Ben Affleck stuns the world by winning rare $1,000,000 jackpot in surprise gameshow appearance

There is perhaps no game show jackpot prize more coveted than the one million up for grabs on the popular series, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire – and Ben Affleck just nabbed it.

That’s right, the Hollywood star featured on the latest episode of the US version of the show, where $1million (£748k) was up for grabs.

The 53-year-old screenstar rocked up to the hot seat alongside Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding to help secure the eye-watering amount of money for charity.

In the latest episode, the pair were first faced with the tough $500k (£373k)question: ‘What achievement occurred just two months after a New York Times article said it wouldn’t happen for 1 million to 10 million years?’

Faced with splitting the atom, cloning a mammal, the first airplane flight, or the polio vaccine, they correctly chose the airplane flight and were applauded by host Jimmy Kimmel.

But it was all leading up to the all-important final question: ‘In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, all but which of these have been the names of turkeys pardoned by a U.S. president?’

Faced with Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball, they turned to Kimmel in their desperation, who recommended Spaghetti & Meatball, though he remained unsure.

They tried to cover their bases by also phoning one of Ding’s friends, but they couldn’t offer any help, so they risked it all on Kimmel’s suggestion.

Lucky for them, he clearly had some clue what he was talking about and, after an agonising wait, confetti started falling from the ceiling as the victorious duo hugged.

They then got to hold a comically large cheque written out to the Oscar winner’s own foundation, the Eastern Congo Initiative, which ‘amplifies the voices and leadership of the Congolese people while advancing peace, resilience and economic opportunity across Eastern Congo’.

The pressure was also on for the Good Will Hunting star as just a year prior, his best friend Matt Damon had soared to victory on the show, so failure wasn’t an option.

In fact, even Kimmel was drawing comparisons between the pair during the episode.

During the half-a-million question, Ben talked through his reasoning for choosing airplane flight.

He said: ‘I only remember this because it was a time in my life where I spent time looking up examples that the press got things wrong. Yeah, just randomly.

‘And I sort of, vaguely, in my subconscious remember the Times and the Wright brothers and that whole thing was 1905, 3 or 4, or something.’

Kimmel was thoroughly impressed with his knowledge, quipping: ‘So much smarter than Matt.’

Alongside Matt, Ben joins just a handful of other celebrity contestants who have gone all the way to the end, including Ike and Alan Barinholtz in 2024 and Oscar Nuñez and Kate Flannery in 2025.