Amid the sexual harassment allegations surrounding several high-profile members of the film industry, Affleck has come under fire - yet again - from fans, after appearing to make a joke about ongoing allegations.

During a recent interview to promote his new film Justice League with his co-stars, the group were asked who they'd choose to join their superhero team, to which Superman actor Henry Cavill suggested Supergirl, while his co-stars put forward magician-turned-hero Zantanna as a contender.

Following an inappropriate reference to the character's fishnet tights by Good Will Hunting star Ben, Ray Fisher (who plays Cyborg), added: 'I think it would create a different dynamic.'

In response, Affleck chimed in to comment: 'Are you following the news at all?'

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While the actor laughed awkwardly at his own joke, his co-stars remained silent (other than Gal Gadot who seemingly laughed at Affleck, rather than at the quip), until Fisher continued his answer.

Unsurprisingly, Affleck's light-hearted comment about serious sexual misconduct allegations in the film industry didn't sit well with fans.

One Twitter user posted: 'Oh my god was he joking about all the cases of rape and harassment that are being revealed???'

Another messaged: 'Ben Affleck casually making a joke about the sexual assault allegations in Hollywood is like Next level trash and I wish Ezra [Miller] would've clocked him since he was sitting the closest to him.'

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The Argo director's comment comes a month after he spoke out against Harvey Weinstein in the wake of the ongoing sexual harassment scandal surrounding the film producer.

In his statement posted on Facebook, Affleck wrote: 'I am saddened and angry that a man who I worked with used his position of power to intimidate, sexually harass and manipulate many women over decades.'

A week later, BFF and colleague Matt Damon revealed that both he and the father-of-three were aware of Weinstein's harassment of friend and Affleck's ex girlfriend, Gwyneth Paltrow.

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The 43-year-old was also forced to apologise to former TRL presenter Hilarie Burton after footage emerged of him behaving inappropriately with the star - and another interviewer - on camera.

Earlier this month, the star told The Associated Press that he's 'looking at my own behaviour and addressing that and making sure I'm part of the solution', following the scandal.

The star suggested that two things need to happen to prevent harassment from happening in the industry - firstly, that 'more women need to be pushed to power', and secondly, that sexual harassment has to be acknowledged as 'a men's issue' where men call out inappropriate behaviour.

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Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.