Ben Affleck and Jeopardy champion Jamie Ding won the $1 million top prize on ABC’s Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, directing the funds to the Eastern Congo Initiative after correctly identifying presidential turkey pardons on the Wednesday episode.
Hollywood actor Ben Affleck teamed up with trivia expert Jamie Ding on the ABC game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire to claim the program’s top payout. The victory, broadcast on the Wednesday, July 30 episode, concluded a two-part run for the pair and mirrored a similar milestone achieved by Affleck’s longtime friend Matt Damon the previous year.
The Million-Dollar Presidential Turkey Question
To secure the seven-figure payout, Affleck and Ding had to navigate the show’s final 15th question. The nail-biting final question focused on the annual White House tradition formally established by President George H.W. Bush in 1989.
“In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, all but which of these have been the names of turkeys pardoned by a U.S. president?”
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire question prompt, via UPI and Deadline
Faced with four multiple-choice options—Peanut Butter & Jelly, Tater & Tot, Mac & Cheese, and Spaghetti & Meatball—the duo exhausted their remaining lifelines. They first utilized their Ask-the-Host lifeline, putting the question to host Jimmy Kimmel, who performs an annual bit about the turkeys on his late-night program. Kimmel hesitantly suggested Spaghetti & Meatball. Affleck and Ding also attempted to use their Phone-a-Friend lifeline by calling Steven Morrison, but he did not offer an answer in time.
Trusting the host’s instinct, Affleck declared I would bet on Jimmy. I would go for it.
The studio went silent during a long pause before the correct answer was revealed, prompting Kimmel to admit he had a stomach ache from the tension.
How Historical Trivia Secured the $500,000 Milestone
Before reaching the final round, the pair faced a difficult $500,000 question regarding a historical prediction made by the press. The question asked what achievement occurred just two months after a New York Times article stated it would not happen for one million to ten million years.
Affleck correctly pointed the team toward the first airplane flight by drawing on his own past research habits. I only remember this because it was a time in my life where I spent time looking up examples that the press got things wrong,
Affleck explained on the show, adding that his subconscious recalled the Wright brothers’ milestone taking place around 1903 or 1905.
Funding the Eastern Congo Initiative
Rather than keeping the winnings for personal gain, Affleck channeled the entire $1 million prize directly into his nonprofit organization. Co-founded by Affleck and entrepreneur Whitney Williams in 2009, the Eastern Congo Initiative serves as the first advocacy and grantmaking initiative fully dedicated to eastern Congo.
At the start of the broadcast, Affleck noted that the organization supports community-led programs in a region severely impacted by a traumatic war. Following the dramatic final reveal and the falling confetti, Kimmel presented Affleck and Ding with a giant novelty check for the nonprofit, matching the milestone achieved by Matt Damon and Ken Jennings on the ABC game show the previous year.
