Ben Affleck 'had a good time' at Grammys despite memes

Despite Sadfleck memes, Ben Affleck says he actually ‘had a good time’ at the Grammys

A bearded man wearing a white long-sleeved pullover and sitting in front of a microphone

March 16, 2023 10:47 AM PT

Ben Affleck knows he’s meme material and doesn’t seem to mind.

In a cover story for the Hollywood Reporter published Thursday the “Air” star and director opened up about his new production company, his family life and his appearance at the 65th Grammys that resurrected those “sadfleck” memes.

“I had a good time at the Grammys,” he told the Hollywood Reporter in a wide-ranging interview. “My wife was going, and I thought, ‘Well, there’ll be good music. It might be fun.’”

On Feb. 5, the Oscar winner joined wife Jennifer Lopez at the annual music celebration, held at Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena. Eagle-eyed viewers spotted Affleck in the background, seemingly disengaged during host Trevor Noah’s monologues.

One viewer said that Affleck looked “miserable” while the Chicks in the Office account urged, “Someone please check on Ben Affleck #GRAMMYs.”

Affleck told THR that he was hoping to get away from the spotlight when Noah came around for one of his monologues, but that Lopez told him, “you better f— not leave.”

“That’s a husband-and-wife thing,” he added.

The actor said he’s no stranger to being “pissed,” “bored” or “drunk” at awards shows. However, he wasn’t a fan when some Twitter users accused him of being drunk at the Grammys. Affleck has been vocal about his struggles with addiction and alcoholism,

“I thought, ‘That’s interesting,’” he said. “That raises a whole other thing about whether or not it’s wise to acknowledge addiction because there’s a lot of compassion, but there is still a tremendous stigma, which is often quite inhibiting.”

Elsewhere in the interview Affleck said “the best part” of being public about his struggles with addiction is that “sometimes people call me up and they’re like, ‘Hey can you help me out?’”

“And it makes me feel so good to do that,” he said.

Times staff writer Nardine Saad contributed to this report.