Ben Affleck takes teen son down a peg: ‘I have the money. You’re broke’

Ben Affleck isn’t about to let his kids become entitled to the money he’s earned as a Hollywood superstar. 

In a video recently posted to the “Got Sole” Instagram account, the “Gone Girl” actor explained that he gave his 13-year-old son a reality check after the boy set his sights on a $6,000 pair of Dior Air Jordan 1 sneakers.

When his son argued that “we” had the money, Mr. Affleck said he shut it down with one cold truth: “I have the money. You’re broke.”

“You like those because they’re expensive,” the actor said, unimpressed. When Samuel insisted otherwise, his dad used the teachable moment by saying, “That’s a lot of lawns you gotta mow there.” 

The “Argo” director isn’t the only famous figure drawing a hard line between personal wealth and inherited privilege. 

Billionaire Warren Buffett wrote in a public letter that parents should leave their kids “enough to do anything but not enough to do nothing.” And basketball superstar Shaquille O’Neal said he reminds his children, “We ain’t rich. I’m rich.” 

Comedian Chris Tucker, in his Netflix special, joked that his family members quit their jobs the moment they learned about his millions, chanting, “We rich!” His response echoed Mr. Affleck’s: “Y’all better get your jobs back before it’s too late.”