Dancing With the Stars' Jen Affleck explains her husband's link to Ben Affleck

Questions about family connections sometimes arise unexpectedly in the public eye, and for Jen Affleck, a competitor on Dancing With the Stars season 34, such curiosity has centered on her link to Hollywood actor Ben Affleck.

Known for her role on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, fans have asked whether Jen’s husband, Zac Affleck, is related to the actor. The topic resurfaced after a Dunkin’ Donuts commercial aired on September 14, featuring both Jen and Ben Affleck.

In the ad, Jen playfully refers to Ben as her “cousin,” prompting renewed attention. Despite the playful framing, the actual relationship between the families is distant, and Jen has addressed the connection in interviews and during her reality show appearances.

Dancing With the Stars' Jen Affleck clarifies her husband’s connection to Ben Affleck

Are Jen Affleck and Ben Affleck related?

Jen Affleck and Ben Affleck are not directly related. In the Dunkin’ Donuts commercial, a Dunkin’ employee calls out an order for “Affleck,” leading Jen to step in and playfully claim she was the cousin being expected.

She referred to herself as the Value Affleck and described Ben as outdated, pointing out his age of 53 and questioning whether it was “a young 53.”

Ben then appeared on screen and dismissed her comments as rude.

When Jen first began promoting The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives in 2024, she explained that her husband’s family had only a distant connection to Ben Affleck.

She clarified to TV Insider that they were not truly connected and that her husband had never met the actor.

She added that Zac’s father, David Affleck, was reportedly a second cousin of Ben and Casey Affleck, but emphasized the connection was distant:

“Only his dad has met him once when he was very little. It’s more of a joke than an actual family relative. Technically, celebrity blood runs through his veins.”

Clarifying the Affleck family connection

In May 2025, Jen addressed the Affleck family question more directly. She explained to People that she had only mentioned the topic "once," but the press continued to focus on it, leading her to feel it became the main subject she was asked about.

She added that if she ever crossed paths with Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez, it would simply be a positive encounter.

During Season 2 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, Jen and Zac spoke about the family confusion. Jen emphasized that she had repeated information passed on by Zac’s relatives and did not want to be made to feel uninformed about it.

Zac clarified that no one in his family had ever considered the connection a serious matter until Jen mentioned it publicly.

In his confessional, Zac said he had no certainty about any link to Ben Affleck and described it as a long-running family "joke" and clarified,

“It’s never been something serious. 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.'”

Jen Affleck’s family life

Jennifer “Jen” Affleck returned to television on Dancing With the Stars season 34 shortly after giving birth to her third child, Penelope, on July 2, 2025.

Jen was officially announced as one of the cast members during The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives Season 2 reunion special, which aired on July 1. She told TV Insider,

“I am looking forward to the challenge and helping inspire other women [with] what our bodies are capable of. Dance the depression away!”

Alongside her professional partner, Jan Ravnik, Jen is continuing her reality TV career while managing family responsibilities with the support of her husband, Zac Affleck.

Stay tuned for more updates.