Ben Affleck just added an unlikely line to his already stacked résumé: game show champion. The Oscar winner scored the elusive $1 million grand prize during a celebrity guest appearance on ABC’s “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” and the entire windfall is heading straight to charity.
The 53-year-old actor teamed up with “Jeopardy!” champion Jamie Ding for the win, which aired on Wednesday, July 29. Rather than pocketing the check themselves, the pair are donating the full amount to Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, an organization he co-founded that became the first charity based in the United States dedicated to delivering aid to residents of the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Host Jimmy Kimmel, Affleck’s longtime friend and frequent sparring partner, presided over the nail-biter of a finale. The moment carried extra weight for Affleck, whose mother, Chris Anne Affleck, recently passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
A Turkey-Themed Final Question
The million-dollar question tested the duo’s knowledge of a distinctly American ritual. They were asked, “In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, all but which of these have been the names of turkeys pardoned by a U.S. president?”
The four options were Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball.
The presidential turkey pardon has been a fixture of the holiday season for decades, a tradition formalized by President George H.W. Bush in 1989. But even for a pair of accomplished trivia minds, narrowing down the odd bird out proved tricky.
Affleck and Ding decided to lean on the Ask-The-Host lifeline, turning the question over to Kimmel. The talk show host hesitated as he worked through the possibilities, eventually leaning toward Spaghetti & Meatball as the answer that didn’t belong. Kimmel even painted a vivid mental picture, imagining a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs in President Donald Trump’s hands as reasoning for why that one sounded off.
Still unsure, the pair reached for a Phone-A-Friend lifeline, calling on Ding’s trivia partner, Stephen Morrison. But Morrison opted not to answer, leaving Affleck and Ding with little to go on beyond Kimmel’s reluctant guess. Affleck decided to trust his host, saying he would bet on Jimmy and go for it.
An Agonizing Wait for the Answer
With $1 million riding on the decision, Ding locked in Spaghetti & Meatball as their final answer. The tension in the studio was palpable, and Kimmel didn’t hide his nerves. Kimmel said he had a terrible stomach ache, mirroring the anxiety written across Affleck and Ding’s faces.
What followed was an unusually long pause, during which Affleck scanned the room in bewilderment, unsure whether they had triumphed or fallen short. Finally, a drum roll broke the silence and confirmed the win. The two jumped from their seats and embraced as confetti rained down around them. Kimmel then handed over a massive $1 million check destined for Affleck’s foundation.
Affleck launched the Eastern Congo Initiative in 2010 alongside entrepreneur Whitney Williams, building it to support community-based organizations and advocate for greater international attention on the region.
Following in a Best Friend’s Footsteps
Affleck’s victory arrives nearly a year after his “Good Will Hunting” co-star and longtime collaborator Matt Damon took home the same top prize. Damon competed alongside “Jeopardy!” legend Ken Jennings, and the two donated their winnings to Water.org.
Never one to let a friend off easy, Kimmel quipped after Damon’s win that it was the least dramatic million-dollar moment in the show’s history. Affleck’s cliffhanger finish, by contrast, offered plenty of suspense.
The Affleck-Ding team now joins a select group of celebrity pairings to have captured the $1 million top prize for charity. That list also includes “The Office” actors Oscar Nuñez and Kate Flannery, comedian Ike Barinholtz and Alan Barinholtz, and chef David Chang, who leaned on Phone-A-Friend help from sports analyst Mina Kimes.
Affleck and Damon, who wrote “Good Will Hunting” together and have celebrated countless milestones side by side over the decades, may not have shared the stage this time. But both can now claim bragging rights as members of the same exclusive club, each having steered a life-changing sum toward a cause close to their hearts.
For Affleck, the timing of the charitable win adds a bittersweet note to a triumphant television moment, offering a reminder of the giving that has long defined his work off camera. The Eastern Congo Initiative, meanwhile, walks away with a substantial boost thanks to one well-placed guess about a bowl of spaghetti and meatballs.