Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding’s $1 million win gives Millionaire biggest boost in a year

Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding’s $1 million Millionaire win delivers ABC’s strongest ratings performance in a year

Ben Affleck and Jamie Ding’s appearance on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire has delivered a major ratings boost for ABC. The episode, which saw the pair win a $1 million prize for the Eastern Congo Initiative, became the show’s best performance in a year.

According to Nielsen data, the July 29 episode attracted 4.22 million live-plus-same-day viewers, marking a 4% increase compared with the Season 5 premiere, which drew 4.07 million viewers. The episode also ranked as the top-rated programme of the night for the second consecutive week.

Affleck and Ding secured the seven-figure prize after correctly answering a question about presidential turkey pardons. The entire $1 million winnings will benefit the Eastern Congo Initiative, a US-based advocacy and grant-making organisation focused on supporting communities in eastern Congo.

The ratings success marks the biggest audience for Who Wants to Be a Millionaire since actor Matt Damon, a longtime friend and creative collaborator of Affleck, won the same $1 million prize with former Jeopardy! champion Ken Jennings last summer.

The ABC game show returned for its fifth season in 2026 after being revived by Jimmy Kimmel in 2020. The latest season features several celebrity contestants, including Affleck and Ding, Larry David and Cazzie David, Jason Alexander and Wayne Knight, as well as Tig Notaro and Pete Holmes.

Upcoming episodes will feature country music star Brad Paisley teaming up with MLB legend Clayton Kershaw, followed by comedian Michael Kosta and actress Wendi McLendon-Covey.

New episodes of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire air on ABC and stream the following day on Hulu.