Ben Affleck praised by fans after refusing to buy son, 13, $6,000 shoes

Ben Affleck has opened up about his son asking for $6,000 trainers (Picture: Getty)

Ben Affleck has been met with huge praise after unpacking a viral video where he turned down his son’s request for expensive trainers.

Last month, a clip emerged of the Batman actor and his youngest son, Samuel – who he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner – attending a sneaker convention, when the teenager eyed up a pair of Dior Air Force 1s with an eyewatering price tag.

Having absolutely none of it, the 52-year-old joked that the youngster had to ‘mow a lot of lawns’ to earn the $6,000 asking price.

Shedding light on the clip, during an appearance on Today with Jenna & Friends, he explained: ‘He wanted these sneakers, and I was like, “These sneakers are $6,000, what are you talking about? What are you going to do, mow lawns? You got $6,000?”

‘He was like, “We have the money.” I was like, “I have the money! You’re broke!”

‘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 [that if] you want something that you want, you have to work for that.’

When Andy Cohen, who was guest-hosting the series, asked if Ben’s children with Jennifer – including Violet, 19, and Seraphina, 16, – have jobs, the multi-millionaire actor confirmed that his eldest kids are working.

‘Yeah, my oldest two have jobs. In fact, one just got a job, the classic teenager working a shop job – I won’t say what it is…,’ he added. ‘My older one in college is working and trying to get an internship for the summer.

‘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.”

‘Once you work 1,000 hours, you may not want to spend that on a pair of sneakers.’

Ben joked that his son needed to ‘mow a lot of lawns’ for the shoes (Picture: AP) The actor shares three children with ex-wife Jennifer Garner (Picture: Getty)

Viewers watching on from home flocked to applaud Ben’s comments, praising the Accountant 2 star and Hollywood icon Jennifer for their stance and making sure their kids remain grounded despite their huge fame.

‘It’s nice to see a celebrity doing good parenting,’ Reddit user Casual_CryBabyy wrote.

Snarkerella agreed: ‘He’s not wrong. Clearly, he’s buying his children (who are still minors) what they need like clothing, school supplies, etc.

‘He’s just not going to indulge in some ridiculous $6k pair of shoes. NO kid needs that. They’d be destroyed in days and only makes them think they can have whatever, whenever. Good on Ben and Jen!’

Fans praised his comments on social media (Picture: Getty)

‘Great POV,’ Archetyping101 wrote. ‘My parents are pretty comfortable and I scrubbed toilets and cleaned a pool facility bathrooms for money in high school. It’s THEIR money, not mine. Mine is what I make.’

Palomatoma added: ‘I think when you have the type of wealth that he has, this is probably the best approach.

‘His kids can basically get anything they want before they’re even 18. It’s not like he’s kicking him out the house and being like “figure it out!” just “I’m not buying you shoes that cost 6k.”’

Ben and Jennifer split in 2015 after 10 years of marriage (Picture: Getty)

Ben and Jennifer first started dating in 2004, after sharing the screen in Pearl Harbor and Daredevil – they went on to tie the knot in Turks and Caicos the following year.

They welcomed three children together before announcing their split in 2015, with their divorce finalized in 2018.

Despite the separation, they have remained close for the sake of their brood, and have regularly spoken highly of one another in public.

‘They really do have a close bond,’ a source told Page Six, adding that they ‘know not all exes get along as well and they feel very grateful that they have such an amazing relationship.’

Got a story?

If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us [email protected], calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.