'It's rough': Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner says Jon Hamm and Jessica Westfeldt are having 'a tough time' after ending 18-year relationship
Mad Men creator Matthew Weiner has weighed in on Jon Hamm's recent split from longtime girlfriend Jennifer Westfeldt describing their breakup as 'rough.'
Weiner, who made the actor a star after casting him as Madison Avenue ad man Don Draper in the highly-praised AMC series, told US Weekly it's 'a tough time' for both Hamm and Westfeldt.
'I know both of them very well. They are both really gifted artists and it’s rough. But it’s also — it was a very long relationship,' he told the publication at the 2015 Creative Arts Emmys in LA on Saturday.
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Close friends: Matthew Weiner, who created the AMC series Mad Men and made Jon Hamm a star, said the actor's split from Jennifer Westfeldt is hard on both of them. Weiner and Hamm are pictured on August 8 in LA
The couple had been together for 18 years before announcing their split after weeks of speculation about their relationship.
The Mad Men star and the actress and director hadn't been photographed in public together since July.
Meanwhile, Hamm is the favorite to finally win an Emmy on Sunday for his starring role in Mad Men.
Star: Hamm was just another jobbing actor before Weiner cast him as advertising executive Don Draper in Mad Men. He's been nominated for an Emmy seven times and is the favorite to win at Sunday's awards show
Longtime lovers: Hamm, 44, and Westfedlt, 45, a screenwriter and actress, started dating in 1997. They were last photographed in public together at a party in New York on July 22
He's been nominated seven times for Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama Series but never picked up the prize.
'It would be like a crime if Jon Hamm didn't win at this point,' said Los Angeles Times TV critic Mary McNamara on Monday. 'To divorce the success of 'Mad Men' from Hamm's performance is absurd.'
As to why the actor and his longtime love decided to go their separate way, reports last week suggested two things drove them apart: The Mad Men star got sober and he wanted kids.
Throughout their time together, friends told People, Westfeldt, 45, had looked out for the actor, 44, who enjoyed a party lifestyle and had 'taken care of him.'
A source who worked closely with Hamm told the publication that the actress and screenwriter grew tired of feeling more like a mother than a girlfriend.
'He has always had demons and needed a mother figure in his life,' the source told People.
'It was generally assumed that they would break up once he got sober, because he didn't need to lean on her to take care of him so much.'
Game changer: Hamm and Westfeldt were both jobbing actors and she an aspiring screenwriter and director before Mad Men launched the actor's career into the stratosphere and their romance was put in the spotlight
Although it seems the couple tried to iron out the cracks and find a way forward together, ultimately they decided that going their separate ways was the right decision.
'He felt guilty because Jennifer stood by him for so long when he dealt with his alcoholism. It's sad,' an insider told Us Weekly.
As time went on, the difference in their attitudes towards starting a family also began to take on bigger proportions.
'There's always been a rift,' a source close to Westfeldt told Us Weekly. 'Because he wanted kids and she didn't.'
Turning point: Hamm sought treatment in March for alcohol abuse and rumors about the state of his relationship with Westfeldt circulated for weeks before they confirmed their separation on September 1
The pair were hit by rumors of trouble back in April, when InTouch magazine claimed the actress had ended the relationship before Hamm sought treatment for his alcoholism.
It was a claim they denied.
However, on September 1, they formally announced the end of their relationship with a brief statement.
''With great sadness, we have decided to separate, after 18 years of love and shared history,' they said.
'We will continue to be supportive of each other in every way possible moving forward.'
End of an era: AMC's Mad Men ended in May after seven seasons with Don Draper finding peace with himself - and a great idea for a Coke ad - at a hippie retreat in California
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