We’re only 19 days into the new year, yet we’re already pretty confident 2021 will be a wild ride when it comes to celebrity gossip. We’ve already struggled to grapple with the disturbing allegations against Armie Hammer, the news of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s “imminent” divorce, and most recently, the curious case of who threw a cardboard cutout of Ana de Armas in the trash.
To backtrack, the 32-year-old actress and Ben Affleck broke up after less than a year together, as reported by PEOPLE. “She broke it off,” a source told the outlet. “Their relationship was complicated. Ana doesn’t want to be Los Angeles based, and Ben obviously has to since his kids live in Los Angeles.”
So how does a life-size cutout of the Knives Out star fit into this? Well, the day their split made headlines—Monday, January 18, to be exact—a masked man was photographed throwing the cardboard poster into a trash bin. All signs point to the fact that a landscaper from Diamond Landscaping was the culprit, but internet sleuths think there might be more suspects.
A life-sized cardboard cutout of Ana de Armas from inside Ben Affleck’s residence was seen being thrown out into a trash can. (January 18, 2021) pic.twitter.com/4bxxDC97WZ
— Ana de Armas Updates (@ArmasUpdates) January 19, 2021
Interestingly, the cardboard cutout has a history. It was first spotted in June, outside of Affleck’s Los Angeles home. At the time, his three children, Samuel, Seraphina, and Samuel (whom he shares with ex-wife, Jennifer Garner) were spotted hanging out with Armas, sans their dad. It appears as though they played a trick on either paparazzi or Affleck by leaving it in front of the house.
But back to the tragic loss of the infamous cardboard cutout. Below, find our list of suspects, listed from most likely to least likely:
1. a Diamond Landscaping Employee
As seen in the photos posted above, the man who disposed of the cardboard cutout wore a long-sleeved neon shirt featuring a logo for the California-based company Diamond Landscaping. What’s curious is that he’s intensely undercover. He wears a protective face mask (likely a preventative measure against COVID-19), but he also dons a hat that makes it extra challenging to identify his face.
2. Ben Affleck
Would Ben Affleck go undercover as a Diamond Landscaping employee to throw out the cardboard cutout? Well, many social media users assumed it was him. After all, the ordeal happened right in front of his house….
3. Casey Affleck
Social media briefly blew up, convinced that Ben’s 45-year-old brother was the culprit. “That looks like Casey Affleck,” tweeted a follower. “Brotherly love is throwing out life-sized cutouts of your brother’s ex.” But other internet investigators pointed out that it’s unlikely he dressed up in a Diamond Landscaping Shirt.
4. Matt Damon
Could Affleck have recruited his best friend to dispose of his ex-girlfriend’s cardboard cutout? Maybe! They’ve reportedly been spending extra time together as Affleck emotionally recovers. “Matt was at the house in December, and again in the first week of January,” a source told The Sun. “Ben’s leaning on Matt because he’s always been there for him at his lowest points.”
