It’s hard to think of a celebrity who’s been who’s been at once so unfathomably successful and so transparently troubled as Ben Affleck.
With two Oscars, several successful turns behind the camera as director, and a lucrative multi-feature gig as one of the most iconic characters in cinema, Affleck has the kind of career most leading men can only dream of.
And yet, it’s impossible to talk about the 45-year-old without mentioning the persistent dark side that seems to have plagued him at least since young adulthood.
We’ve seen Affleck struggle with alcoholism and endure a difficult divorce that considerable damage to his public image.
He’s been accused of cheating on his wife, gambling compulsively, and indulging in fits of rage indiscriminately.
And now, Affleck may be on the verge of most sordid scandal of his career thanks to a pair of newlt resurfaced videos that show the actoe engaged in some truly unsettling behavior.
On Tuesday night, fans were stunned by allegations that Affleck groped actress Hilarie Burton during an appearance on MTV’s TRL.
Now, video of the incident has emerged, and it’s every bit as unnerving as it sounds:
Yes, at 30 years old, Ben–who was already an established star in Hollywood–took it upon himself to “tweak” the breast of a 20-year-old up and coming media personality in front of a crowd and a camera crew.
Burton laughed off the encounter in the clip above, but she tweeted last night that she “laughed to keep from crying.”
Sadly, that’s not the only example of Ben engaging in egregious misconduct with a young female journalist.
The clip below, shot in 2004, shows Ben pulling a Canadian TV host into his lap and embracing her while encouraging her to do the remainder of the show topless and asking to see more cleavage.
Needless to say, the footage is upsetting, to say the least:
At the 4:00 mark, Ben also mocks people suffering from cerebral palsy.
The footage was shot over a decade ago, but it’s worth noting that Affleck was 33 years old at the time.
Earlier today, Ben issued an apoplogy for the Burton incident, tweeting:
“I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize.”
He has yet to respond to the uproar over the second clip.
We’ll have further updates on this developing story as more information becomes available.
