Spencer Pratt has publicly criticized Ben Affleck over comments the actor made regarding addiction and recovery. In a resurfaced 2021 clip from Affleck's appearance on "The Howard Stern Show," the 53-year-old Oscar winner, who has openly battled alcoholism, stated that "the cure for addiction is suffering."

Affleck said, "I hate to say it, but the cure for addiction, the only cure I've seen, and not like these f------ overpriced rehabs or a lot of these fraudulent fixes that are sold to people. Alcoholics Anonymous, I think by and large, is a good organization."

Pratt responded by urging Affleck to visit Skid Row in Los Angeles to see the city's drug crisis firsthand. Pratt also advocated for placing individuals suffering from severe addiction into involuntary treatment under California's expanded conservatorship law (SB 43), arguing many are unable to seek help on their own.

Affleck has previously credited his three children—Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14, whom he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner—as a major motivation for his sobriety. During a 2020 interview on "ABC News" with Diane Sawyer, Affleck revealed that growing up with an alcoholic father inspired his commitment to become sober.

Separately, the 42-year-old "The Hills" alum, who lost his home in the January 2025 Palisades Fire, announced his candidacy for Mayor of Los Angeles on the one-year anniversary of the fire.

Sources