Actor Ben Affleck might have millions in his account, but he is not letting it get to the head of his kids. The actor has come forward to defend his decision to deny his son Samuel’s request for a $6,000 sneaker. Also read: Ben Affleck’s priceless parenting moment at a sneaker convention is one for the books: ‘I have the money. You’re broke!’
Ben Affleck defends his actions
While appearing on an episode of Today with Jenna & Friends, the actor and dad of three spoke about his recent viral video where he criticised his teenage son, Samuel, 13, after he asked for $6,000 Dior Air Force Ones. In addition to his son Samuel, Ben, whose net worth is around $150 million, also shares his teenage kids Violet, 19, and Fin, 16, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner.
Ben said, “He wanted these sneakers, and I was like, ‘These sneakers are $6,000, what are you talking about? What are you gonna do, mow lawns? You got $6,000? He was like, “We have the money.” I was like, “I have the money! You’re broke.”
During the conversation, Ben shared that he ‘wants to give them everything’ but believes his children ‘have to work’ for the luxuries.
The actor shared, “You love your kids. You want to give them everything and do everything for them, but I think you definitely do them a disservice by not connecting (if) you want something that you want, you have to work for that. My oldest two have jobs… In fact, one just got a job, the kind of classic teenager working a shop job — I won’t say what it is. My older one in college is working and trying to get an internship for the summer. And yeah, my son, who’s 13, he’s reckoning with that reality right now. He’s looking at no shoes in his closet. Well, he’s got shoes, just no crazy expensive fancy shoes. And I’m like, “Well, if you want that, you can work 1,000 hours.” You know what I mean? Minimum wage. And once you work 1,000 hours, you may not want to spend that on a pair of sneakers.”
More about the shoe incident
During a trip to a sneaker convention in Los Angeles earlier this year with Samuel, the Oscar-winning actor shared a parenting moment. A pair of $6,000 Dior Air Jordan 1s caught Samuel’s eye. When he asked for them, Ben was quick to let him know that he wouldn’t be the one paying. “That’s a lot of lawns you’ve gotta mow there. You just like those because they’re expensive,” Ben told his son. The video went viral on social media.
