2025-04-22
Ben Affleck talks about the $6,000 sneakers his son wanted, and why his kids have jobs
If Ben Affleck’s son Samuel thought a pair of $6,000 sneakers were a shoo-in just because of who his dad is — he was sorely mistaken.During Affleck’s April 22 appearance on Jenna & Friends, guest co-host Andy Cohen brought up a clip that recently went viral on the Got Sole Instagram account. In the video, 13-year-old Samuel shows interest in purchasing a pair of Dior Air Jordan 1s at a sneaker convention, to which Affleck quipped, “That’s a lot of lawns you gotta mow there.”Suffice to say, Samuel walked away empty-handed.“He goes, ‘We have the money.’ I was like, ‘I have the money. You’re broke!’” Affleck recalled on TODAY with a laugh. The actor — who stars in the upcoming “Accountant 2” — then shifted to a more serious note.“Listen, you love your kids — you want to give them everything and do anything for them,” Affleck said, adding that at the same time, you’re doing them a “disservice” if you don’t set boundaries. Affleck, who also shares daughters Violet, 19, and Fin, 16, with his ex-wife, Jennifer Garner, noted that his “oldest two” have jobs.Violet is currently a freshman at Yale University and is working while trying to secure a summer internship, he said. Fin, meanwhile, has “a kind of classic, you know, teenager working in a shop job.”“And my son, who’s 13, he’s reckoning with that reality right now, as he’s looking at no shoes in his closet,” Affleck joked. “He got shoes, just not like crazy, expensive fancy shoes. I’m like, ‘Well, if you want that, you can work 1,000 hours at minimum wage — and if you work 1,000 hours, you might not want to spend it on a pair of shoes.”Ben Affleck and his son Samuel in 2022. Allen Berezovsky / Getty ImagesEarlier in the show, Affleck shared with TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie that he and Violet are both Spanish speakers. Affleck studied the language at the University of Vermont and has showcased his impressive skills over the years.“My daughter is a student of Spanish, and often, like, competes with me. She will tell me that hers is better than mine,” Affleck told Savannah. “And I’m glad that I get the chance to be on national television and just claim victory!”This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:Jalen Hurts is a married man! What to know about his wife, Bry BurrowsAn expert shares how many toys your child should have. It might surprise youWife of med student who died following cardiac arrest during basketball game speaks out: ‘Worst pain’This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
