A messy family dispute has erupted into public view after actor Richard Dreyfuss’ son, Ben Dreyfuss, alleged he and his siblings have been estranged from the Jaws star for years.
Ben, 39, took to X on November 13 with a series of later-deleted posts claiming he, his sister Emily, and his brother Harry ‘have no money’ saved from their 78-year-old father’s long Hollywood career.
‘My dad has no money,’ he wrote, according to USA Today’s capture of the posts. ‘If he did, we wouldn’t get it since we’ve been estranged ever since some complicated family drama to do with MeToo.’
His sister Emily, 42, later replied to Ben’s claims with her own series of posts to X, writing: ‘Ever since we became estranged from our dad, it’s been nearly impossible for me to write. For the first time, the thing most on my mind was something I couldn’t talk about. Ben and I have different experiences of this sadness, but I’m relieved it’s finally out in the open now.’
Richard shares sons Ben and Harry, as well as daughter Emily, with ex-wife Jeramie Rain, a former actress and producer.
The tension, Ben has now alleged, traces back to 2017, when the #MeToo movement was dominating headlines.
Ben, who says he was managing his father’s Twitter account at the time, posted in support of his younger brother Harry, who had accused Kevin Spacey of groping him when he was 18. (Spacey’s lawyer denied the allegation.)
Ben now claims that tweet ‘prompted someone to MeToo my dad,’ and says Richard has blamed his children for the fallout ever since, leading to ‘years of acrimony.’
On November 17, Ben escalated the situation by publishing what he says is the last email exchange between him and his father on his Substack, Calm Down.
‘I’ve sent plenty since, but he hasn’t replied,’ he wrote, sharing what he described as a January 2024 chain.
He continued: ‘It’s long and pathetic, and he comes off worse than I do, but I’m not exactly covered in glory either.’
In the emails, Ben recounts a family dinner in San Francisco in 2022 where an argument spiralled after he clumsily attempted to explain his feelings about accusations of nepotism.
‘I didn’t explain any of this well,’ he wrote to his father, saying he ‘didn’t even finish the thought before you and Emily started to speak, and we all started to scream at each other about a completely separate tangent over who is to blame for what.’
Ben also acknowledged calling his father a homophobic slur during the argument.
Richard’s alleged reply — written mostly in capital letters — focused on his belief that his son thinks he is withholding money.
He then accused Ben and Emily of causing a scene at the dinner. In one line, Richard wrote: ‘AT LEAST KEEP THIS ONE LETTER. IT’LL BE THE LAST ONE UNLESS YOU STOP BEING A COWARD. OR START BEING BETTER THAN YOUR BROTHER OR SISTER.’
He went on: ‘AS I TOLD YOU, TO START WRITING ME WITHOUT ANY ATTEMPT TO EXPLAIN ALL THE THINGS THAT YOU SAID ON THE LAST NIGHT AT THE RESTAURANT. UNTIL YOU ALL WROTE SOMETHING ADDRESSING THE LIES, DISTORTIONS, THAT KEPT A SET OF DIFFERENT FEELINGS, VALUES, KEPT THEM HIDDEN FROM ME, YOU WOULD NOT BE HEARING FROM ME.’
According to Ben, that message remains the final communication he has received from his father.
Richard Dreyfuss is best known for his Oscar-winning work and films including Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Neither he nor his representatives have publicly responded to the claims at time of writing.
The incident comes after a Jaws screening in 2024 left fans furious after Richard reportedly launched into a rant against the MeToo movement and LGBTQ+ rights.
The remarks came after he criticised diversity rulings at the Oscars In 2023 saying it made him want to ‘vomit’.
Ben shared his perspective on the situation at the time, after first sparking confusion on his social media by seemingly addressing his father’s ‘disgusting outrageous behaviour’.
He then clarified that he ‘did not call my dad’s behavior disgusting and outrageous’ but was jokingly referring to his sister buying an ‘android’ phone in the post.
Addressing the idea that he slammed his father’s controversial comments, he added: ‘This is just false.’
He continued: ‘I did not slam him. I did not call his behavior disgusting.
‘I was not there. I am not in a position to judge what he said. But more importantly, it’s a free country. He’s allowed to have whatever opinions he wants.’
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