Ben Affleck wins $1 million prize on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire with gruelling last question
Ben Affleck bagged the top prize of $1,000,000 in a celebrity guest appearance on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, despite being given an incredible tough final question.
Teaming up with Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding on Wednesday's, July 30, episode, all of Affleck's winnings will go towards his Eastern Congo Initiative charity.
With Jimmy Kimmel in the hosting seat, the duo were posed the brain-teaser of: "In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, all but which of these have been the names of turkeys pardoned by a U.S. president?"
They were then given four options to choose from, which didn't make the question much easier.
Advert
It appears they like naming turkeys after their favourite foods in the USA, with all but one of Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball being real turkeys.
The duo were stumped but thankfully, still had two lifelines available, which they took advantage of.
Jimmy Kimmel helped Ben Affleck win $1m
Kimmel told them that they still had the Ask-The-Host lifeline, which sparked Hollywood star Affleck to joke that they'd ring Ding's trivia partner Stephen Morrison instead.
However, the actor quickly changed his mind, saying: "'No. We might as well have Jimmy help."
Kimmel playfully chirped back: "Alright, I don't have to give you any of my f***ing thoughts, if you don't want."
But Affleck was serious and encouraged Kimmel to give his opinion, saying: "Actually, you're very good with cooking and food, current events, too. Actually, you might know this."
Kimmel opted for answer D: Spaghetti & Meatball, justifying his thought process by adding: "I could see me adding a big bowl in Donald Trump's hands and him slurping up the spaghetti and meatballs," he joked.
"If I'm wrong, I'm so sorry," he added as he locked in his answer.
They still rang a friend
With the Phone-A-Friend lifeline still available, Affleck and Ding belled Morrison but the Havard-educated brain box couldn't give an answer, saying he would only be able to make a wild guess.
But Affleck remained confident, saying "I would bet on Jimmy" and the team gave Spaghetti & Meatball as their final answer.
That left Kimmel nervous, with the potential victory hanging on his head, but after a tense wait that left Affleck impatient, the computer revealed they had nailed the correct answer.
Affleck jumped out of his seat in celebration as the watching audience cheered, embracing Ding in a tight hug with golden confetti falling all around them.
Kimmel immediately handed over a massive cheque for one million dollars, with Affleck embracing the host in thanks.
The money will go to a good cause
The prize money will be donated to the Eastern Congo Initiative, which Affleck co-founded with Whitney Williams in 2010.
Their official website says the charity is: "A U.S.-based non-profit organisation.
"As the first advocacy and grant making initiative fully dedicated to eastern Congo, we support locally led solutions that drive sustainable development and long-term impact."
They claim they have directly benefited 52,179 people and more than three million indirectly and to have helped more than 4,000 women survivors of sexual violence get justice.
Affleck's triumph comes after his mother, Christopher Affleck, died aged 83 on June 2 following a six-month battle with pancreatic cancer.
LADbible Group has approached Ben Affleck's representatives for comment.
Why do the US pardon turkeys?
Every year before Thanksgiving celebrations begin, the president of the United States will give an official pardon to a turkey.
This saves the lucky bird from being slaughtered and eaten alongside millions of others all across the country for the main event of a Thanksgiving dinner.
It's to mark the start of the holiday season and started as the National Turkey Federation began gifting turkeys to presidents in 1947.
However, instead of eating it, John F. Kennedy sent a turkey back to the farm in 1963, while four years later Ronald Reagan joked about giving a turkey called Charlie a pardon.
The joke then grew into an annual tradition which was made official in 1989 by George W. Bush.
Most recently, Donald Trump pardoned a turkey named Gobble in 2025.
Instead of being stuffed, cooked and eaten, the turkey is sent to much more pleasant surrounds to live out the rest of its life.
Daniel Murphy