Who Is Ben Affleck’s New Girlfriend, Lindsay Shookus? Is She The Reason For His Divorce From Jennifer Garner?
Batman actor Ben Affleck is finally moving on from his split with his ex, Jennifer Garner. The 44-year-old Oscar-winning star is dating Lindsay Shookus. The couple was spotted on a dinner date on June 6. A source said that Affleck and Shookus are still in the “early stages” of their relationship.
Shookus is a veteran producer at Saturday Night Live. She first worked on the show as an assistant producer in 2002 and rose up the ranks over the years. According to E! News, the 37-year-old blonde also helps oversee casting for SNL.
The Hollywood Reporter named her one of the “Up-and-Coming Execs 35 and Under” in 2015. She received an award for Outstanding Variety Special at the 2015 Primetime Emmy Awards and also received nominations for Outstanding Variety Sketch Series and Outstanding Variety Special in 2016.
Her career also expands into music, and Billboard listed her as one of the most powerful executives in the music industry for the years 2015 and 2016. She’s responsible for bringing artists like Chance the Rapper and A Tribe Called Quest on the Saturday Night Live stage.
Like Affleck, Shookus was previously married. She wed fellow SNL producer Kevin Miller in 2010. Shookus and Miller have a daughter together.
Shookus is the first woman Affleck has been publicly linked to after he and Garner formally filed for divorce in April this year. When Affleck and Shookus stepped out for their date in Los Angeles this week, a witness told E! News that they were “very intimate and touchy” the entire dinner and that “they both looked very happy.”
“It’s more than a summer fling. They are having fun and care for each other. It’s early and they are taking it slow,” a source close to the couple said about the relationship.
Aside from their recent date in Los Angeles, Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus were also spotted together in London, where they watched the West End play, The Ferryman, The Sun reported.
However, although reports are saying Affleck and Shookus are still in the early stages of their relationship, a source claimed that the SNL producer was the “real catalyst” for the Justice League actor’s split from Garner.
Speaking to Us Weekly, a source said that Affleck and Shookus first started seeing each other when they were still married to their respective spouses.
“They had a multitude of problems, but this was the breaking point for Jen. This wasn’t just sex, this was infatuation and a full-blown relationship that Ben and Lindsay were having while they were both married,” the source claimed.
Another source revealed to People that Affleck would often visit her in New York City, where they would rendezvous at the Mandarin Hotel.
Garner and Miller allegedly learned about the Affleck and Shookus affair in 2015 and an insider claimed that they were both devastated when they found out.
However, a source close to the actor clarified Ben Affleck and Lindsay Shookus did not cheat on anybody and that they started dating when they were already separated from their exes.
Affleck and Shookus have not confirmed their relationship in public, and Garner has not issued a comment about it either.
Both Garner and Affleck, on the other hand, are on friendly terms and happily co-parent their three kids Violet, 11, Seraphina, 8, and Samuel, 5. Even though they are no longer together, both Affleck and Garner make family their first priority. They’ve also pushed aside their personal differences to become good parents. Affleck, in particular, gushed about the actress recently.
“Jen is a superhero mom. She is an amazing mother, and I’m really lucky to have her as a partner to co-parent these kids with.”
The former couple celebrated the Fourth of July together in Los Angeles with their children. An insider told E! News that Affleck is always present for important family events. Joining the Fourth of July festivities is something they all “look forward to doing together as a family.”
[Featured Image by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images]
