Ben Affleck Wins $1 Million for Charity on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
Hollywood actor Ben Affleck has won the $1 million grand prize on the U.S. version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, with the money going to charity.
Affleck competed alongside Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding during the special episode. Their winnings will support the Eastern Congo Initiative, a non-profit organization founded by Affleck to promote peace, economic development, and better opportunities for people in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
The duo first answered the $500,000 question correctly by identifying the Wright brothers’ first powered flight as the event that happened shortly after a newspaper predicted such an achievement would take millions of years.
For the final $1 million question, they had to identify which name had not been used for turkeys pardoned by a U.S. president during the annual Thanksgiving tradition.
Not completely sure of the answer, Affleck and Ding asked host Jimmy Kimmel for his opinion. Kimmel suggested “Spaghetti & Meatball.” They also used their Phone-a-Friend lifeline but did not receive a clear answer.
The team decided to go with Kimmel’s suggestion, and it turned out to be correct, helping them win the $1 million prize for charity.
The studio audience cheered as confetti filled the air after Ben Affleck and his teammate celebrated winning the $1 million prize for charity. The pair hugged before receiving a ceremonial cheque for the donation.
During the show, Affleck explained how he figured out the $500,000 question. He said he remembered reading about historical examples of news organizations making incorrect predictions, including one involving the Wright brothers.
According to Affleck, he recalled that a newspaper had underestimated how quickly the Wright brothers would achieve powered flight, and that memory helped him choose the correct answer.
Host Jimmy Kimmel praised Affleck’s thinking and jokingly said he was “much smarter than Matt,” referring to Affleck’s longtime friend, Matt Damon.
With the victory, Affleck joins the small number of celebrity contestants who have won the $1 million grand prize on the U.S. version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire.
