Actor Ben Affleck has claimed the top prize on the Jimmy Kimmel-hosted version of 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' partnering with Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding to win $1 million for his charitable organization focused on the Eastern Congo.
Ben Affleck has secured the $1 million grand prize on 'Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,' becoming the fifth winner since the show's revival under host Jimmy Kimmel in April 2020. Affleck was paired with Jamie Ding, a champion from the game show 'Jeopardy!', mirroring a similar celebrity-trivia expert pairing that occurred just months earlier when Matt Damon, Affleck's co-star from "Good Will Hunting," won the same amount with assistance from current Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings.
The final question required the pair to identify which turkeys were not pardoned by a U.S. president, with options including Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball. Facing uncertainty, Affleck and Ding utilized their available lifelines, first asking host Jimmy Kimmel for guidance—who admitted he was uncertain but leaned toward Spaghetti & Meatball. They then consulted Ding's trivia partner Stephen Morrison via phone, though Morrison declined to offer an answer. Trusting Kimmel's instinct, Affleck encouraged the team to proceed with that selection, which proved correct.
The winnings will support Affleck's Eastern Congo Initiative, an American organization dedicated to advocacy and grant-making efforts for residents of the African region. Affleck and Ding join an exclusive group of celebrity winners on the revived program, which has also crowned David Chang, the Barinholtz brothers, and 'The Office' stars Oscar Nuñez and Kate Flannery as previous $1 million recipients.
