Celebs Who Can't Stand Ben Affleck

Ben Affleck endeared himself to the world in the late '90s thanks to the remarkable success of "Good Will Hunting," the emotive young adult drama which he and co-writer/co-star Matt Damon essentially willed from the page to the screen. But just like his long-time BFF, the proud Bostonian has wasted a lot of his early goodwill since.

Indeed, thanks to a combination of poor career choices, substance abuse, and the whole media circus that was the original Bennifer, Affleck seemed to disappear off the Hollywood radar in the '00s. And although he made a triumphant return the following decade with the Oscar-winning "Argo," his troubled reputation still often precedes him.

Little wonder, therefore, that Affleck has made his fair share of enemies over the years. From political figures and Hollywood heavyweights to NFL heroes and fashion icons, here's a look at 14 famous faces who have publicly denounced the one-time golden boy.

In 2021, Ben Affleck went viral for all the wrong reasons when a dating app video of his was leaked online. The drama began when Nivine Jay unmatched the "Armageddon" star on Raya, believing that he was a catfish. But the obviously keen actor must have been smitten as he took it upon himself to send his potential date a clip confirming his identity.

While some interpreted this as a rather romantic act, others felt it was slightly unhinged. And Chrissy Teigen, never one to hold back, undoubtedly fell in the latter category. But she also didn't let Jay off the hook, either.

Indeed, the wife of Grammy-winning soul man John Legend took to Twitter to write, "I agree celebs shouldn't be making these creepy desperate video replies on Raya but it's tacky to release private messages. Ya both wrong, congrats." Jay later defended both herself and Affleck, telling E! News, "I'm seeing a lot of comments calling him a creep and l don't think that's fair. l wasn't making fun of him in the video. l was making fun of myself for thinking he was a catfish and it was just supposed to be funny."

Ben Affleck didn't exactly do himself any favors in 2021 when he spoke candidly about his and Jennifer Garner's marriage breakdown in an interview on "The Howard Stern Show." The "Argo" star told the shock jock that he only started relying on alcohol as he felt trapped in the relationship. But while the host nodded along in sympathy, another former "America's Got Talent" judge took umbrage.

Yes, taking a rare break from obsessing over the fact that Meghan Markle once rejected him, Piers Morgan decided to unleash some rage against a different celebrity in his regular column for the Daily Mail. The disgraced former newspaper editor wrote, "So, what the hell was Ben Affleck thinking when he sat down with Howard Stern and decided to humiliate Jennifer Garner in the unkindest possible manner?"

"In a self-indulgent orgy of deeply personal revelation from the man who supposedly hates media attention, Affleck effectively blamed his ex-wife for the alcoholism he experienced during their marriage," Morgan continued in a scathing piece which also labeled the Oscar winner as "supremely narcissistic" and "selfish and self-centered."

"We need to do better at protecting our sisters, friends, co-workers, and daughters," wrote Ben Affleck on Facebook in the wake of the allegations against film mogul Harvey Weinstein, adding, "We must support those who come forward, condemn this type of behavior when we see it and help ensure there are more women in positions of power." One woman who definitely didn't feel protected or supported by the actor was Rose McGowan.

The "Charmed" star quickly became one of the most outspoken celebrities about the scandal that rocked Hollywood to its core in the late 2010s, and she didn't waste any time in accusing Affleck of failing to practice what he preached following his aforementioned statement.

McGowan addressed Affleck directly on Twitter, quoting the exact phrase he apparently said to her after she spoke to him about Weinstein's conduct: "Goddamnit, I told him to stop doing that," in caps lock. "You said that to my face," she explained before cryptically adding, "The press conf I was made to go after assault. You lie." Affleck later responded on "Today" (via The Hollywood Reporter), saying, "I don't really want to get into other people's individual stories because I feel like those are their stories and they're entitled to tell as much or as little of those as they want. I believe Rose. I support her. I really like and admire her tenacity and I wish her the best."

Ben Affleck didn't exactly present himself as the most enlightened actor in 1997 when he reportedly told Kevin Smith (as per Attitude), "A man kissing another man is the greatest acting challenge an actor can ever face." Although these comments weren't made public at the time, they were relayed by the director at a Los Angeles LGBTI festival more than two decades later.

Unsurprisingly, Affleck received quite a bit of flak for his OTT remark, which was allegedly made after he had to kiss co-star Jason Lee for the romantic comedy "Chasing Amy." And one of the most cutting smackdowns came from Evan Rachel Wood.

In a since-deleted tweet, the "Westworld" star wrote (via NME), "Try getting raped in a scene. Also, grow up Ben." And when a follower pointed out that Affleck's comments were made 20 years ago, Wood responded, "I'm sure he just thought it was a funny, but even jokes like that are damaging. Also, you think us ladies like kissing all the guys we kiss? Just cause it's a 'straight kiss' doesn't mean we enjoy it. Ahem."

