The actor was in Minnesota over the weekend for the 2017 Starkey Hearing Foundation awards gala.
Ben Affleck made his first red carpet appearance since news broke of his relationship with Saturday Night Live producer Lindsay Shookus.
The 44-year-old actor jetted off to St. Paul, Minnesota, for the 2017 Starkey Hearing Foundation So the World May Hear Awards Gala on Sunday. Affleck -- dressed in a dark suit and white dress shirt -- posed solo at the event and gave a moving speech upon being awarded a medal for his humanitarian work with Eastern Congo Initiative.
Caitlyn Jenner, Steven Tyler and Darius Rucker also showed up to support the Starkey Hearing Foundation, which brings hearing aids to people in need in the U.S. and around the world. A source tells ET that Affleck did not bring Shookus to the event, but was rather escorted by Whitney Williams, co-founder of Eastern Congo Initiative, who later introduced him onstage.
Also of note, in 2016, Affleck's estranged wife, Jennifer Garner, was honored by the charity.
Affleck's weekend appearance comes after he was spotted on several dates with Shookus last week. "It is early on in the relationship but they are very happy together," a source close to Affleck told ET. Another source added, “Ben and Lindsay’s relationship is new and they are taking it slow."
PHOTO: Ben Affleck Is All Smiles With Lindsay Shookus on Casual Dinner Date
Here's more on Affleck's budding romance and what sources tell ET about Garner:
