Ben Stein Published A Bizarre Column About His 'Secret GF' And Obsession With Any Beautiful Girl He Meets
"My main obsessions in my life are my wife, my dog, my son and his family, my secret gf from Mississippi, and any beautiful girl I meet. I am like a teenager. I get mad crushes and they last about ten minutes. Maybe less. Then it's off to do the next indicated action," Stein wrote.
Stein, whose website describes him as "the most famous economics teacher in America" and "a party guy, albeit an extremely serious economist," published the column in the June issue of the American Spectator. He is a senior editor at the magazine who regularly contributes dispatches as part of a feature called "Ben Stein's Diary." Stein and his wife, attorney Alexandra Denman, did not respond to multiple requests for comment from Business Insider Wednesday. Marcia Hurwitz, Stein's agent, also did not immediately respond to a phone call and email. American Spectator Managing Editor Kyle Peterson did not respond to multiple phone calls.
In his column, Stein cited his entanglements with various women as examples of his belief that every person he meets is a "door into that person's world." The first tale Stein recounted in this series was a story about meeting a woman in San Francisco International Airport en route to a recent speaking engagement.
"I came across a stunningly beautiful, absolute knockout young Eurasian woman," Stein wrote. "I spoke to her for at most-absolutely most-five minutes. She told me she was half-Vietnamese and half-Dutch. She gave me her contact info and we have been in touch almost every day since."
Stein said the woman, who he described as his "little pal," told him about her life, which included time working as a "call girl." He said she wanted help starting a career being "famous and successful."
"She wants Ben Stein to help her become a writer. She wants an agent," wrote Stein. "She wants me to teach her how to be famous and successful as a writer-as if I knew."
Stein said the woman eventually asked him for financial help and he was unable to turn her down. He went on to describe a relationship he had with a 32-year-old divorced single mother he met in a bar.
"She's a wild mixture of ethnicities and has a figure that is close to unbelievable. ... She wants to be a movie star. She wants me to help with her bills. I was almost speechless at her beauty, but I also could not quite believe how many boyfriends she's had, including very famous movie, TV, music, and sports stars," wrote Stein. "If that's her type-and God bless her if it is-she's not really likely to see much in a sixty-nine-year-old, overweight, nerdy economist/commentator who can barely put on his socks. I told her that and she just laughed. She said she wanted to come visit me in L.A."
Stein wrote that he told the woman she should come to L.A. and meet his wife. He said she subsequently tried to get him to book her a room at a hotel that cost more than $1,000 per night and asked him to give her over $2,000 for a dental bill.
He characterized his relationship with the ex-call girl and the divorcee as "two episodes" that "are typical of my life when I am traveling."
These "episodes" weren't the only adventures Stein detailed in his column. He also described a recent trip he made to Georgia for a speaking engagement. While there, he wrote that he met "three adorable co-eds from Georgia Regents University" while at a Waffle House restaurant.
"They were the brightest spots of the day by far. Pretty, enthusiastic, polite…I love Southern girls," Stein wrote.
Stein's admiration for the women of the south was reinforced later that day when he attended a cocktail party at a golf course.
"There was a staggeringly gorgeous woman working at the party. Just a super beauty," wrote Stein. "I might add that if she had been any more polite she would have been an impossibility. But wow, where do these gorgeous Southern women come from? What is it? Genetics? Attitude? Something."
Sadly, Stein wrote that the cocktail waitress did not attend his speech. However, all was not lost.
"The three glorious co-eds were there, beaming, cheerful, lovely," Stein wrote, adding, "I think I will bring them out to L.A. on granddad's jet."
Stein's column apparently attracted the attention of the National Enquirer, which released a report about Stein's alleged dealings with the divorcee. The Enquirer, which is not the most reliable source, claimed Stein called two times after the story was written and denied having a physical relationship with the woman.
"I didn't have sex with her!" Stein was quoted as saying. "At my age, I don't even know if that's possible."
According to the Enquirer, Stein claimed his wife was fully aware of the situation.
"We've been together since 1966," the tabloid quoted him as saying. "She knows everything. This is not a scandal, trust me."