Ben Affleck Accused of Joining Hollywood ‘Midlife Crisis’ Club with Shocking New Look

Something has happened to Ben Affleck’s gray-tinged locks.

At 52, the Oscar winner has been rocking the salt-and-pepper look for a few years now, but fans did a double take when he stepped out with dramatically darker hair and beard. Affleck debuted his surprising new look at CinemaCon in Las Vegas on April 2, where he was promoting his upcoming thriller, The “Accountant 2,” along with cast mates Jon Bernthal, Daniella Pineda, and Cynthia Addai-Robinson.

Despite the large gathering of Hollywood A-listers, all eyes were on Affleck’s hair. The noticeable transformation came just one week after he opened up about his divorce from Jennifer Lopez to GQ, and critics say the new ‘do is a sign of a “midlife crisis.”

But fans have a different take. Despite all the headlines and online buzz, many say it’s time to give Affleck — and all men who dye their hair — a pass.

“You know, we women can’t judge men for this. We are always complaining about how judged we are for our looks, and plenty of us including myself dye our hair. There’s nothing wrong with a man doing the same thing,” wrote one supporter in the comments section of the Daily Mail Online.

“Just because colouring hair is seen as a woman thing doesn’t mean men can’t. Though I do like the fact that some men are feeling like they have to colour their hair to be seen as looking younger! LOL,” wrote another.

Affleck is certainly not the only “dye-hard” in Hollywood these days. A few silver foxes have rolled back the years with the help of an overenthusiastic colorist. Both George Clooney, 63, and Leonardo DiCaprio, 50, have ditched the gray recently.

Known as the quintessential charming older gent, Clooney often extols aging naturally, making his turn to the dark side shocking to everyone, including his wife, Amal Clooney. In a February 2025 interview with The New York Times, he admitted that his family is not a fan.

“My wife is going to hate it because nothing makes you look older than when an older guy dyes his hair,” he said. “My kids are just going to laugh at me nonstop.” It turns out that he made the change for art. The two-time Oscar winner is currently lighting up the Broadway stage as legendary journalist Edward R. Murrow in “Good Night, And Good Luck,” and he dyed his hair for the role.

Leonardo DiCaprio, 50, is another A-lister who recently unveiled a new look. He appeared with much darker hair and thicker eyebrows during award season and again at CinemaCon to promote his upcoming comedy action film, “One Battle After Another.” He’s set to play opposite Benicio del Toro, another former silver fox who has turned to the dark side. It’s unclear if DiCaprio dyed his hair for the role or if the Hollywood star is simply trying to keep up with the young people around him — including his 26-year-old model girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti, who is half his age.

Whatever the actors’ reasons for the dramatic hair change, fans are holding back judgment with a few caveats. “If they can’t get really good face and neck work to match, it just looks like shoe polish on an aging manikin head,” was the advice from one commenter.

“There’s a good dye and bad dye..don’t be a bad dye.”