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Alanis Morissette Says Ben Affleck Once Asked Why She Didn’t Lead with Her Sexuality, Then Answered with His Exploding Dogma Head

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A still from the 1999 film Dogma

Alanis Morissette was listing complaints people have made about her during her Los Angeles residency when she singled out her Dogma co-star Ben Affleck.

A still from the 1999 film Dogma
A scene from Kevin Smith’s 1999 film Dogma. (Dogma, 1999)

“I’ve even had a guy ask me why I didn’t lead with my sexuality,” she told the audience at “Butterfly with a Machete: A Rock Traumedy.” “Thank you, Ben Affleck.”

A scene from the 1999 film Dogma
A scene from Kevin Smith’s 1999 film Dogma. (Dogma, 1999)

She followed that story with a scene from Dogma in which Affleck’s character, Bartleby, has his head explode. Morissette plays God in the 1999 film, and it’s her character who causes the explosion.

A still from the 1999 film Dogma
A scene from Kevin Smith’s 1999 film Dogma. (Dogma, 1999)

Kevin Smith directed the movie, whose cast also includes Matt Damon and Salma Hayek. Affleck praised the film’s “cool cast” in a 2025 interview.

Morissette also spoke about her sexuality on the Nov. 3 episode of the Handsome podcast. Fortune Feimster asked whether her experiences with men had ever made her want to be a lesbian.

“I’m pansexual, so, yeah,” Morissette replied. When co-host Tig Notaro asked whether she was “really pansexual,” she confirmed, “I am.”

A still from the 1999 film Dogma
A scene from Kevin Smith’s 1999 film Dogma. (Dogma, 1999)
A scene from the 1999 film Dogma
A scene from Kevin Smith’s 1999 film Dogma. (Dogma, 1999)
Two dark-haired women face each other in conversation outside a large wooden door in a movie scene.
A scene from Kevin Smith’s 1999 film Dogma, in which two women speak intensely outside a large wooden door. Credit: Dogma (1999)
A man in silver armor with large white feathered wings spread wide stands before an ornate wooden door.
Bartleby, the fallen angel played by Ben Affleck, spreads his massive white feathered wings while wearing silver armor in a scene from Dogma. Credit: Dogma (1999)
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Chrissy Stockton

Chrissy is the co-founder of Creepy Catalog. She has over 10 years of experience writing about horror, a degree in philosophy and Reiki level II certification.

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