Donatella Versace has maintained a friendship with fellow style icon Jennifer Lopez since her brother Gianni Versace was tragically gunned down in the late 1990s. And so, she might have believed she was acting in solidarity when she criticized the "Love Don't Cost a Thing" singer's ex-boyfriend just months after their split.

Yes, in 2004, the legendary fashion designer gave something of a backhanded compliment to Ben Affleck, aka the male half of the tabloid-friendly couple known as Bennifer. According to Fashion United, she said, "He's a gorgeous man, but he should have more attitude, be more dangerous. American men groom way too much. The haircut is always perfect."

Of course, Versace, who also described Brad Pitt as too polished in the same interview, might now feel slightly awkward. For after multiple marriages and divorces, her BFF Lopez ended up getting back together with the "Gone Baby Gone" director in 2021. And a year later, they became husband and wife!

Rose McGowan isn't the only Hollywood star to take aim at Ben Affleck for allegedly burying his head in the sand over the conduct of now-disgraced Miramax boss Harvey Weinstein. In an interview with BuzzFeed News' morning show "AM2DM," Olivia Munn also called out "The Sum of All Fears" star for his apparent complicity.

"When most people mess up, we have to go to the back of the line and earn our way back up," "The Newsroom" actor said, before adding, "But then, there are these certain men who, when they mess up they kind of go, 'Oops, sorry, my bad,' and then just resume their place in line." And to avoid any guessing games, Munn then named two of the men she was specifically referring to.

"There are going to be people that are hoping they can just push past it and people can just forget. We have stuff with the Afflecks, both of them. They just keep going and hoping that no one is going to find out." The other Affleck that Munn was referring to was, of course, Casey Affleck, Bens brother and an actor who has been at the center of several sexual assault allegations.

"Argo" was undoubtedly the film that put Ben Affleck's career back on track, famously winning Best Picture at the Academy Awards after having already grossed an impressive $232 million at the box office. But not everyone was so enamored with the historical drama set during the Iran hostage crisis.

Indeed, best known for his roles in "Miami Vice," "Battlestar Galactica," and "Blade Runner," Edward James Olmos certainly wouldn't have been celebrating the film's Oscars glory. In an interview with Deadline, the actor essentially accused Affleck of whitewashing a true story involving a fellow Mexican-American.

"He should never have played Tony Mendez," Olmos remarked, referring to the real-life CIA agent who helped to rescue six hostages under the guise of shooting a sci-fi flick. "[Affleck] said, well, they wouldn't have made the movie if I wasn't playing the role. Bulls***. He was directing it, he wrote it. It won the best film of the year Academy Award, so what are you taking about? Tony Mendez was a Chicano, a Mexican American, born and raised in El Paso, Texas. Now, 99% of the people don't even know that."

Ben Affleck's condemnation of Harvey Weinstein in the wake of all the allegations surrounding the Hollywood mogul backfired when footage re-emerged of himself acting entirely inappropriately on camera. Indeed, in 2017, a Twitter user reminded social media users that the "Runner Runner" star once fondled Hilarie Burton's breasts on "Total Request Live," adding (via The Guardian). "Everyone forgot though."

However, Burton soon entered the conversation herself, tweeting, "I didn't forget." And after being consoled by another fan, the "One Tree Hill" star replied, "Seriously, thank you for that." Burton, who later married Jeffrey Dean Morgan, then shared the offending clip on the social media platform, adding, "I had to laugh back then so I wouldn't cry. Sending love."

As a result, Affleck was forced to issue another statement, this time in the form of an apology. The Academy Award winner tweeted, "I acted inappropriately toward Ms. Burton and I sincerely apologize."

Shortly after Hilarie Burton spoke about allegedly being groped by Ben Affleck, a behind-the-scenes name came forward to accuse the "Justice League" star of the same act. On this occasion, it was Annamarie Tendler, then the makeup artist wife of stand-up comedian John Mulaney, who put Affleck's nice guy reputation into question.

Referring to the statement Affleck made to Burton about his conduct on "Total Request Live" back in the day, Tendler tweeted (via People), "I would also love to get an apology from Ben Affleck who grabbed my a** at a Golden Globes party in 2014. He walked by me, cupped my butt, and pressed his finger into my crack. I guess he tried to play it like he was politely moving me out of the way and oops touched my butt instead of my lower back?"

Although Tendler, who's since divorced Mulaney, didn't tackle Affleck at the time, she revealed she'd have no hesitation in doing so if their paths ever crossed again. Unlike the Burton situation, the Oscar winner has yet to offer an apology for this alleged crime.

It's fair to say that Ben Affleck is a massive sports fan. After all, this is a man who made an entire movie about the origin of Michael Jordan's sneakers. And in 2019, he called out his favorite NFL team — the New England Patriots — for failing to provide star man Tom Brady with the necessary weapons.

