Ben Affleck Breaks His Silence After Losing Both Parents This Year With an Emotional Reflection
Ben Affleck Breaks His Silence After Losing Both Parents This Year With an Emotional Reflection
Juliana UkiomogbeWed, September 30, 2026 at 8:51 PM UTC
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Credit: Getty ImagesThe Gist -
Ben Affleck opened up about losing his parents, Chris Anne Affleck and Timothy Affleck, this year.
The actor shared his comments on Kerry Washington’s podcast, “Street You Grew Up On.”
“It’s caused me to start thinking about my own childhood in ways that [have] been a little bit different,” he said.
Ben Affleck got candid about his parents’ recent deaths via Kerry Washington’s podcast on September 30. His mother, Chris Anne Affleck, died on June 2 at the age of 83, and his father, Timothy Affleck, died in April.
Ben Affleck and his mom at the ‘Jersey Girl’ premiere in 2004.Credit: Getty Images
“My parents just died, both of them…in April and in June,” Affleck told Washington on her show, “Street You Grew Up On.”
“And it’s caused me to start thinking about my own childhood in ways that [have] been a little bit different,” he said. “I’ve certainly learned to, even more deeply, appreciate my mom and really value and see what she did and the sacrifice and commitment that she made and how complete it was.”
His mom, whose full name was Christopher, graduated from Harvard University and worked as a public school teacher. She was a staunch advocate for civil rights and served as one of the original freedom riders who traveled to the Deep South during the 1960s, per The Hollywood Reporter. She also volunteered on Barack Obama’s campaign trail.
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Ben Affleck and Matt Damon with their mothers at the Oscars in 1998.Credit: Getty Images
During Affleck’s conversation with Washington, he continued to talk about his mom and shared that, after she died, he read some old letters she wrote.
“I read these letters after she died that she wrote to her parents…that were from when she was in college and older and living out in California,” he said. “And this sounds like a crazy thing to say, but it was really weird for me to read these letters. First of all, this young woman, you know, full of life and ambition and dreams and not sure. ‘Oh, maybe I’ll be a social worker, maybe I’ll be a teacher…’ It was really fascinating.”
“But, of course, the thing that struck me was, ‘This has nothing to do with me,’” he joked. “This woman had her own whole life for 30 years that had zero to do with me.”
Ben Affleck at the 2026 Venice Film Festival.Credit: Getty Images
He went on to gush that she was “gorgeous and smart and thoughtful and passionate. I just thought, ‘This woman’s amazing. She could do anything.’”
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Source: “AOL Entertainment”
