Grammys

Ben Affleck is entering his new era, and he’s taking some inspiration from his superstar wife, Jennifer Lopez. In a new ad for Dunkin’ that aired during the Grammys on Sunday (Feb. 4), the Oscar-winning star channels Lopez while mocking his viral moment at last year’s ceremony, during which he was spotted looking bored out of his mind.
In the clip, Affleck is watching a news segment about the “Bored Ben” memes from last year’s Grammys ceremony when he growls with an intensity worthy of Batman: “Keeeep laughing. ‘He’s bored.’ NO! He’s steady — always watching.”

He immediately kicks a plan to turn himself into a music star into action. “What’s going on, baby!” he says on a phone call. “I had this crazy dream — you’re gonna laugh. I had come up with, like, some beats, and you were like, ‘Maybe she’ll put that on the record.’ I even had a persona, like J. Lo, or like, B. Lo. That’s the bad version, obviously.” Unsurprisingly, he gets turned down by the person on the other end.

Undeterred, the star shows up at a studio with a burned CD in hand. “These are beats. Right here!” he says confidently, only to be deflated when the producer questions him about the medium he chose. “Big-time music expert, you don’t know where music comes from?!”

But Affleck soldiers on. In a recording studio, he wonders, “Does music have to rhyme?” The star also shows off some ideas for potential red-carpet looks, and works with Charli D’Amelio to learn some dance moves. But there’s one problem with that. “Who is TikTok?” he asks.

Despite hitting multiple bumps in his road to music glory, the director continues on. “They tell you you’re no good, you’re a goofy middle-aged white guy with no rhythm and you can’t sing on key. You’re not coordinated. That means I can’t be a pop star? Underestimate Boston … at your peril,” he warns before dropping a reference to J. Lo’s upcoming album. “This is me now.”

With a hefty chain featuring a giant blinged-out doughnut around his neck a la Flavor Flav’s massive clock necklaces, Affleck stares seriously into the distance, a determined look on his face, as a “To be continued” message appears.

Watch the new Dunkin’ ad starring Ben Affleck above.