What's The 'Ben Affleck Smoking' Meme? The Famous Photo's Origin And History, Explained

Actor Ben Affleck is one of America's sweethearts. However, in the Ben Affleck smoking meme, he looks anything but sweet.

The Boston native has inspired numerous meme templates over the years, which mostly bank on his humorously sad expressions that seem to be a daily occurrence for him (despite being married to Jennifer Lopez). Out of all of his photos, the "smoking a depressing cigarette" one might be his best, proving its virality as a reaction image to this day.

So, where did it come from? Who took the photograph and who uploaded the first meme? Let's explain.

What Is The 'Ben Affleck Smoking' Meme?

If you haven't gathered what the meme is already, it's basically just a photo of Ben Affleck wearing a blue sweater and jeans, standing outside of a building while smoking a cigarette. However, the cigarette is not in Affleck's mouth. Instead, he's holding it to the side while his face is looking upwards. His eyes are closed and he appears to be sighing. Maybe he was having a bad day.

Who Took The Original 'Ben Affleck Smoking' Photo?

The original paparazzi photograph was taken back in August 2016. It was originally published by the news outlet The Cut as a part of a photo series that showed Affleck smoking, vaping and looking objectively miserable.

The one of him in the blue sweater was no doubt the stand-out from the collection. The Cut gave context to the photo's setting, writing:

Ben Affleck loves to smoke and hates the thought of existing in his own body for the rest of his time on earth. This was made apparent earlier this week when he was spotted taking a long, shaky drag on a Camel after spending his 44th birthday with his estranged wife Jennifer Garner and their three children in London. This is not the first time Affleck has inhaled smoke and stared up at his own eyelids pondering quiet escape from everything, of course.

Who Started The 'Ben Affleck Smoking' Meme?

After the photograph went viral, meme creators started pairing it with captions that matched the low energy of Affleck's expression. In turn, the meme format started to spread on Twitter, Instagram, Tumblr and Reddit, among other platforms were meme creators congregated.

The first known internet user to make a meme with the Ben Affleck smoking photo was a Twitter user named @disparate who likened him to a Literally Me character.

From there, the meme just took off, predominantly peaking in usage in mid-2019. From juggling Dunkin' Donuts to getting bored at the Grammys, Ben Affleck is a meme machine with no sign of slowing down.

For the full history of Ben Affleck smoking, be sure to check out our entry on the meme here for even more information.