Ben Affleck Pranks Dunkin’ Fans During Ad Shoot
Ben Affleck has become the face of Dunkin’ over the last few years, but not every commercial he filmed actually made it to television. The Oscar-winning actor recently opened up about a specific prank he filmed for a 2025 ad that went completely wrong. The joke involved Affleck working at a drive-through and telling customers that the shop was totally out of coffee.
Affleck and his longtime friend Matt Damon shared the story while they were out promoting their new Netflix movie, The Rip. Damon explained that there was an amazing commercial that the brand simply could not air. In the ad, Affleck was stationed at a Dunkin’ in Medford, Massachusetts, where he had to break the bad news to unsuspecting people.
The prank sounds funny on paper, but the real-life customers were definitely not laughing. Damon pointed out that many of the people pulling up to the window were just regular folks trying to get to work. He noted that guys who were on their way to go paint a house were not having it when they heard there was no caffeine available.
Affleck remembers the grumpy reactions quite well and even acted out some of the complaints he heard that day. He joked that some customers were furious because they felt like they had wasted an entire hour just to be told no coffee was available. One person apparently shouted that they didn’t wait an hour for water after being offered a different drink instead.
Even though Affleck thought the idea was genius, the heads at Dunkin’ were much more worried about their brand. Damon said the company shut the idea down because they didn’t want to promote the idea that they might run out of their most famous product. It was a bridge too far for the marketing team, so the footage stayed in the vault.
Despite that one failed prank, the partnership between Affleck and Dunkin’ is stronger than ever. The duo recently appeared in a massive seven-minute commercial for the 2025 Super Bowl alongside other stars like Tom Brady. In that ad, Affleck continued his hilarious persona as a coffee-obsessed guy trying to start a boy band.
Lately, Ben Affleck has been staying very busy with both acting and directing projects. He just released the action thriller The Rip on Netflix on January 16, 2026, where he plays a Miami detective named J.D. Byrne. The movie reunites him with Matt Damon on screen for the first time in years and features a cast that includes Steven Yeun and Teyana Taylor.
Looking ahead, Affleck is set to direct and star in a new kidnapping thriller called Animals, which is also coming to Netflix later this year. That film will star Kerry Washington and Gillian Anderson alongside Affleck.
Affleck also remains very active behind the scenes with his production company, Artists Equity, which he runs with Matt Damon. The company focuses on making sure actors and crew members get a fairer share of the profits from the movies they work on. Between his coffee commercials and his big-budget thrillers, it is clear that Affleck isn’t slowing down anytime soon.
Tell us, would you be angry or would you laugh if Ben Affleck told you your local Dunkin’ was out of coffee in the comments?