I'm a mom, a friend. Being considered a public figure honestly makes me laugh."

14/21
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Multi-Million Dollar 'Love Nest?'
BG004/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images/Getty Images

Multi-Million Dollar 'Love Nest?'

That same month, Ben moved into his new $19 million mansion in California. Though Lindsay wasn't officially listed on the deed, paparazzi did catch the pair looking all lovey-dovey as moving trucks rolled in to the new pad. Given Lindsay has the summer off at SNL, one can only imagine all the sleepovers that are bound to take place.

15/21
Cooling Things Down-placeholder
Cooling Things Down
Splash News

Cooling Things Down

Though things are clearly going well between these two, reports started circulating in June that Ben isn't ready to get married again -- at least not right now. Apparently, he wants to "slow things down" for the sake of his sobriety, though he does love Lindsay very much.

16/21
Double Date-placeholder
Double Date
Splash News

Double Date

Meet the parents? The couple was spotted double-dating with Lindsay's folks in Santa Monica, California, in July. Ben also reportedly joined the group -- including Lindsay's 5-year-old daughter -- on a hike that month as well.

17/21
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Jen Talks Marriage 'Scrutiny'
Mario Anzuoni/REUTERS

Jen Talks Marriage 'Scrutiny'

Jennifer Garner got candid in an interview with CBS News Sunday Morning recently about the "scrutiny" of her marriage to Ben, and how difficult it was to watch their divorce play out in public. "I really feel the stress of it, I really -- I could cry talking about it," she said. But Jen took the high road when asked about her ex's mistress -- and that shows how much of a badass she really is.

18/21
Family Reunion-placeholder
Family Reunion
Fern/Splash News

Family Reunion

In July, Ben and Jen, who remain civil and redefine co-parenting goals, met up to take their kids to see Hello Dolly on Broadway. We still don't know for sure if Lindsay has met Ben's children yet, but given she spends a lot of time with her man in Los Angeles, it's only a matter of time.

19/21
Trouble in Paradise?-placeholder
Trouble in Paradise?
Splash News

Trouble in Paradise?

Speaking of July, that was the last time Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus were seen together, according to several outlets -- hinting at trouble in their relationship.

20/21
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Ben Spotted With a 22-Year-Old Playboy Playmate
T.Maidana/Splash News

Ben Spotted With a 22-Year-Old Playboy Playmate

It was pretty safe to say Ben and Lindsay hit a snag in their relationship as photos of Ben with a 22-year-old Playboy playmate (Shauna Sexton) started to surface. Not only were Ben and Shauna spotted together twice in three days (yikes), but Us Weekly reported the model spent the night at Ben's house -- with Lindsay deleting her Instagram around the same time news surfaced.

Coincidence?

21/21
Splittsville-placeholder
Splittsville
Splash News

Splittsville

Shortly after photos of Ben with Shauna made the light of day, outlets began reporting Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus are officially over. "[He was] never fully committed," a source told People about Ben's feelings towards Lindsay.

Ouch.

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