Ben Affleck Goes Viral: Hilarious Billy Bob Thornton Impression Has Everyone Talking

Ben Affleck recently gave fans a hilarious treat during an interview while promoting his new Netflix film, The Rip. Known for his serious side when talking about movies, Affleck surprised everyone by showing off his comedic skills. He delivered a spot-on impression of his former co-star, Billy Bob Thornton, and the clip has quickly gone viral. This was reported during his appearance on Barstool’s Project Big Screen.

The story takes us back to 1998 at the premiere of Armageddon at the Kennedy Space Center. Affleck recalled how Thornton approached him with a teasing question about his recent Oscar win. “He was like, ‘Hey, I saw you got that — you won that Oscar, didn’t you?’ I was like, ‘Yeah,’” Affleck remembered. Then, shifting into Thornton’s distinct Southern drawl, he added, “So what? Did they give you like half an Oscar? Feels like you only wrote half the picture, right?”

The crowd erupted in laughter as Affleck continued mimicking Thornton’s dry humor. He added another line, “I give you two, half an Oscar for that. That’s nice, that’s good. That’s like a kid’s Oscar, right? Participation Oscar, is that what you got?” The joke landed perfectly because Affleck had only recently won his first Oscar alongside Matt Damon for Good Will Hunting.

Who knew Ben Affleck had a perfect Billy Bob Thornton impression in his back pocket? pic.twitter.com/0LCqkb7KYb

— Project Big Screen (@ProjBigScreen) January 19, 2026

Interestingly, Thornton wasn’t being mean-spirited. He had already won an Oscar a year earlier for Best Adapted Screenplay for Sling Blade. The shared experience of winning awards seems to have made Thornton confident enough to poke fun at his younger colleague. At the premiere, both actors were promoting Armageddon, where Affleck played oil rig worker A.J. Frost and Thornton played NASA director Dan Truman.

Affleck has been keeping busy in Hollywood. Besides The Rip, he continues working on his production company, Artists Equity, which he co-founded with Matt Damon to create fair profit-sharing for cast and crew.

Their recent project, Air, received praise for its story about the origin of the Air Jordan brand. Affleck is also remembered for his role as Batman in the DC Extended Universe and for directing Argo.

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