Ben Affleck captured the elusive $1,000,000 prize during his guest appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire this week, marking a rare feat for celebrity contestants.
The Oscar-winning actor, aged 53, recently mourned the loss of his mother, Chris Anne, who succumbed to pancreatic cancer. Teaming up with Jeopardy! legend Jamie Ding, Affleck triumphed, securing the million-dollar reward for charity.
The winnings are set to benefit the Eastern Congo Initiative, a foundation Affleck co-established in 2010, continuing his commitment to philanthropic endeavors.
In the climactic moment on Wednesday’s broadcast of the ABC game show, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Affleck and Ding confronted the daunting $1 million question.
The pivotal question challenged them to identify which name had not been used in the U.S. presidential tradition of pardoning turkeys during Thanksgiving, testing their knowledge and nerves.
The answers included: Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball.
Ben Affleck, 53, landed the rare $1,000,000 prize during his celebrity guest appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
The Oscar winner joined forces with Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding to take home the big winnings for charity
Affleck and Ding decided to use the Phone-A-Friend lifeline to call Ding’s longtime trivia partner Stephen Morrison.
Kimmel explained to the duo that they also still had the Ask-The-Host lifeline, which prompted the actor to jokingly say to ring up Ding’s pal.
‘No. We might as well have Jimmy help,’ the Hollywood star then expressed.
The late night talk show host playfully quipped, ‘Alright, I don’t have to give you any of my f***ing thoughts, if you don’t want.’
But Affleck replied, ‘Actually, you’re very good with cooking and food, current events, too. Actually, you might know this.’
Kimmel eventually suggested that the answer could be D: Spaghetti & Meatball.
‘I could see me adding a big bowl in Donald Trump’s hands and him slurping up the spaghetti and meatballs,’ he then joked, before adding, ‘That one sounds like it wasn’t the one to me.’
Affleck shared that the host was ‘probably the best person in the world to ask this question to.’
Affleck and Ding faced the final $1 million question during Wednesday’s episode of the ABC game show, with Jimmy Kimmel hosting
Kimmel explained to the duo that they still had Ask-The-Host lifeline, which prompted the actor to jokingly say to ring up Ding’s pal
Affleck and Ding decided to trust Kimmel’s guess and also locked in with Spaghetti & Meatball
After a few lingering seconds, it was revealed that the pair had guessed correctly and won the $1 million prize
‘If I’m wrong, I’m so sorry,’ Kimmel said before locking in Spaghetti & Meatball as his own final answer.
To be extra safe, Affleck and Ding decided to still call up Morrison.
‘Jimmy, you might like this friend of mine. I mean, Harvard-educated, father, we’re two years apart,’ Ding began.
‘But we’ve been through a lot of trials and tribulations together. Just like Ben and Matt.’
With a deadpan expression, Kimmel then joked, ‘Are you looking for trouble?’
Ding then quickly fired back to go along with the joke by asking, ‘Are you looking for trouble?’ which caused the live audience to laugh.
After calling Morrison, however, he was unable to guess the correct answer.
‘But listen, you know what? He’s smart because if you don’t know it, you don’t know it, right?’ Kimmel said of Morrison.
The money will be donated to Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative which he co-founded with Whitney Williams in 2010; seen in May in Beverly Hills
Affleck and Ding decided to trust Kimmel’s guess and also locked in with Spaghetti & Meatball.
After a few lingering seconds, it was revealed that the pair had guessed correctly and won the $1 million prize.
The pair jumped to their feet and excitedly hugged each other as confetti fell down onto the stage.
Daily Mail has reached out to reps for Affleck for comment, but has yet to hear back.
The money will be donated to Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative which he co-founded with Whitney Williams in 2010.
The nonprofit organization helps ‘support locally led organizations to expand access to essential services, strengthen economic opportunities, and promote justice.
‘Our work is designed to create scalable, sustainable impact across eastern Congo,’ per the official website.
The year prior, Affleck’s close friend and collaborator Matt Damon also scored the same million-dollar prize on the game show; seen in April in San Francisco
‘But when I told him, he seemed surprised and delighted. I think he was prepared to do it on his own. He’s very smart, that Ben Affleck,’ Kimmel said of Affleck
The year prior, Affleck’s close friend and collaborator Matt Damon also scored the same million-dollar prize on the game show.
At the time, The Odyssey star had been paired with Ken Jennings. The winnings went to Damon’s clean-water nonprofit Water.org.
‘I’m not sure Ben knew that he was paired with a champion when he agreed to do the show,’ Kimmel told Variety earlier this month.
‘But when I told him, he seemed surprised and delighted. I think he was prepared to do it on his own. He’s very smart, that Ben Affleck.’