Casey Affleck and his girlfriend Caylee Cowan have not been shy about expressing their love for one
another on social media. Naturally, we can't overlook the fact that Caylee is half his age.
She is only 23 years old, while the actor is 46.
But when it comes to scandal, dating a woman half his age is nothing compared to the shocking
harassment lawsuit he faced back in 2010 while he was married to his previous wife of ten years.
We're going to turn back the clock and take a deep dive into Casey's marriage
and how things took a dark turn for the worst.
Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix met through her brother Joaquin Phoenix back in 1995
when he and Affleck worked on the film To Die For together. For several years, Summer described
their relationship as just "flirty friends," but they eventually started dating in 2000.
"She was going out with someone else, and I said, 'Man, she's cute,' and Joaquin said,
'You should see if she'll go out with you … don't worry about that dude,'" Affleck
shared. "So he was leaving town one day and said, 'My sister's in my apartment, and she's
all by herself – would you mind checking in on her?' So, I checked in on her, and it stuck."
In 2001, the pair co-starred in the play. This Is Our Youth alongside Matt Damon. Two years later,
Casey decided it was time to take the next big step in their relationship,
and he popped the question to Summer during the Christmas holidays.
"I've never had a diamond before,
and now I've got a diamond surrounded by other diamonds and diamonds in places where,
frankly, you don't need diamonds at all, and I would have been happy with a piece of twine.
So, yes, of course, I said, yes," Summer gushed during an interview about their engagement.
In 2004, the couple confirmed that they were expecting their first child and
later welcomed their son, Indiana. Two years later, they added another bouncing baby boy,
Atticus, to their family. Things seemed like they couldn't have been going better for the couple,
and they always took the opportunity to speak fondly of one another to the public.
"He is the most generous guy I have ever met," Summer gushed.
However, in 2010, things took a nasty turn. Casey faced controversy after two harassment
lawsuits were filed against him by two women who worked with him on the mockumentary,
I'm Still Here. Affleck was sued for $2 million by one woman and $2.25 million by the other.
One of the women claimed that Affleck crawled into bed with her without her consent while she was
asleep. He allegedly pressured the other woman to stay in his hotel room and "violently grabbed her
arm in an effort to intimidate her into staying" when she refused, according to the complaint.
At the time, Casey denied the claims and even threatened to countersue.
Affleck's lawyer initially told People: "The complaint will be vigorously defended,
and cross-claims will be filed." However, they never did countersue.
As it turned out, the case never went to court either. In fact, the suits were settled
out of court for undisclosed amounts. In the settlement, Affleck did not admit any guilt.
He and his accusers are barred from discussing details of the case.
In a Variety cover story, Affleck said: "People say whatever they want.
Sometimes it doesn't matter how you respond… I guess people think if you're well-known,
it's perfectly fine to say anything you want.
I don't know why that is. But it shouldn't be because everybody has families and lives."
People couldn't help but wonder how his wife, Summer, handled the lawsuit since
they had been married during the time the women claimed they had been harassed. While she never
said anything publicly about the scandal, there's no doubt that it took a toll on their marriage.
Over the next few years, it seems like the couple was spotted less frequently
together. They were last seen at a public event together in 2014.
Affleck also attended the premiere of his movie, Triple 9, all on his own.
And then, in 2016, after nearly 10 years of marriage and many more as friends,
Casey and Summer confirmed their separation. Their divorce was made final in 2017.
"Casey Affleck and Summer Phoenix have amicably separated.
They remain very close friends." Affleck's rep shared in a statement.
However, it seems their split might not have been as amicable as they would have
liked people to think. Casey and Joaquin, who had been close friends for years and
even became part of the same family, no longer speak. In fact, they haven't spoken for years.
Joaquin confessed in an interview, "My sister and him divorced. And I haven't
spoken directly to him or indirectly in a long time. Three or four years."
Perhaps what went down behind the scenes was a lot messier than they would like to let on
publicly, which is understandable. After the drama of the lawsuit and harassment claims,
we can't begin to imagine the strain that must have been put on their family.
However, years later, the actor admitted that his behavior was "unprofessional" and confessed,
"I have to accept responsibility for that, and that was a mistake. And I contributed to that
unprofessional environment, and I tolerated that kind of behavior from other people,
and I wish that I hadn't. And I regret a lot of that."
While his career might not have recovered from his damaged reputation, his love life surely has.
Casey and his girlfriend Caylee Cowan started 2022 with a celebration of their love for one another.
After posting some loved-up and affectionate pictures on Instagram,
they shared with their fans that they had been celebrating a year since the day they met.
The couple marked the occasion of knowing each other for a year by
spending time learning to bake bread together at a bakery in Budapest,
sharing photos and videos of the experience on their Instagram accounts.
The couple hasn't kept their romance a secret either, and Casey made things official with Caylee
back in November of 2021 with an Instagram pic - that was later deleted - calling her his 'love.'
"Caleb Casey Affleck, you are the other half of my heart. You are
such a wonderful and loving boyfriend." Casey shared in a caption for her post.
She went on to praise Casey as 'genuine' and 'generous' while complimenting his ability to
'forgive yourself and others while being vulnerable and sensitive.
Casey followed her post with a photo of himself nuzzling
her long dark hair and a similarly loving caption.
"On our first date, you carried firewood up, built a fire, and gave me a low eyelid
look that was so strong I had to take a knee for a minute." The actor captioned.
Despite the 'ups and downs of the past year, Casey wrote that his feelings had
'only gone in one direction.' He gushed that Caylee had made him a better man every day
and that she made him laugh. He even said he didn't know what he did to deserve her
but that he's determined to keep doing it forever to keep her by his side.
He added, "While it beats, you have a place in my heart. I hope you stay that long. 'I love you."
And to make things even more exciting, the couple has even sparked some engagement rumors!
At the beginning of March this year, Caylee was spotted wearing a large ring while they
enjoyed a date night in Beverly Hills. She made no effort to hide the sparkler,
which consists of a gold band with a round diamond, on her left ring finger. Could it be
true? Have they really gotten engaged? We'll have to wait to find out a little more on that one.
Despite all the controversy that Casey has had to face in the past,
he's been determined to take it all in stride and continue living his life.
While his marriage didn't work out, he's still been able to find love,
and Caylee seems to be making him truly happy. And who knows, maybe she'll be the next Mrs. Affleck.