Ben Affleck Paparazzi Memes: His Surprisingly Honest Take

Ben Affleck has finally addressed the candid Ben Affleck paparazzi photographs that turned him into one of the internet's favorite memes. During a new episode of the Emmy-nominated web series Subway Takes, the Oscar-winning actor and director laughed through the story of his viral snapshots: the armful of Dunkin' coffee cups, the collapsing donut boxes, the cigarette held with a look of total exhaustion. The Ben Affleck paparazzi era, it turns out, has a spokesperson who is in on the joke, according to Reality Tea.

The interview aired this week with Affleck promoting Animals, the crime thriller he directed and stars in alongside Kerry Washington. Host Kareem Rahma asked for a hot take, and Affleck delivered one drawn from years of experience: "never be photographed eating or smoking." He admitted the advice had not exactly served him well, since those Ben Affleck paparazzi moments have followed him around for years, according to Parade.

The Ben Affleck paparazzi photos, seen from every angle

Rahma pressed the actor on the most famous shot of all, the infamous 2020 doorstep photograph showing him fumbling an armful of Dunkin' cups and donut boxes. The picture went everywhere, and the memes wrote themselves. Affleck's defense was simple: anyone who has ever carried that much coffee and that many donuts at once would understand. He argued that the internet makes a mishap look far worse than it is, because multiple photographers capturing one spill from different angles can make a single fumble look like a whole series of disasters, according to Parade.

Then came the part of the interview with the most practical comedy wisdom. Affleck pointed out that the face a person makes while spilling something is "the worst face," and that face is what ends up frozen in a meme forever. Rahma, who has said for years that Affleck was his dream guest, could not stop laughing, according to the episode coverage.

The memes versus the movies

The conversation turned slightly serious when Rahma noted that the Ben Affleck paparazzi memes sometimes overshadow the actor's acclaimed directing work, including Argo. Affleck agreed he did not enjoy that part of the attention. Rahma lamented that so many great films get eclipsed by meme culture, and the actor echoed the frustration right back, according to TheWrap. For a filmmaker with two Academy Awards, being known as the coffee guy has to sting at least a little.

But Affleck also said he had made peace with the jokes. He told Rahma he did not mind the memes, because they captured something real about "the beleaguered man," a figure he believes plenty of people recognize from their own worst days. That might explain why the Ben Affleck paparazzi photos keep circulating: the exhaustion reads as something universal.

Why the exhausted everyman endures

Rahma's fandom made the exchange land harder. The Subway Takes host, known for his fifteen-minute conversations on the New York City subway with microphones attached to MetroCards, has spent years trying to land Affleck as a guest. Back in May, he told PEOPLE he was actively trying to "summon" the actor, calling him the most underrated and under-respected actor, writer, and director of his generation, according to the outlet's Brandcast interview.

The appearance paid off the years of asking. The two spent the ride bonding over the peculiar kinship of the meme: Rahma said every time he sees one of the pictures, he thinks that is literally him. Affleck, for his part, said his resting expression might just be beleaguered face, and added that it could always be worse. It is a rare celebrity interview where the star's lowest moments are the entire point, and both people in the subway car seemed to enjoy it.

The stop was part of the press circuit for Animals, which Affleck directed and stars in alongside Washington, with Gillian Anderson and Steven Yeun in the cast. The thriller arrived on Netflix earlier this month after a limited theatrical run. Affleck has at least taken control of the narrative around the Ben Affleck paparazzi saga by laughing at the whole thing himself.

Affleck is not the only star owning an awkward headline this week. The Kelly Clarkson bird feud showed another A-lister laughing off a viral moment, while Zach Bryan's surprise EP gave pop culture fans a completely different drop to obsess over. Reporting on the interview: TheWrap and Parade.