Ben Affleck knew he was going viral at Grammys, says seat filler: 'Oh god, this again?'
Ben Affleck knew he was becoming a meme during the Grammy Awards, according to the seat filler next to him.
TikTok user @almostannna, who kept Dwayne Johnson's seats warm during part of Sunday's musical extravaganza, said Jennifer Lopez told her husband he was going viral for his sour expressions after she was alerted on her phone. He wasn't thrilled, she claimed, but he wasn't bothered enough to feign interest.
"J.Lo showed Ben Affleck [her] phone and was like, 'Oh my god, honey, look at this meme circulating about you,' and he was like, 'Oh god, this again,'" Anna, who declined to share her last name when contacted by Yahoo Entertainment, said. The the actor/director previously spawned the iconic "Sad Affleck" meme, which he was not a fan of, during a Yahoo U.K. interview in 2016.
She continued, "He knew during the performance that he was a meme. Like, he knew and he also chose just not to change his expression. I love how unbothered that is. So I know that she was on her phone and saw it and was like, 'Honey this is so funny, look at this,' and he was like 'Jesus Christ.'"
That said, "The whole time, [the newlyweds] were cute and s***," Anna said, despite speculation Lopez appeared angry with him. (A lip-reader hired by the Daily Mail claimed Lopez said to Affleck, "Stop. Look more friendly. Look motivated," at one point as host Trevor Noah sat next to them doing a bit. Affleck replied: "I might," but didn't change his expression.) "They were super lovey dove-y, like their hands were always intertwined... So it wasn't like, 'Oh my god, this is going to lead to divorce,' like, they were cute."
Someone please check on Ben Affleck #GRAMMYs pic.twitter.com/W8A5hVb6LJ
— Chicks in the Office (@ChicksInTheOff) February 6, 2023
Anna sat "next to them for a good bit" when Johnson and his wife, Lauren Hashian, got up. She admitted, "I didn't know the meme of Ben Affleck being upset at award shows, like I didn't know that was a thing."
The seat filler also said she didn't talk to Affleck because he "didn't look happy," so she didn't want to interrupt and say something like, "‘Oh my god, Good Will Hunting is one of my favorite movies. You’re my hero.' ... I didn't want to be embarrassed, so don’t judge me for that. It was scary."
She added that she felt "so lucky to be right next to them," in her seat filling duties, and was even more excited because, "I was right in front of Beyoncé."
Anna added that Bennifer ended up leaving the show early — and there was a bit of a wardrobe malfunction as he assisted Lopez with her dress. He "took the skirt of her dress and lifted it up too much and J.Lo was like, 'Honey!' It was really silly!" she said.
As for going viral herself as a result of her video with the inside scoop, Anna tells Yahoo, "I am so thankful to have had the opportunity to see so many of my favorite musicians perform, and to be able to experience music's biggest night-live." However, she added, "the stories have been shared" and she won't be adding anything further.
There were so many memes involving Affleck looking unhappy that night. Despite his apparent blues, Lopez said she had "the best time with ... my husband" at the event.
however bad of a day you’re having, I promise you’re not as miserable as Ben Affleck at the Grammys right now pic.twitter.com/OQxA54H9P1
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) February 6, 2023
Ben Affleck would rather be anywhere else than front row at the #Grammys2023 watching Stevie Wonder crush Higher Ground pic.twitter.com/82GwqZneNW
— Matt Wilstein (@mattwilstein) February 6, 2023
A source close to the pair told Entertainment Tonight on Thursday that "Jen and Ben are both aware of the memes of Ben circulating. She had shown him a few photos that night and he just brushed it off. He is not fazed by what the internet has to say about him. They are not paying too much attention to them. Jen actually thinks some of the memes are funny."
Immediately after the show, a different source told the same outlet,"Jen and Ben had a fun date night out at the Grammys, but they have both been very busy working on several projects, and Ben was feeling tired. He wanted to go and support Jen, but he wasn't his usual self."
The person continued, "Jen had a great time and wanted Ben to be excited to be there, but she understood where he was coming from. Jen knows Ben is a great husband and they still made sure to have a good night together."
Lopez and Affleck eloped last July, with the Shotgun Wedding star recently saying they moved up their nuptials because she had PTSD from calling off their first wedding in 2003. She also admitted that blending their families — he has three children with Jennifer Garner and she has two with Marc Anthony — was "a really kind of emotional transition."