Ben Affleck Says ‘I Have the Money, You’re Broke’ After Son Asks for $6,000 Sneakers

Ben Affleck shared that he keeps his kids in check by reminding him that he’s the rich one—not them. 

In a recent interview with Access Hollywood, Affleck spoke about buying things for his kids.

"There's always some grift why I need to be buying," Affleck explained. "I'm like, bruh, you do not need $1,000 shoes. He's like, 'We have the money.' I'm like, 'I have the money—you're broke.'"

In footage captured at a recent Got Sole sneaker convention, Affleck and his 13-year-old son, Samuel, were admiring shoes when the latter expressed his interest in a pair of $6,000 Dior Air Jordan 1 shoes. 

Before he could get his dad to swipe his card, Affleck hit him with a hard truth. “That’s a lot of lawns you’ve gotta mow there,” Affleck said. 

He continued with more rich dad wisdom. “You like those because they’re expensive," he said.

Affleck’s sentiment is similar to one that Shaquille O’Neal expressed in 2021. During a recent interview with Earn Your Leisure, Shaq revealed that he let his kids know that he’s rich, and they aren’t.

"My kids are older now,” Shaq said. "They're kinda upset with me. Not really upset, but they don't understand. I tell them all the time. We ain't rich. I'm rich.”

He explained that he wants his kids to do specific steps for him to become a part of their business journeys.

"You gotta have bachelor's or master's [degrees], and then if you want me to invest in one of your companies, you're going to have to present it, boom boom boom, bring it to me. I'll let you know, I'm not giving you nothing," he said.

Shaq ended his explanation by making it clear he wants his kids to earn their living like he did.

"I don't care if you play basketball. I don't care about none of that," he said. "Listen, I got six kids. I would like a doctor, somebody to own a hedge fund, a pharmacist, a lawyer, someone that owns multiple businesses, someone to take over my business. But I tell them, 'I'm not going to hand it to you. You gotta earn it.'"