Ben made surprise appearance at the 2015 ESPY Awards to present Derek Jeter with the Iconic Award and joked that Derek broke his heart when he retired from his job as an athlete.
- July 16, 2015
AceShowbiz -
Ben Affleck surprised everyone at the 2015 ESPY Awards as he showed up at the event without prior announcement. During the event taking place on Wednesday, July 15 in Los Angeles, the newly single actor was a special guest presenting retired New York Yankees captain Derek Jeter with the Iconic Award.
"If you're from Boston you always wanted to hate our next honoree," Ben said of Derek before giving the athlete the trophy. "There was something about him that made the boo's ring a little hollow. Maybe it was his inimitable class, maybe it was that he won with dignity and lost with grace. Maybe it was simply that we knew no matter what, he was a winner regardless."
Ben continued the speech, joking that Derek had broken his heart many times. "Boston fans can be many things, but we know baseball and we respect those that play the game the way it was meant to be played," Ben went on. "He broke my heart 100 times, if not more."
Ben said that Derek broke his again "when he retired, because he was absolutely one of the very best ever to play the game of baseball." Ben concluded, "So to you Derek Jeter, I tip my hat, and I thank you for every last moment of your incredible career. You made the game better for everyone."
During his surprise appearance, Ben could be seen sporting his wedding ring which he ditched earlier this week following his appearance at San Diego Comic-Con. It also marked Ben's second public appearance after splitting from Jennifer Garner.
While Derek was honored with an award, show host Joel McHale was slammed by Conan O'Brien and Seth Meyers over his ESPY monologue which was aired earlier at the ceremony. "I honestly don't know what Joel was doing in his monologue," Conan jokingly said in a taped video.
Seth later added, "When you perform in front of athletes, you need to be perfect - any stumble, any mistake, they're going to notice." He was then interrupted by a makeup artist and said, "No, not now - we're filming." The mockery was featured in a skit promoting a behind-the-scenes film called "What's So Funny".
