Ben Affleck's Obsession With Dunkin' Donuts Explained
Ben Affleck really loves donuts — like, he really loves them. Still, he's very particular about his sugary deep-fat fried dough balls. For Affleck, they have to be from Dunkin' Donuts, every single day, forever. It's possible that Affleck acquired his dough habit through work. Per IMDb, the actor played a cop (or at least someone pretending to be a police officer) in "The Town" in 2010. However, more likely, it's just a hometown thing. "Aside from the Red Sox and clam chowder, Dunkin' Donuts is as Boston as it gets," podcast hosts Bobby Finger and Lindsey Weber pointed out to Insider.
Either way, Affleck has been snapped multiple times entering and leaving the franchise, and a cup of Dunkin' iced coffee is a near-permanent fixture in his hand. The Oscar winner 'fessed up to his artery-clogging addiction during a 2019 interview with Collider. "I have Dunkin' Donuts every day," he admitted. "It's very weird, I have it every day, and people are always like, 'Where is that? Is that near here?' So, I feel like I'm spreading the word."
Affleck's obsession led to the launch of a special Vulture investigation into whether his order was "kept on file." (It's not.) And his Dunkin' evangelism also sparked accusations of a covert promo operation. "We love Ben Affleck. He's obviously from the Boston area and a terrific brand ambassador, but that's his own doing," the company's VP of Brand Stewardship, Drayton Martin, insisted to Insider.
So, what's with Ben Affleck's obsession with Dunkin' Donuts?
Ben Affleck's Dunkin' Donuts obsession reaches a whole new high
Ben Affleck finally decided to "own" his dough obsession after years of teasing, social media postings, memes, and paparazzi pics. He recently took a step back from the world of dark, gritty dramas and whisked his wife, Jennifer Lopez, to Boston — to film a Dunkin' Donuts ad. Hollywood Pipeline posted a video that shows Affleck as a star-struck employee serving the singer at a drive-thru in Medford, Massachusetts.
"How cool is this! Ben Affleck was seen handing out coffee this morning at a Boston-area Dunkin Donuts," 7News Boston WHDH reporter Rob Way tweeted along with a pic of Affleck, clad in a Dunkin' uniform and serving iced coffee at the drive-thru window. "'He was just as funny and quick-witted as I expected,' Lisa Mackay, who snapped this picture, tells me."
Not surprisingly, Way's followers were quick with the Affleck quips — and digs. "Glad to see he's finally doing something useful," muttered a passer-by who only identified herself as 'Jennifer G.,'" joked one. "It would be much more cool if Ben Affleck was doing this as some sort of charitable act or public service and not a mere commercial for Dunkin Donuts" grumbled a killjoy. "Handing coffee to his wife is an ad. Handing coffee out to Joe & Jane Average is commendable & cool."
Ben Affleck's Dunkin' Donuts ad isn't his first commercial stint
It turns out this isn't Ben Affleck's first foray into the advertising world. People's 2001 "Sexiest Bachelor" and 2002's "Sexiest Man Alive" scored an eye-watering $1.5 million to shill shampoo for L'Oreal in 2003. Well, he's worth it, after all. Although that said, Affleck didn't think it was worth ruining his super-cool image by running the ad stateside, Gothamist reported. You can make up your own mind by watching the cheese fest here.
And, of course, this isn't Affleck and Jennifer Lopez's first on-screen collaboration either. As if anybody could forget, they starred together in the trainwrecktastic "Gigli." Rotten Tomatoes awarded the 2003 romcom a Tomatometer score of just 6% — yikes. "There truly is no reason to see this film," The Independent Critic opined.
But, critics be damned! Ever since Affleck and Lopez's romantic reunion, it's been a non-stop love-fest for the couple. First, there was Affleck and Lopez's whirlwind wedding weekend, which was "fit for the pages of Vogue," a source told Page Six. "It's going to be all about J.Lo. Ben wants all of the focus to be on her for their big day," they claimed. Then they jetted off to Paris post-wedding, and apparently, Affleck and Lopez's honeymoon was everything they wanted and more. A source told Entertainment Tonight that the "unbelievably happy" newlyweds "really had the time of their lives." Thankfully for Affleck, Dunkin' Donuts is now available in the French capital.