Photo: Getty
Are Ben Affleck and Steve Jobs' widow a new power couple?
By Rebekah Kuschmider — Written on Oct 06, 2019
Laurene Powell Jobs was married to Apple CEO Steve Jobs until his death in 2011. Nowadays, she focuses on using the vast fortune she inherited from him for philanthropic purposes.
But she might be spending some time pursuing a romance, as well.
Last week, Jobs was spotted having a long dinner with actor Ben Affleck in a Los Angeles restaurant. The pair didn’t leave together but they did spend three hours dining at Giorgio Baldi.
Now the rumor mill wonders if the two are a new couple. Is Ben Affleck dating Laurene Powell Jobs?
Read on for all the details.
1. Cozy night out
Page Six reports that Affleck and Jobs were spotted at a celebrity-fave eatery on Tuesday night. They didn’t arrive or leave together but the dinner at the Italian restaurant was three hours long.
Early reports billed Jobs as a “mystery woman”, but reporters soon figured out who she was.
Are they more than friends?
2. A recent thing
If Jobs has eyes for Affleck, it’s breaking news. Over the summer, Page Six reported that she was dating Eleven Madison Park celebrity chef Daniel Humm. Insiders said that “there have been some dates” and “they are seeing each other”. But the couple themselves haven’t remarked on the pairing.
A few cynics wondered if they were together for reasons more businesslike than romantic — at the time they were said to be seeing each other, Humm was buying out his business partner to take sole control over their many restaurants, including the NoMad hotels in NYC, LA and Las Vegas, New York eatery Made Nice, and his upcoming projects at 425 Park Avenue and in London’s Claridge’s hotel.
There hasn’t been any evidence that Jobs is a backer of Humm’s business, nor has there been much evidence that their alleged romantic involvement has grown.
3. Is Ben on the rebound?
As for Affleck, he is just out of a relationship himself. In April, he split from longtime girlfriend Lindsay Shookus for the second, and probably final, time.
The Oscar winner had been dating Shookus, who is a producer at Saturday Night Live, since about 2017. They broke up in 2018, just as Ben was headed to rehab, but they tried to make another go of it earlier this year. Finally, the stress of dating while living on different coasts was too much for the relationship and they parted as friends, according to People magazine.
We also reported here that Ben has been spotted with a mystery blonde back in the spring. We never did find out who that was.
4. Charitable motives at work
Page Six notes that the dinner the other night may not have been about romance. It’s possible that the two were discussing philanthropic work.
Affleck is the founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, a charity dedicated to economic development in eastern Congo. The website described the mission as “an advocacy and grant-making initiative wholly focused on working with and for the people of eastern Congo. We envision an eastern Congo vibrant with abundant opportunities for economic and social development, where a robust civil society can flourish. ECI believes that local, community-based approaches are essential to creating a sustainable and successful society in eastern Congo.”
Page Six reports that Jobs has been a backer of the foundation since 2010. People magazine notes that the two even appeared on a panel about the initiative in 2011.
Jobs has been a supporter of Affleck's charity for Eastern Congo.
5. Not her first philanthropy
The likelihood of Jobs and Affleck talking charity is pretty high.
As the heir of the $20 billion fortune left by her late husband, Jobs has spent a lot of time funding causes that are important to her. One of her more recent endeavors involves investing in the Emerson Collective, which CNET describes as “equal parts think tank, foundation and venture capital fund.” The collective has acquired majority stakes iin The Atlantic, Pop-Up Magazine and Axios in the past year.
Jobs sees investing in quality journalism as a cornerstone of democracy in the US. "The lack of ability for people to actually find relevant local news is putting our democracy at risk, putting our ability to converse with each other at risk, putting our ability to understand each other at risk," she said.
She is also working on at least one other celebrity-backed initiative, including one with Leonardo DiCaprio and investor Brian Sheth. They are currently working on plans to launch Earth Alliance, a nonprofit to battle climate change.
6. No comment on the date
As for what happened in that restaurant this week, neither Affleck nor Jobs are talking. One source close to Affleck told People that “They have been friends for a long time.”
If there’s a romance in the making there, no one is telling tales.
Keep an eye on this pair. Even if they aren’t falling in love, they might be making the world a better place.
Rebekah Kuschmider has been writing about celebrities, pop culture, entertainment, and politics since 2010. Her work has been seen at Ravishly, Babble, Scary Mommy, The Mid, Redbook online, and The Broad Side. She is the creator of the blog Stay at Home Pundit and she is a cohost of the weekly podcast The More Perfect Union.