Ben Affleck has parted ways with his beard.
The actor took to Instagram just before his Thursday night visit to the Jimmy Kimmel Live! set to show off his newly clean-shaven face, which had many fans doing a double take.
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“Love is in the air!” the Justice League star captioned the photo of himself posing with Kimmel’s right-hand security man, Guillermo. “Spending Valentine’s Day with my one true love @iamguillermo, and that @jimmykimmel guy. #Kimmel.”
The photo, and his unexpected look, drew a slew of remarks from fans eagerly taking to the comments section.
“Nice, Mr. Wayne,” one fan wrote, making reference to his onscreen counterpart Bruce Wayne, a role which he will not be reprising for the upcoming Matt Reeves-directed standalone film, titled The Batman.
“So handsome,” another wrote.
“Looking good Ben!” one fan commented.
The star’s clean-shaven new look comes just months after he completed a 40-day stint at a rehab treatment center in Malibu, California, and shortly after he and ex-wife Jennifer Garner settled their divorce.
The couple, who married in 2005 and share three children — daughters Violet, 13, and Seraphina, 10, and son Samuel, 6 – separated in 2015, though their divorce was not finalized until the fall of 2018, in large part due to Affleck’s return to rehab. At the time, a source noted that they “had no choice but to be patient since Ben needed to finish his rehab treatment.”
Affleck had entered the treatment at The Canyon at Peace Park treatment center in August, marking his third stint in 20 years.
“This week I completed a forty day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction and remain in outpatient care,” Affleck wrote in a statement just after leaving the facility. “The support I have received from my family, colleagues and fans means more to me than I can say. It’s given me the strength and support to speak about my illness with others.”
“Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle,” the actor added. “Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is a full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family.”
Affleck’s statement concluded with a promise to continue his sobriety journey.
“With acceptance and humility, I continue to avail myself with the help of so many people and I am grateful to all those who are there for me,” he wrote. “I hope down the road I can offer an example to others who are struggling.”