ABC host Sarah Ferguson explains why Ben Affleck was one of her worst interviews ever — and here’s what she hated about their car crash chat
She is the down-to-earth presenter of the current affairs program 7.30 on ABC.
And after speaking to countless politicians and celebrities throughout her long career, Sarah Ferguson has revealed who is one of her worst interview subjects ever: Ben Affleck.
Speaking to the Sydney Morning HeraldAccording to Sunday Life magazine, which named the five-time Walkley Award winner, the Hollywood actor and director was “quite high on the list” when it came to lesser interviewees.
Ferguson was unimpressed with the Batman star’s attitude and said he felt like he would rather be somewhere else.
“He was just rude, not interested and pretending,” Sarah revealed.
The disappointing conversation came in March 2023, when Ben and co-star Chris Tucker appeared on 7.30 to promote the film Air, which Ben directed and was about the origins of Nike’s iconic Air Jordan shoes.
During the interview, Affleck gave a half-smiling voice and kept looking away from the camera. Only four questions Ferguson asked him were actually broadcast.
When Ferguson asked Affleck how the film evolved from a movie about “white men in business” to a story about Michael Jordan’s family, he gave a hesitant answer.
After speaking to countless politicians and celebrities throughout her long career, Sarah Ferguson has revealed why Ben Affleck was a memorably bad interview subject
Speaking to the Sydney Morning Herald, the five-time Walkley Award winner revealed that Hollywood actor Affleck was “very high on the list” when it came to less-than-stellar interviewees
“That happened because I looked at the story and initially thought I had some knowledge of how these companies worked and instinctively knew that it wasn’t just white people working at this company that were relevant to the story.
“And I didn’t want to make that story. Fortunately, Michael was kind enough to make himself available to me and referred me to the three people he thought were most relevant here… and he also told me about his father and his mother.”
Ferguson’s surprise comes amid major turmoil in Affleck’s personal life.
Ben and Jennifer Lopez, her husband of two years, have not been seen together in two months. According to sources, they have been preparing divorce papers to be filed at a later date.
Sarah has three boys with fellow award-winning journalist Tony Jones: Felix (Tony’s son from a previous relationship), Cosmo and Lucien.
She added that she was overjoyed that Cosmo and Lucien had moved back from Canberra, where they were studying, and were living together in Sydney.
“It’s so cute, I want to die! The reward of this period of time… I could honestly just cry into our plates,” she admitted.
‘Having children is great, but being a working mother is so hard: that school period and all the little fears that a mother has.
The disappointing conversation took place in 2023 when Ben and co-star Chris Tucker appeared at 7.30 to promote the film Air, which Ben directed, about the origins of the iconic Air Jordan Nike shoes
“So when they grow up and do their own laundry and they’re doing well and they’re good people, then you can love them even more.”
Sarah previously worked as a reporter for the current affairs programmes Dateline and Insight on SBS and had a stint on Sunday on Channel 9. She has been with Four Corners since 2008.
In 2015, she replaced Kerry O’Brien as presenter of Four Corners, before taking over Leigh Sales’ old seat at 7.30 in 2022.