'Narcissist, deadbeat, douchebag'! Piers Morgan SLAMS Ben Affleck for blaming ex Jennifer Garner

When Affleck was asked what would have happened if they'd stayed together with Garner, he replied: "We probably would've ended up at each other's throats. I probably still would've been drinking. Part of why I started drinking was because I was trapped. I was like, 'I can't leave because of my kids, but I'm not happy, what do I do?' And what I did was [I] drank a bottle of scotch and fell asleep on the couch, which turned out not to be the solution."

Affleck previously blamed his father for his alcoholism

Morgan accused Affleck of breaking a cardinal rule of divorce: "Don't trash their mum or dad in public. Whatever's gone down in a shattered relationship, it's hardly ever the fault of innocent children caught in the crossfire, and it's their welfare that should always be the top priority." In this regard, he cited his own example and said that he had never uttered a single bad word about his ex-wife, out of respect for her as well as to protect their three sons. 

He then pointed out that the 'Batman' actor was an alcoholic long before he met Garner, as he had previously blamed his drinking problem in his youth on his alcoholic father. Explaining why he first gave up alcohol when he was 24, Afleck said "I just wanted to stop. I started regretting some things I did when I was drunk. It's funny to be obnoxious or out of control, but then it's like, 'I think I hurt that person's feelings,' 'I made a fool of myself,' or 'I didn't want to kiss that girl,'. I have almost no inhibitions, so it's dangerous for me."

Affleck praised Garner for supporting him through rehab stints

At the age of 29, he fell off the wagon, and in 2001 he went into rehab for a month at Promises treatment center in Malibu. When he came out, his publicist said: "Ben is a self-aware and smart man who has decided that a fuller life awaits him without alcohol. He is committed to traveling to a healthier road with the support of his family friends and fans."

Affleck later told Hollywood Reporter: "I went to rehab for being 29 and partying too much and not having a lot of boundaries and to clear my head and try to get some idea of who I wanted to be. It was more a 'let me get myself straight,' before it became a rite of passage."

Affleck went back into rehab in 2017, and after exiting, he said in a Facebook post: "I have completed treatment for alcohol addiction; something I've dealt with in the past and will continue to confront. I want to live life to the fullest and be the best father I can be. I want my kids to know there is no shame in getting help when you need it, and to be a source of strength for anyone out there who needs help but is afraid to take the first step. I'm lucky to have the love of my family and friends, including my co-parent, Jen, who has supported me and cared for our kids as I've done the work I set out to do. This was the first of many steps being taken towards a positive recovery." After a year, he was back in rehab again, driven there by Garner who was reported to be "very emotional and distraught."

'A supremely narcissistic 49-year-old man'

"The truth is that Affleck had a massive drink problem before he met their mum, while he was with her, and after he left her. To now suggest that being 'trapped' with the mother of his kids is why he drowned himself in whiskey every night is as disingenuous as it's cruelly unfair to a woman who's done everything she can to help and protect him," Morgan said. 

He concluded: "Even by Hollywood standards, this is astonishingly selfish and self-centered conduct, but hardly surprising from a supremely narcissistic 49-year-old man who recently inked a ludicrous gigantic tattoo of a rising phoenix all over his back in a clear sign that he's having a pitiful mid-life crisis."