Ben Affleck explains TV rant

Hollywood actor Ben Affleck has explained himself following his headline-grabbing TV rant last month (Oct14).

The Gone Girl star became embroiled in a heated debate when he was a guest on TV show Real Time With Bill Maher, raising his voice and describing the discussion as "gross" and "racist".

Affleck exploded with rage after the host made a controversial comment about Muslims, describing Islam as "the only religion that acts like the Mafia", and he has now explained why he took out his frustrations on the TV commentator.

He tells the Associated Press, "I was ultimately making a Sesame Street argument. You don't judge a whole group of people based on the actions of a few... That's the environment around my dinner table when we talk politics. I think I'd rather tell the truth and say what I believe in and make people unhappy than sort of pretend to think something else to accommodate them and try to be liked. That's just the way it goes and I don't think I'm any great champion of anything, but if they're going to put me on a show, I'm going to say what I think."