Ben Affleck has joined the pantheon of celebrity winners of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,” taking home the top prize with a little (or a lot) of help from “Jeopardy!” champion Jamie Ding.

Affleck conquered the $1 million question almost exactly one year after his “Good Will Hunting” co-star and best bud Matt Damon did the same. Damon was similarly paired with a “Jeopardy!” wiz — current host Ken Jennings — who helped him reach the top prize for charity.

The money from Affleck and Ding’s victory will go toward Affleck’s Eastern Congo Initiative, the first U.S.-based advocacy and grant-making organization dedicated to supporting the people living in the African region.

In the final question, Affleck and Ding had to guess which turkeys were not pardoned by a U.S. president: A) Peanut Butter & Jelly; B) Tater & Tot; C) Mac & Cheese; D) Spaghetti & Meatball. Not knowing the answer, the contestants used their lifeline to ask host Jimmy Kimmel. While Kimmel said he was not 100% sure, he guessed the answer as Spaghetti & Meatball. Affleck and Ding then used another lifeline to phone a friend, which was Ding’s longtime trivia partner Stephen Morrison. 

Morrison did not know the answer either and declined to guess, which led Affleck to suggest they should go with Kimmel’s guess. “I would bet on Jimmy,” he said. “I would go for it.”

As Ding locked in the answer, with $1 million for charity on the line, Kimmel said, “I have such a stomach ache right now.” After a long moment of suspense, the show revealed Spaghetti & Meatball to be the correct answer. As confetti rained down on the studio, Affleck and Ding jumped for joy and hugged, with genuinely shocked looks painted on their faces.

Affleck and Ding are the fifth winners of “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” during Kimmel’s tenure, which began in April 2020. David Chang became the first winner of the show’s new iteration in November 2020, followed by celebrity pairs Ike and Alan Barinholtz in August 2024, Damon and Jennings in July 2025 and “The Office” stars Oscar Nuñez and Kate Flannery in September 2025.

In July, Kimmel told Variety of the Affleck-Ding duo, “I’m not sure Ben knew that he was paired with a champion when he agreed to do the show. 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.”

Source: Variety 

-Agencies