Ben Affleck is speaking out about paparazzi culture, saying he feels empathy for Britney Spears because he believes the public often saw her reactions without seeing the pressure that helped produce them.
What Affleck said about Britney Spears and “collective cruelty”
In an appearance on Theo Von’s podcast, This Past Weekend, Affleck said he “had a lot of empathy” for Spears during the years she faced intense paparazzi attention, even though he doesn’t know her personally.
He described the dynamic as a “kind of collective cruelty,” arguing that the context gets stripped away: the cameras capture the reaction, but not the sustained pushing that can lead to it.
Affleck also connected the idea to his own experience, saying paparazzi often catch him when he’s simply trying to move around—especially when he’s with his children—which can create misleading snapshots that spread online.
Why the comments landed now
Affleck’s remarks echo long-running criticism of how the paparazzi economy rewards escalation. In the same discussion, he suggested photographers are financially incentivized to follow, pressure, and keep pushing until they get a more dramatic moment on camera.
The framing also taps into the broader public re-evaluation of how Spears was treated during the most heavily photographed, most scrutinized stretch of her career.