Unsurprisingly, this didn't go down too well with the Patriots' wide receiver Julian Edelman, even more so for the fact that he and the Hollywood star had previously hung out together. And on an episode of his own podcast "Games with Names," the footballer decided to call Affleck out for his public display of disrespect.

"He was saying Brady has no receivers, there's no this, no that," the clearly wounded Edelman remarked. "I'm sitting here like bro, we had drinks at the f***ing Met Gala together and you're going to go out and throw me under the bus like I'm not a good receiver? It's messed up. No respect. I thought we had something, man. I thought we were talking, we were doing Boston accents together, him, Matt Damon, me."

Judging by the number of times he's specifically called him out over the years, it doesn't appear as though Bruce Campbell is Ben Affleck's biggest fan. Indeed, the "Evil Dead" favorite seems incapable of being interviewed without mentioning the Academy Award winner.

In 2005, for example, he brought up Affleck during a smackdown of various celebrities, arguing to IGN that silver screen legend William Holden could "kick Ben Affleck's a** any day of the week." Then in 2012, Campbell decided to take aim at the "Deep Water" star's personal life, telling the same site, "Everyone thinks it's so glamorous that Ben Affleck is sleeping with all these different chicks. It's only because he can't keep a single relationship because he's working all the time, and they're working all the time."

Three years later, Campbell was at it again, this time dreaming of inflicting physical pain in a conversation with the Los Angeles Times about the impending big screen battle in "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice." When reminded that the Caped Crusader would be wearing special armor, he replied, "Well he's gonna need it — he's fighting Superman! His face is exposed. Punch Ben Affleck in the face, you're done. Walk away. What's for lunch?"

Ben Affleck once again proved that he's just as talented behind the camera in front of it when he pulled double duty on "The Town." The crime thriller received rave reviews on its 2010 release, but there was at least one particular actor-filmmaker who believed that its casting choices were suspect, to say the least.

In a candid chat about the state of the film industry with Vulture, Quentin Tarantino argued that the actors in "The Town" were simply too beautiful to be believable: "The crook is absolutely gorgeous. The bank teller is absolutely gorgeous. The FBI guy is absolutely gorgeous. The town whore, Blake Lively, is absolutely gorgeous. Jeremy Renner is the least gorgeous guy, and he's pretty f***ing good-looking."

The cinephile then singled out Affleck when comparing the movie to another 2010 release: "If you look at 'The Fighter,' and you look at those sisters, they're just so magnificent. When you see David O. Russell cast those sisters, and you see Ben Affleck cast Blake Lively, you can't compare the two movies. One just shows how phony the other is."

Ben Affleck has been a regular punching bag throughout the 20+ years "South Park" has been on air. Creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone first took aim at the "Changing Lanes" star in a Season 5 episode in which his parents are two people diagnosed with Torsonic Polarity Syndrome, an entirely made-up condition in which people's faces are replaced by butts.

Two seasons later, a cartoon Affleck was shown falling in love with the hand puppet that Cartman claims was the incarnation of Jennifer Lopez. And then in Season 16, the Academy Award winner somehow incurs the wrath of "South Park's" most easygoing native, Butters. Even when Stone and Parker hit the big screen for "Team America: World Police," they couldn't resist throwing some shade in Affleck's way: See the song "The End of an Act" ("I miss you more than Michael Bay missed the mark when he made 'Pearl Harbor.' I need you like Ben Affleck needs acting school. He was terrible in that film").

When asked about their apparent beef with the Bostonian during a press junket for the latter, Stone answered (via CheatSheet), "He's so ripe. You can have fun with it. I mean, look at him."

Ben Affleck very nearly ended up causing a diplomatic incident in 2012 with his Best Picture Academy Award winner "Argo." Indeed, the star and director of the historical drama was heavily criticized by Ken Taylor, Canada's one-time Iranian ambassador, for apparently misrepresenting the Great White North.

Taylor argued that Affleck had completely dismissed Canada's, and indeed his own, role in the rescue of six U.S. hostages from Tehran in 1979. He told The New York Times, "In the movie, Canada and Ottawa didn't exist. It's a great film, it's great. But at the same time it was a Canadian story that's been, all of sudden, totally taken over by the Americans. Totally."

Portrayed by Victor Garber in the movie, Taylor also told the Toronto Star that despite his homeland being responsible for 90% of the successful plan, "Argo" only ever credits the American CIA. He said, "In general it makes it seem like the Canadians were just along for the ride. The Canadians were brave. Period." In response, Affleck revealed in a statement (via Slate) that he was taken aback by Taylor's disapproval: "I admire Ken very much for his role in rescuing the six houseguests. I consider him a hero. In light of my many conversations as well as a change to an end card that Ken requested, I am surprised that Ken continues to take issue with the film."