Bill Simmons’ new show certainly got off to an explosive start Wednesday night thanks to a rant by Ben Affleck that had some fans speculating about whether he is drinking again.
Affleck, who previously went to rehab for alcohol, joined the Boston Sports Guy on the premiere episode of HBO’s “Any Given Wednesday” to talk about the New England Patriots and Deflategate.
Affleck’s reps did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday.
“Deflategate is the ultimate bulls–t, f–king outrage of sports ever … it’s so f–king stupid,” Affleck raged on the show.
Also Read: 'Any Given Wednesday' Review: Bill Simmons and Ben Affleck Get Salty for Sports Nuts
Comparing Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension going into next season to a baseball player being benched for 40 days after being busted for steroids, Affleck said: “If the NFL really knew how to test for steroids, there’d be no f–king NFL.
Many on Twitter speculated the “Batman” actor was inebriated. Some people offered jokes, and others concern.
“Whether you like Ben Affleck or not, the guy’s been waging a war against alcohol for years. Today, he’s losing. It’s NOT funny. It’s tragic,” tweeted television writer Jose Molina.
BTW – we taped AGW in the late-AM, Ben got fired up about DeflateGate during the convo, that's it.
— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) June 23, 2016
Simmons tweeted that they taped the segment in the morning and Affleck “got fired up about DeflateGate during the convo, that’s it.”
Here are some of the tweets.
Was Ben Affleck drunk last night on Bill Simmons’ new HBO show? https://t.co/rwlcja3Rkc pic.twitter.com/U4grbz9AnR
— Salon.com (@Salon) June 23, 2016
I moved to Hollywood to get away from drunken Boston people slurring and screaming about sports. Ben Affleck is ruining it for me.
— Jen Kirkman (@JenKirkman) June 23, 2016
The only explanation for Ben Affleck's recent behavior is that he Freaky Friday'ed with an old drunk Boston guy last year
— Gabriella Paiella (@GMPaiella) June 23, 2016
5 minutes of Ben Affleck drunk on HBO provided more entertainment than the two-and-a-half hours of Batman v Superman.
— Sam Kalidi (@samkalidi) June 23, 2016
Ben Affleck on 'Any Given Wednesday' just confirmed for me that on talk shows yes, that's real alcohol in the glass.
— AJ Marechal (@ajmarechal) June 23, 2016
Whether you like Ben Affleck or not, the guy's been waging a war against alcohol for years. Today, he's losing. It's NOT funny. It's tragic.
— Jose Molina (@JoseMolinaTV) June 23, 2016
After Superman vs Batman, who can blame Ben Affleck for still being drunk.
— Ham on Wry (@realHamOnWry) June 23, 2016
Why is Ben Affleck having such a hard time talking?
— Jeff Skin Wade (@SkinWade) June 23, 2016
Is Ben Affleck drunk and botoxed on #AnyGivenWednesday?
— Jessica (@BeatleBailey68) June 23, 2016
Drunk Ben Affleck on the Bill Simmons show, dropping F-bombs & crying about everyone being mean to Tom Brady.
[HBO]https://t.co/TF7mplL6tk— Funhouse (@RNs_Funhouse) June 23, 2016
Whoa this Ben Affleck interview on #AnyGivenWednesday. A true barstool rant–sad, riveting, and kind of concerning.
— Scott Tobias (@scott_tobias) June 23, 2016
My memories of the first #AnyGivenWednesday: Wondering if Ben Affleck was coked up, and Charles Barkley's upper lip sweat.
— Ryan McGee (@TVMcGee) June 23, 2016
I lack the words to properly describe Ben Affleck’s condition on the Bill Simmons show. #AnyGivenWednesday
— Daniel Fienberg (@TheFienPrint) June 23, 2016
A drunken Ben Affleck swearing about deflate-gate on a talk show is exactly what a famous Bostonian should do
— Victor Chaves (@victor_diesal) June 23, 2016
Affleck’s flood of profanities even appeared to leave Simmons speechless at times.
Watch the NSFW video above.
“Any Given Wednesday” airs Wednesdays on HBO at 10 p.m.
