Ben Affleck's 'Bored' Reaction to the Grammys Motown Tribute Raised Eyebrows

By Michael Hein

Ben Affleck became one of the breakout memes of the 2023 Grammy Awards on Sunday night without doing much at all. The actor accompanied his wife Jennifer Lopez to the award show where he didn't do much dancing, singing or even smiling. The camera cut to "Bennifer" often, and before long social media commenters were poking fun at Affleck's frown.

Affleck sat beside his wife and stood up when appropriate, but by all appearances, he didn't get much out of the Grammys this weekend. Commenters thought he looked "bored," and in general they found this hilarious and even relatable. However, Affleck did take some criticism for wearing his frown during a lively Motown music tribute performance, which included a sensational performance by Stevie Wonder. Some music fans wondered how anyone could look that stone-faced at such a concert, while self-professed introverts all over the internet said that Affleck's batteries were simply running dry.

Sincere critics thought that Affleck was being disrespectful to the performers at a certain point, and perhaps even playing up his vacant expression knowing it has gone viral before. However, his defenders pointed out that Affleck could hardly have expected to be on camera as often as he was given that he is an actor, not a musician. The collective conversation even touched on Affleck's sobriety, with fellow alcoholics commiserating that it can be difficult to sit through a long night of festivities like this one while others are drinking.

In all likelihood, there wasn't that much behind Affleck's behavior – or lack thereof – at the Grammys. The 50-year-old actor has become easy meme fodder in the last few years just by being his authentic self. Here's a look at some of the top tweets about Affleck on Sunday night.

Lauded Performance

Affleck's boredom became a meme throughout the entire night, but it got particular attention during this segment because many fans were genuinely enthralled by this performance.

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Context

In fairness to Affleck, fans pointed out that the responses to this performance didn't make much sense anywhere in the crowd. At least he avoided the pitfalls of dancing off-beat.

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Boston Music

Fans joked about what kind of music would have put more energy into Affleck, leaning heavily on his reputation as a Bostonian.

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Perspective

Fans joked that Affleck's disinterest in the Grammys put their own experiences into perspective, as they could not be having as bad a time as this actor.

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Act Energetic

Viewers wondered why Affleck didn't at least act like he was enjoying himself a bit more, and why people close to him like Lopez didn't advise him to step it up a bit.

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Laugh Factor

On the other hand, many viewers were entertained by Affleck's demeanor and were pleased it featured so heavily in the night's broadcast.

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Introvert

Many fans sympathized with Affleck as a fellow introvert, feeling like his behavior didn't reflect on the performance itself but the long, drawn-out event.

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Dunkin

Finally, as with any Ben Affleck meme, this one included plenty of references to his beloved Dunkin Donuts coffee franchise.

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