Ben Affleck once joined Instagram with one very specific mission, and it involved his kids. However, his adventures did not last too long and had a hilarious end. The actor has now shared how his short-lived social media experiment ended, and the details are refreshingly honest.
Ben Affleck once joined Instagram as an excuse to look at his kids, only to get banned, twice
In a conversation with Variety, Ben Affleck revealed that he was banned from Instagram twice for impersonating himself. The profile had six followers, made up of his kids and some of their friends. He called it “just an excuse for me to look at [his kids’] social media accounts.”
His wariness about social media goes beyond one failed profile. The 54-year-old said he would be “a terrible influencer” and added that Matt Damon would be even worse. Affleck also spoke about the value of privacy, recalling that he once lived “a whole life in private.” As he put it, “as an actor you have to maintain an illusion.”
Family, though, remained at the center of much of the interview. He said he does not want to miss these years. “My kids are here, and their life is flying by,” he said. For that reason, he prefers working in Los Angeles. He also acknowledged that not everyone has that choice.
Affleck shares three kids with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. They include Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14. Speaking of his routine with them, he revealed that he picks the kids up from school and has dinner with them “if they agree to hang out with me.”
The children spend one week with him and one with their mom. Affleck said he is “really, really grateful” to her, and described this stage of his life as “really wonderful.”
Even his well-known “Smoking Ben” meme has a family connection. According to Affleck, his daughter refers to the meme as “the beleaguered man.” Affleck also reflected on losing both of his parents this year. He said his mother was committed to being a great-grandmother, and that her death serves as a reminder not to put things off.
