Ben Affleck wins $1 million on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but the larger payoff belongs to organizations working in eastern Congo. The actor and 31-game Jeopardy! champion Jamie Ding secured the top prize for the Eastern Congo Initiative after relying on host Jimmy Kimmel for help with a surprisingly difficult question about presidential turkeys.
The victory concluded a game that began during the ABC season premiere on July 22 and continued into the Wednesday, July 29, episode. Affleck had joked that he was “riding this guy’s coattails,” although Ding, for all his formidable trivia credentials, was equally uncertain when the final question arrived.
What was the $1 million question?
Affleck and Ding were asked: “In an annual Thanksgiving tradition, all but which of these have been the names of turkeys pardoned by a U.S. president?”
The options were:
- Peanut Butter & Jelly
- Tater & Tot
- Mac & Cheese
- Spaghetti & Meatball
The first three were genuine pairs of presidential turkeys. Spaghetti & Meatball was the invention, though it had the plausible sound of a government event planned shortly before lunch.
The contestants still had two lifelines available. When Kimmel reminded them about Ask the Host, Affleck initially joked that they might be better off calling Ding’s trivia partner, Stephen Morrison. He then reconsidered and asked Kimmel for his view, noting that the host knew about food and current events.
Kimmel selected Spaghetti & Meatball. His reasoning was more visual than academic: he could imagine Donald Trump holding “a big bowl” and eating the dish. “If I’m wrong, I’m so sorry,” Kimmel said.
Why did Affleck trust Jimmy Kimmel?
Affleck and Ding used their remaining Phone-a-Friend lifeline to call Morrison, but he could offer only a guess. That left them with Kimmel’s answer and no definitive confirmation.
“I would bet on Jimmy,” Affleck said before the pair locked in Spaghetti & Meatball.
The answer was correct. Affleck leapt from his seat and embraced Ding as gold confetti fell, while Kimmel presented them with a $1 million check. The Daily Beast and TV Insider also reported the result, with both confirming that the full prize was designated for the Eastern Congo Initiative.
Ding brought substantial experience to the game. She won 31 consecutive episodes of Jeopardy! and earned $885,605 during her run. Her partnership with Affleck also created a neat piece of television symmetry. One year earlier, on July 30, 2025, Affleck’s longtime friend Matt Damon and Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings won $1 million on the same program.
For two actors routinely linked by their friendship and careers, matching charity jackpots in consecutive years is unusually tidy. Television rarely arranges itself so politely.
How will the Eastern Congo Initiative use the money?
Affleck and Whitney Williams founded the Eastern Congo Initiative in 2010. The U.S.-based nonprofit funds Congolese-led groups working on essential services, economic opportunities, sustainable development, gender equality and access to justice.
The organization says its work has directly benefited 52,179 people and indirectly reached more than 3 million. It also reports helping more than 4,000 women who survived sexual violence pursue justice.
Gulain Bisimwa Nyundz, who works with the initiative, thanked the organization and Affleck for supporting “gender equality and economic development.” That emphasis matters because the prize is not simply a celebrity donation with a recognizable name attached. It is intended to reach local organizations operating amid conflict and responding to priorities set by Congolese communities.
The televised celebration also came after a difficult period for Affleck and his family. His mother, Christopher Anne “Chris” Affleck, died at 83 on June 2 following a terminal illness, NBC reported.
How did the presidential turkey pardon begin?
The final question drew on a White House tradition held shortly before Thanksgiving. The National Turkey Federation began presenting turkeys to U.S. presidents in 1947, although the modern pardon developed gradually.
President John F. Kennedy spared a turkey in 1963 and sent it back to the farm. President Ronald Reagan later joked about pardoning a turkey named Charlie. President George H.W. Bush formally established the annual ritual in 1989, not George W. Bush, as some accounts of Affleck’s win incorrectly stated.
The selected birds are spared from becoming Thanksgiving dinner and are sent elsewhere to live. In 2025, the White House identified Gobble and Waddle as the presidential turkeys.
None of that history made Spaghetti & Meatball an obvious answer under studio lights. Affleck and Ding ultimately needed judgment rather than certainty, and Kimmel’s oddly specific mental image proved worth $1 million to a charity with considerably more serious work ahead.
