When the eyes of the world are constantly on you, it’s difficult – if not impossible – to look your absolute best all the time.

Yet impossible standards are expected of A-listers these days, irrespective of the fact that once you remove the riches, fame, and glamour, they’re human beings just the same as the rest of it.

Not only that, but even when celebrities do look objectively good, there are always people on hand to voice concerns or air harsh opinions. I guess it’s par for the course when you’re famous, but that doesn’t make it reasonable.

Ben Affleck knows a thing or two about the fickle nature of fans in the entertainment industry. A mainstream actor who’s sat at the pinnacle of the the game for two decades now, he’s been and done pretty much all there is to be and do.

Suffice it to say it doesn’t look like his star is set to fade anytime soon, either. His reunion with former flame Jennifer Lopez – the two married in 2022 – proved popular with fans all over the world, and the two regularly find themselves the subject of news headlines discussing the ins and outs of their romance.

Understandably, of course, said discussions aren’t always positive. Affleck, J-Lo, and Affleck’s son Samuel recently attended an NBA game between the Lakers and Warriors, and while to our eyes it looked nothing more than a fun family outing, internet sleuths believed they had spotted something strange with regards to Ben’s appearance,

NEW YORK, NY – MARCH 30: Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez are seen leaving Sadelle’s restaurant on March 30, 2024 in New York, New York. (Photo by MEGA/GC Images)The Gone Girl star opted for a casual look in jeans, a flannel shirt, and a navy blue jacket, but online commenters flexed their keyboard fingers to express the opinion that he looked “different” somehow.
The 51-year-old was clean-shaven during his court side appearance at the aforementioned game, so that might have been it, while fans pointed out that he appeared to cut a happier figure than usual, flashing smiles and enjoying the evening beside his wife.

“Affleck is unrecognizable,” one fan wrote on Instagram.

Another chimed: “Ben looks so different, looks nothing like him at all.”

“Is that Ben Afleck ?????” someone else asked.

“Ben shaved wow he looks totally different ❤️” added a fourth.

While the majority of comments seemed to come from a positive place, there were those that were less flattering in nature.

Some people on social media even appeared to blame Jennifer Lopez for Ben’s altered appearance, claiming that she had sucked the life out of him.

“Who is older, Ben or Jen? She is sucking out his youth,” wrote on person.

“Ben aged like 10 years with Jlo,” another said.

Of course, this is hardly the first time folk have looked to pick apart Affleck and Lopez’s relationship. Fans even suggested the actor appeared to always be unhappy when picture beside his wife, but J-Lo herself put any and all rumors to bed when she assured the world that things between she and her husband are just fine.