Ben Affleck was accused of 'impersonating' himself on Instagram and had his account banned twice... five years after cringe Raya incident

Ben Affleck revealed that he was banned from Instagram twice after he was accused of 'impersonating' himself on the platform. 

The 54-year-old actor, who recently shared that his Hollywood friends wouldn't return his calls when his films flopped, shared the revelation during a cover story for Variety published on Wednesday. 

The topic was brought up as the Oscar winner talked about social media's current involvement in the entertainment industry.

'I got banned from Instagram twice for impersonating myself,' Affleck told the outlet. 'I had six followers.' 

The Hollywood star continued, 'It was my kids and some of their friends. It was just an excuse for me to look at [my kids'] social media accounts.' 

The father-of-three further reflected on how there had been 'a time when everything you said or did wasn't on the permanent record.' 

'As you get older, you become aware of what that means. I experienced the whole world and had a whole life in private. I have a real sense of how valuable that is.' 

When it comes to the modern industry, Affleck explained to Variety, 'Every time I do a movie with young actors, we talk and I get a sense it's tougher. 

'They feel an enormous pressure to be accruing an online following. Casting directors ask about [social followings] because it's a meaningful metric.' 

Daily Mail has reached out to a rep of Affleck for comment, but has yet to hear back. 

Five years earlier, Affleck was involved in a cringe Raya incident that went viral on TikTok in May 2021. 

Media personality Nivine Jay had uploaded a video to the platform with the caption: 'Thinking of the time I matched with Ben Affleck on Raya and thought it was fake so I unmatched him and he sent me a video on Instagram.'

The Good Will Hunting actor was then seen in an Instagram video as he spoke directly to the camera. 

He was confirming his identity to the woman as he asked, 'Nivine, why did you unmatch me? It's me.'

Raya is an exclusive dating app that was launched back in 2015, with potential users submitting an application and undergoing a vetting process before being allowed to make a profile. 

Following massive fan response over the viral TikTok, Jay later insisted that the actor wasn't being a 'creep' when he reached out to her on Instagram after she unmatched him on Raya. 

'I'm seeing a lot of comments calling him a creep and l don't think that's fair. l wasn't making fun of him in the video,' she told E! News at the time. 

'l was making fun of myself for thinking he was a catfish and it was just supposed to be funny.' 

The following year, Affleck clarified that he had not been active on dating apps in years. 

'Raya has confirmed that he has not been an active member for several years,' a rep for the actor told People. 

Earlier this month, Affleck offered a rare update on his love life following his divorce from Jennifer Lopez.

He opened up about the topic while talking to Entertainment Tonight at the glitzy premiere of his new film Animals in Los Angeles.

When questioned about dating, the Oscar winner told the outlet, 'There's not a lot of room. I'm not running around. It's just not a big priority in my life.'

Affleck further expressed that he is both 'good and happy' being single while focusing on other priorities, such as raising his children. 

The star shares Violet, 20, Fin, 17, and Samuel, 14, with ex-wife Jennifer Garner. The former couple were married from 2005 through 2018.  

Affleck had rekindled his romance with Lopez in 2021 after the pair had initially separated back in 2004.

The two stars went on to say 'I do' in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022 and took part in a larger ceremony in August 2022 at the actor's Georgia property in front of family as well as close friends.

Lopez filed for divorce from Affleck on the two-year anniversary of their Georgia wedding. The divorce was finalized in early 2025.

Affleck discussed other topics during his recent conversation with Variety, and made rare comments about Lopez. 

The former couple have collaborated on projects post-divorce such as the film Kiss Of The Spider Woman (2025).

When questioned why he believes Lopez has been 'overlooked' when it comes to awards season, Affleck replied, 'I'm biased. I have an enormous amount of respect and admiration for what she can do.

'What I've found with awards is that sometimes the degree of commercial success for things doesn't always correlate to my taste. It's a part of this weird, subjective business that people bring a lot of their own stuff to.'

He added, 'But guess what? I don’t think you die and go to heaven, and God says, "This was the actual best picture in 1986." At the end of the day, it's just a bunch of people voting on movie prizes.'

Affleck also gave insight into his 'wonderful' co-parenting relationship with Garner, before giving credit to his kids for continuing to work in Hollywood. 

'I'm divorced, I have shared custody, and I don't want to miss these years. My kids are here, and their life is flying by.'

He added, 'I don't want to have to be in Shreveport or New Mexico in order to work.'