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May 7, 2026 – Ben Affleck is known for playing tough guys on screen, but when it comes to parenting, he appears to play the role of the "no" dad. The Oscar-winning actor revealed on a recent podcast that his 14-year-old son Samuel asked him to buy a Lamborghini, and Affleck shut the idea down without much discussion. The exchange arrives almost four years after Samuel accidentally reversed a yellow Lamborghini into a BMW — an irony that was not lost on anyone.
Affleck appeared on Kerry Washington's "Street You Grew Up On" podcast, where the two actors talked about family and the values they carry from their own upbringings. Affleck, who co-stars with Washington in the film Animals, said Samuel has inherited his father's taste for nice things. Unlike his older siblings, Violet and Fin, the youngest Affleck is not afraid to ask for the good stuff.
"Dad, you should get a Lambo," Affleck recalled Samuel telling him. The actor's reply was immediate: no, absolutely not. He asked his son whether he looked like an "a--hole in a yellow Lamborghini driving around at the club." Samuel, Affleck said, answered "Yeah."
That particular image has a history. In June 2022, at age 10, Samuel was photographed after he accidentally put a yellow Lamborghini Urus in reverse and backed it into a white BMW outside 777 Exotics, a luxury rental dealership in the Los Angeles area. Affleck and his then-fiancée Jennifer Lopez were present when it happened. The SUV rented for $1,475 per day and was valued at around $250,000, according to the New York Post at the time. No damage was reported, and the dealership said it had no hard feelings. Affleck hugged his son at the scene.
The fact that Samuel's new request involves the same brand suggests the close call did not cool his enthusiasm. Affleck's memory of the moment clearly did, though, and his podcast reaction made that plain.
Affleck's refusal is consistent with how he has talked about raising children in the spotlight. On "Today with Jenna & Friends" in April 2025, he said parents do their kids a disservice when they give them everything without connecting work to reward. That argument has become something of a signature talking point for him.
He applied the same logic in March 2025, when a video from a sneaker convention captured Samuel admiring a pair of Dior x Nike Air Jordan 1s retailing for $6,000. Affleck's counter was simple: "That's a lot of lawns you gotta mow there." The joke did what it was designed to do. In a later interview, Affleck said Samuel suddenly lost interest in the shoes. He also described his son's negotiating strategy as "a grift" — when Samuel argued that the family had the money, Affleck shot back that he had the money, but Samuel was broke.
Affleck's kids are not easily impressed by his Hollywood résumé. During a "Late Night with Seth Meyers" appearance, Affleck recalled that his children "don't give a s---" about his filmography. In their eyes, his greatest achievement is becoming a meme — specifically, the 2020 photos of Affleck carrying a pile of Dunkin' iced coffees and Munchkins outside his Los Angeles home, looking thoroughly exhausted. Those images became an internet sensation, and Affleck later leaned into the joke by starring in and directing Dunkin's first Super Bowl commercial in 2023.
Affleck said he asked his children why the Dunkin' moment mattered so much. "You're relevant," they told him. For a man with an Oscar, that is both humbling and funny — and it says a lot about how his kids see fame.
Affleck shares Samuel, Violet and Fin with Jennifer Garner, and the former couple's cooperative co-parenting is frequently cited as an example of Hollywood divorce done well. His comments about limits and hard work are often softened by self-deprecating humor, but the message is consistent.
The bigger picture is about branding as much as parenting. Affleck has spent years rebuilding his public image as a relatable, slightly beleaguered everyman. From Dunkin' runs to viral grumpy expressions, he has leaned into the idea that he is not a typical celebrity dad. A yellow Lamborghini in the driveway would undermine that narrative almost immediately. By turning Samuel's request into a joke, Affleck reinforces the persona he has carefully cultivated: famous enough to star in a Super Bowl ad, grounded enough to make his kid work for a pair of sneakers.
He is also swimming against a broader celebrity trend. Some stars share luxury car purchases and designer hauls with their children on social media; Affleck's approach is decidedly old-school. He wants his kids to understand the difference between inherited wealth and earned comfort. If Samuel one day buys a Lamborghini with his own money, he will know exactly what it cost.
For now, the Lamborghini is parked where it belongs: in a teenager's imagination. Affleck's answer was definitive, and his son knows it. The next time Samuel asks for something expensive, he may want to lead with a completed chore sheet.
