Ben Affleck Calls Back Tattoo ‘Garish’ In Response To Critical Article

Ben Affleck has finally addressed his controversial back tattoo. He took to Twitter to call the tattoo “garish” in a tongue-in-cheek response to an article that speculated he was depressed.

Earlier this month, Affleck was spotted with a big phoenix tattoo on his back — the same one he claimed was fake two years ago. The revelation that Affleck lied about the tattoo spawned plenty of attention, including a piece from the New Yorker titled, “The Great Sadness of Ben Affleck,” analyzing recent photos of the actor looking despondent.

The article also criticized Affleck’s looks, noting “his gut is pooching outward” and comparing him to cartoon character Homer Simpson. The piece also points out that his younger co-stars are in better shape: “Garrett Hedlund and Charlie Hunnam, wrestled in the surf like purebred puppies, Affleck, who is forty-five, was photographed wading into the ocean.”

On Thursday, Affleck tweeted that he is not in a deep sadness and joked that his tattoo made his skin even thicker.

Trouble started for the Batman actor about two years ago when he was spotted with a massive phoenix tattoo on his back. His exes, including Jennifer Lopez and Jennifer Garner, were vocal about their distaste for the body art.

“You know what we would say in my hometown about that? ‘Bless his heart.’ A phoenix rising from the ashes. Am I the ashes in this scenario?” Garner, Affleck’s ex-wife, told Vanity Fair. “I take umbrage. I refuse to be the ashes.”

Lopez, who was engaged to the actor in 2003, was even more blunt. “It’s awful! What are you doing?” Lopez said on “Watch What Happens Live.” “His tattoos always have too many colors. They shouldn’t be so colorful. They should be cooler.”

However, the conversation ended once Affleck said it was “fake for a movie” during an appearance on “Extra.”

He even added that he didn’t like getting tats that were too difficult to cover. “I actually do have a number of tattoos... but I try to have them in places where you don’t have to do a lot of cover-up.” he said. “They get sort of addictive, tattoos, after a while.”

Affleck still hasn’t explained why he lied about the back tattoo.