Ben Affleck’s love for Dunkin’ has produced some of the brand’s most talked-about commercials, but not every idea made it to air. The actor recently shared how a prank filmed during a 2025 Dunkin’ ad shoot backfired when unsuspecting customers became part of the joke.
Ben Affleck trolled Dunkin customers
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon recently talked about Affleck’s long-running association with the coffee chain while promoting their new film The Rip. During this, Damon brought up an unreleased Dunkin’ commercial that never saw the light of day.
“There was actually an amazing one that he did that they couldn’t air because he did a bit where he was telling everybody coming through the drive-through that they didn’t have coffee,” Damon shared. Affleck then explained that the prank happened in Medford, Massachusetts, where real customers pulled up expecting their usual caffeine fix. “We were in Medford, Massachusetts and telling people, ‘We don’t have coffee,'” he recalled.
While the idea amused Affleck and Damon, the reaction from customers was far less forgiving. Damon shared that many of the people in the drive-through were headed to work and had little tolerance for the joke. “These guys are on their way to go paint a house or… These guys are, like, working, and they were not having it,” he quipped.
The situation may have been funny on set, but it raised red flags for the brand. According to Damon, Dunkin’ quickly shut down the concept, making it clear that suggesting the company had no coffee was not something they could promote. Affleck, however, still stood by the creativity behind the stunt. “I thought it was genius,” he said. He also joked about the irritated responses he received, recalling customers who felt they had wasted their time. “I didn’t wait an hour for water,” Affleck enacted.
Despite the abandoned drive-through gag, Ben Affleck’s partnership with Dunkin’ continued to grow. Affleck, Damon, and Tom Brady later appeared together in a seven-minute Dunkin’ commercial for the 2025 Super Bowl.
