Ben Dreyfuss Breaks Silence on Dad’s Rant – What He Says Will Shock You!

It seemed as though Ben Dreyfuss, offspring of actor Richard Dreyfuss, distanced himself from his father’s most recent scandal by humorously commenting on the uproar the Academy Award recipient recently caused at a “Jaws” screening.

However, when he referred to the “appalling, scandalous behavior” of one of his family members, he was not, as it turns out, making a reference to his 76-year-old father.

The senior Dreyfuss, who had leading roles in “Jaws” and “American Graffiti,” created quite a commotion at the Cabot in Beverly, Massachusetts, by allegedly delivering a tirade on women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and the #MeToo movement. This led to a number of audience members exiting the theater. The venue later issued a formal apology for the “upset” it caused.

The younger Dreyfuss, a journalist and an actor who portrayed a younger version of his father’s character in “Madoff,” made a humorous comment on the incident via a tweet on Monday.

“Regarding my father: well, now you understand why I denied him access to his own twitter account for ten years lol” he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “This will be my only comment on the subject. Thank you.”

But it wasn’t his last statement. As the media began reporting on his apparent reaction, Ben Dreyfuss clarified that an earlier tweet about the “appalling, scandalous behavior” of a family member was misinterpreted. He stated that he was only jesting about his sister’s recent switch to an Android phone.

“This @DailyMail article misrepresents this thread,” he said in a subsequent tweet. “I’m clearly not a left-wing activist and the ‘joke’ was not about his twitter account, but about the appalling, scandalous behavior (of my sister switching to Android).”

“I didn’t label my dad’s behavior as ‘appalling’ or ‘scandalous’ since I wasn’t present and didn’t witness it!” he added. “My dad and I have differing opinions on many issues. But we live in a free country. People are entitled to hold different views on matters.”

His father’s comments — allegedly made prior to a screening of “Jaws” on Saturday — were certainly in conflict with several patrons of the 850-seat Cabot theater. The venue’s executive director, J. Casey Soward, estimated that about 125 people left the sold-out event and encountered many who were “extremely upset” about Dreyfuss’ behavior and comments.

In a YouTube video seemingly from the event, Dreyfuss is seen dancing onto the stage in a dress over his button-up shirt with Taylor Swift’s “Love Story” playing. Two stagehands subsequently removed the dress while Dreyfuss imitated a striptease before donning a blazer and taking his seat before the screening. The reason for the actor’s unusual entrance remains unclear; Dreyfuss’ representatives were not immediately available for comment.

While a comprehensive account of the “The Goodbye Girl” Oscar winner’s full remarks is not yet available, Dreyfuss is said to have given “a hate-filled speech that disparaged women in film, the #MeToo movement, and LGBTQ rights.” The actor also criticized his “Nuts” producer Barbra Streisand, labeling her both a “genius” and an “idiot,” and expressed “prejudiced opinions” on transgender children and their parents, according to the Hollywood Reporter and Deadline. (Last May, Dreyfuss criticized the Academy Awards’ efforts to promote diversity, which he claimed “make me want to puke.”)

The Boston Globe reported that the “Mr. Holland’s Opus” and “Close Encounters of the Third Kind” star also made derogatory remarks about trans rights, making a pointed comment that instigated the first wave of walkouts.

“It’s not acceptable because when the kid turns 15, she’s going to say, ‘I’m an octopus,’” he allegedly said, according to the Globe. This comment angered many in the audience, who vocally expressed their disapproval at Dreyfuss. Others simply left.

“He was met with boos and then said something along the lines of ‘Oh, it’s gonna be one of those kinds of crowds’, Soward told the newspaper. Dreyfuss, who founded the Dreyfuss Civics Initiative in 2006, also expressed dissatisfaction with the state of civics education in the United States, urging audience members to “ensure your kids are not the last generation of Americans. And you know exactly what I mean.”

Soward, like the audience, was apparently unprepared for the outspoken star to react in such a manner.

“Sometimes people go to see a comedian who has these views and it’s public knowledge. They’re essentially opting in for that experience,” Soward said. “But in this case, people thought they were going to watch a screening of a movie and perhaps hear some anecdotes from the film.”

Soward informed the Globe that as soon as people started leaving, he began preparing an apology that was subsequently emailed to ticketholders. On Tuesday, the Cabot released a full statement attributed to Soward that apologized for Dreyfuss’ remarks and for not foreseeing the potentially inflammatory nature of his appearance.

“We are aware of, and share serious concerns, following the recent event with Richard Dreyfuss prior to a screening of the film ‘Jaws’ at The Cabot,” the statement read. “The opinions expressed by Mr. Dreyfuss do not mirror the values of inclusivity and respect that we uphold as an organization. We deeply regret the distress that this has caused to many of our patrons.

“We regret that an event that was supposed to be a discussion to celebrate an iconic film instead became a platform for political views. We accept full responsibility for the oversight in not predicting the direction of the conversation and for the discomfort it caused to many patrons,” the statement continued.

The Cabot stated that it is “actively engaging” with its patrons about their experience and is committed to learning from this incident “how to better fulfill our mission of entertaining, educating, and inspiring our community.”