The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives star Zac Affleck is poking fun at the speculation about him being related to Ben Affleck.
Zac, 28, took to his Instagram Story on Saturday, June 28, to share a post from a Hulu viewer about Ben’s interest in playing blackjack, with the caption, “I wonder if Jen and Zac know abt this. secret lives of mormon wives bouta get real crazy.”
In response, Zac, whose passion for gambling has become a story line on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, replied, “Uncle Ben is a legend.”
While Zac is now joking around about the assumption that there’s a familial connection between him and Ben, 52, he was previously more cautious. When The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives premiered on Hulu in September 2024, it was Jen Affleck who claimed that Zac was related to Ben and Casey Affleck, saying on the show that Zac’s dad, David Affleck, is second cousins with the famous actors.
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Some of Jen’s costars questioned the validity of that statement, including Jessi Ngatikaura, who told Scheana Shay on her “Scheananigans” podcast at the time, “I could see a world where Zac told her that, and she believed it because why wouldn’t you?”
She continued: “I don’t think Jen would lie about that. I really don’t, but maybe he could. I mean, we’ve seen a little bit of how he can be. … But also maybe Ben Affleck’s team’s like, ‘We want nothing to do with you guys.’ So let’s dig and, like, plant this story because Zac is looking a little bad.”
During season 2, which premiered in May, Zac argued that Jen was never told Ben was related to him.
“It’s never been something serious,” he explained. “And so, when Jen started telling people that, I did tell her, ‘I don’t think you should say that anymore. I think that’s probably gonna backfire.’”
Zac said he specifically asked Jen to stop spreading the rumor around. “That is not true,” he told her. “I’ve heard that as a joke. No one’s ever claimed to have some kind of relationship with him besides you.”
Jen, however, stood her ground that Zac’s family members have stated — jokingly or not — that they are related to Ben.
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“I feel like if anyone was related to Ben Affleck, that’s something they’d mention,” she told the cameras. “With Zac, he’s just trying to squash it even though his family did tell me that.”
Jen told Zac he was “not going to make” her “feel stupid” and brought up that his grandfather previously said he’d met Ben when he was a child.
“I had heard that. I’m not making you feel crazy. I’m just saying you ran with it when I said [not to],” he told Jen, who replied, “Of course I ran with that! I’m second cousins with Ben Affleck!”
That same month, Jen confessed in an exclusive interview with Us Weekly that she is “still just confused.” Jen went on to joke that they needed to use 23andMe genetic testing to make sure.
