If Ben Affleck weren't already a millionaire, he certainly would have become one this week. The actor appeared on the celebrity edition of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire" and won the show's $1 million grand prize.
Affleck didn't do it alone. He was joined by Jamie Ding, the champion of another quiz show, Trivia King. Like the other celebrities who compete on the special edition of the program, Affleck doesn't actually receive the prize money. With an estimated net worth of $300 million, he doesn't need it, and he and Ding donated their winnings to the Eastern Congo Initiative, the nonprofit Affleck founded in 2010 to support communities in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
In the episode that aired Wednesday, host Jimmy Kimmel posed the $1 million question: "As part of the annual Thanksgiving tradition, which of the following turkey names was not pardoned by a U.S. president?"
The answer choices were famous food pairings: Peanut Butter and Jelly, Tater and Tot, Mac and Cheese, and Spaghetti and Meatballs.
The pair didn't know the answer, but having reached the final question with both lifelines intact, they first asked Kimmel for help. As it happened, Kimmel covers the annual presidential turkey pardon on his late-night show every year.
"'Spaghetti and Meatballs' doesn't sound familiar," Kimmel said. "I can picture myself handing Donald Trump a big bowl and him noisily eating the spaghetti and meatballs," he joked. "It sounds like there wasn't one by that name."
The host Jimmy Kimmel posed the $1 million question: 'As part of the annual Thanksgiving tradition, which of the following turkey names was not pardoned by a US president?'
(Photo: Screenshot)
To be safe, Affleck and Ding also used their second lifeline, phoning a longtime trivia teammate of Ding's. He didn't know the answer either, so they went with Kimmel's suggestion — and it proved to be correct.
Affleck's close friend Matt Damon also appeared on the celebrity edition of the show last year and, like Affleck, won the $1 million prize.
Other celebrities who have appeared on the special edition include Jesse Eisenberg, Michael Keaton, Awkwafina, Leslie Odom Jr. and comedian Colin Jost, Scarlett Johansson's husband.
(Photo: Screenshot)