When pictures first emerged of Ben Affleck sporting a huge phoenix tattoo, he dismissed it as a fake inking for a film role.
But two years on, the actor was spotted still sporting the colorful bird as he hit the beach on Saturday – leading to ridicule from fans.
Branding the inking a ‘midlife crisis tattoo’, Twitter users laid into the star, reviving the Oscars meme of Jennifer Garner’s surprised face.
‘When you realize the back tattoo is real and Ben Affleck was lying when he said it was for a movie,’ wrote @alloveranthony.
Brutal: The Jennifer Garner meme was revived as fans savage Ben Affleck’s midlife crisis tattoo on social media over the weekend
Inked up: Ben Affleck, 45, was snapped on the beach in Honolulu, Hawaii Saturday sporting the enormous colorful tattoo of a phoenix – which he had previously said was fake
And he wasn’t the only one to find the tattoo amusing.
Said user @RafiDAngelo: ‘Next time you’re feeling sad, remember that you’re not Ben Affleck so you (probably) don’t have a tattoo so big and so ugly and so universally ridiculed that you had to lie and say it was only temporary and just for a movie when it is so clearly not.’
And @dashiell wrote: ‘ Ben Affleck’s back tattoo is, and I’m saying this without hyperbole, one of the funniest god***n things I’ve ever seen in my entire life. Holy moly. What a wonderful gift to all of us this is. Truly a great day to be alive because of this obscenely dumb tattoo.’
Branding the inking a ‘midlife crisis tattoo’, Twitter users laid into the star
What do you meme it’s real? Affleck’s tat lead to a series of funny tweets
Killing it: Fans mocked up their own alternative versions of the colorful inking
But while the inking was roundly ridiculed, others were simply happy to enjoy the photos of the 45-year-old’s honed body.
‘Batman’s got a sweet dad bod,’ wrote @hyacinthgrrl.
While it’s now pretty clear that Affleck’s ink is here to stay, the Argo star attempted to downplay it when he was asked about it two years ago.
At that time, he dubbed the elaborate inking as ‘fake for a movie’ while speaking withExtra.
‘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 awhile.’
Here to stay: While it’s now pretty clear that Affleck’s ink is here to stay, the Argo star attempted to downplay it when he was asked about it two years ago
Focused: Affleck looked to be in decent shape as he got acclimated in the tide
Frosty? Affleck looked to have a bit of the shivers as he waded in the island waters
But there had been clues that the tattoo might be the real deal.
Despite Ben’s protests, his two most prominent exes – Jennifer Garner and Jennifer Lopez – made it clear they disapproved when they were asked about the inking.
Garner told Vanity Fair in 2016 that she took exception to the possible inference that Ben was ‘a phoenix rising from the ashes’ emerging from their June 2015 split.
‘Am I the ashes in this scenario?’ she said. ‘I take umbrage I refuse to be the ashes.’
Flashback: While it’s now pretty clear that Affleck’s ink is here to stay, the Argo star attempted to downplay it when he was asked about it two years ago; he is seen in 2015 on the set of Live By Night in LA
Still there! Ben rides his motorbike in LA in January of this year
Lopez called her Gigli co-star’s tattoo ‘awful’ as she appeared on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live in February 2016.
‘It’s awful! What are you doing?’ she said. ‘His tattoos always have too many colors, they shouldn’t be so colorful. They should be cooler.’
Affleck’s inking was revealed on the beach in Honolulu, Hawaii as he filmed new Netflix movie Triple Frontier with actors Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Oscar Isaac.
Brady’s bunch: Perhaps a nod to Ben’s Boston roots, a surfboard that had the New England Patriots logo, reading ‘Makana Patriots,’ was seen on the sand next to Hunnam
Hollywood hunks: Hunnam, 37, and actor Garrett Hedlund, 33, (L) took a moment of downtime amid the outing on the sand
Hunnam, who famously pulled out of the lead role in the mega-hit 50 Shades of Grey, looked chiseled in red trunks while sporting a goatee.
The 37-year-old actor toted a large jug of water out to the shore and was seen wrestling on the sand and waves with Hedlund, 33, who wore blue and white boardshorts with a black horizontal bar across the middle.
The two co-stars playfully wrestled in the waves, enjoying the sunny weather.
Wrestlemania: The actors engaged in a grappling contest in the water, with momentum shifting between the stars
Takedown: Hunnam looked to have the upper hand as he tackled his colleague on the sand
Pin to win: Hunnam exerted his energy into keeping Hedlund pinned to the sand
Race to the water: The entertainers headed for the waves amid their wrestling antics