Spencer Pratt is calling out Ben Affleck after a clip resurfaced from Affleck’s 2021 appearance on “The Howard Stern Show,” where the actor spoke about addiction, recovery, and suffering, as reported by Fox News.
Affleck, 53, has publicly discussed his battle with alcoholism for years. In the resurfaced clip, the Oscar winner reflected on his sobriety and said, “The cure for addiction is suffering.”
The comments drew a sharp response from Pratt, who reposted the clip on Monday and criticized Affleck’s view of addiction. Pratt, a former Los Angeles mayoral candidate, made the city’s addiction crisis one of the central issues of his campaign.
“I’d love for Ben to join me on Skid Row and explain his addiction theory to the methed out psychos skinning dogs alive and sleeping in their own feces,” Pratt wrote. “Plenty of suffering out there, and yet…somehow the addiction persists. I wonder what the difference is…”
I’d love for Ben to join me on Skid Row and explain his addiction theory to the methed out psychos skinning dogs alive and sleeping in their own feces. Plenty of suffering out there, and yet…somehow the addiction persists. I wonder what the difference is… https://t.co/VJP4fAhhrI
— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) August 3, 2026
Fox News Digital has reached out to representatives for Affleck and Pratt for comment.
In the resurfaced interview, Affleck argued that suffering had been the turning point in his own recovery. He said the things he feared losing most were not related to his career or money, but to his family.
Affleck said his relationship with his children became central to that realization. “I recognized it. It was the worst day of my life. I made amends.”
The actor added that he wondered for a time whether the feeling would last. “But since that day, I swear to Christ, I have not ever wanted to drink once.”
Pratt, 42, entered the Los Angeles mayoral race after losing his home in the devastating Palisades Fire in January 2025. He announced his campaign on the first anniversary of the disaster.
During the campaign, the “The Hills” alum argued that Los Angeles was facing an addiction crisis that was driving much of the city’s visible homelessness. In March, Pratt said, “LA doesn’t have a homeless problem. We have a drug problem.”
Pratt repeatedly supported active intervention for people suffering from severe addiction. He argued that some people should be placed into involuntary treatment under California’s expanded conservatorship law, SB 43, because many were incapable of seeking help on their own.
In May, Pratt unveiled a five-step plan that centered on addiction treatment rather than housing. The plan proposed large rehabilitation campuses on federal land outside residential neighborhoods.
His plan also called for ending taxpayer-funded distribution of drug paraphernalia and enforcing existing drug laws. It also included partnering with the Drug Enforcement Administration to target fentanyl dealers, organized drug trafficking, and international cartels operating in LA.
Pratt also said the city should crack down on what he described as NGOs and organizations that bus addicts into Los Angeles from other states to receive services. As part of his campaign, he pointed to reports of abused dogs on Skid Row and framed them as another consequence of the city’s drug crisis.
He also repeatedly accused Mayor Karen Bass and Councilmember Nithya Raman of spending billions on homelessness without adequately addressing addiction. Pratt conceded the mayoral race in June, but has continued to weigh in on Los Angeles addiction, homelessness and public safety issues through social media.
Affleck first sought treatment for alcohol addiction in 2001. He has also spoken about later rehab stays in 2017 and 2018.
The “Argo” star has described alcoholism as a lifelong struggle and has acknowledged relapses. He has said his three children, Violet, 20, Seraphina, 17, and Samuel, 14, whom he shares with ex-wife Jennifer Garner, have motivated his commitment to sobriety.
During a 2020 appearance on “ABC News” with Diane Sawyer, Affleck spoke about growing up with an alcoholic father. “My dad, he was drunk every day, and that was just life,” he recalled.
“Then as that got worse, that was really, really painful. But I always said, that would never be me. I am never going to do that.”
Affleck said that experience shaped how he views sobriety as a parent. “I wish he had been sober during those formative years, but what he’s taught me is how important it is for me to be sober
