Who is Richard Dreyfuss’ son? Ben Dreyfuss reveals estrangement from Jaws star

Ben Dreyfuss, the son of actor Richard Dreyfuss with his former wife, screenwriter Jeramie Rain, built a career far from the spotlight that defined his father’s early fame.

According to his LinkedIn profile, he is a writer and editor who carved out a niche in digital media. Ben Dreyfuss now writes for Calm Down, a Substack focused on internet politics, after serving as Mother Jones’ editorial director for growth and strategy. The New York Observer once described him as a “social media wizard,” a reputation strengthened by seminars he taught internationally and by profiles in Politico, Mashable, and Nieman Lab that highlighted his work “mastering the dark arts."

His teams earned nominations for two National Magazine Awards, and his contributions were part of Mother Jones’ 2017 win for Best Overall Magazine.

Reason magazine called his work “wickedly amusing,” and his writing reached more than 20 million readers, showing up in numerous outlets, even making an appearance in Barack Obama’s 2016 White House Correspondents’ Dinner speech. Ben Dreyfuss also appeared on Fox, NBC, NPR, and CBC, and in 2016 he portrayed Young Bernie Madoff in ABC’s miniseries Madoff. The family returned to headlines recently after Ben Dreyfuss revealed why he and his siblings have been “estranged” from their Oscar-winning father.

---

Ben Dreyfuss details estrangement from father Richard Dreyfuss following old family incident

Richard Dreyfuss’ son, Ben, opened up about what he described as a “complicated” dynamic within his family, shedding new light on his relationship with the Oscar-winning actor. According to a report from the New York Post, Ben Dreyfuss took to social media last week to say that he and his siblings, Emily and Harry, had been “estranged” from the 78-year-old Jaws star. He said the distance followed an incident that took place several years earlier. Richard shares all three children with his ex-wife, Jeramie Rain; the couple divorced in 1995.

“Everyone assumes my siblings and I are wealthy from our dad and we’re all a bit too uncomfortable to make it clear, but we have no money from my dad,” Ben wrote in a tweet posted on Nov. 13 and later deleted, as reported by USA Today.

He said the family tension grew out of what he called “complicated family drama” tied to the se*ual assault allegations his younger brother, Harry, made against Kevin Spacey. Harry detailed the encounter in a BuzzFeed essay in November 2017, and Spacey had denied the allegation.

Ben added that he once shared a post supporting Harry from their father’s Twitter account, believing that the tweet prompted a woman to come forward with her own se*ual assault allegation against the American Graffiti actor.

“That tweet prompted someone to MeToo my dad. He blames us for that, this led to years of acrimony,” Ben shared.

---

Ben Dreyfuss shares final email from his father amid the family rift

Ben Dreyfuss later turned to his Substack blog to expand on the reasons behind his family’s estrangement from Richard Dreyfuss and to share what he said was the last email he had ever received from the Oscar-winning actor.

“You’ve possibly already seen this in the papers, but I don’t talk to my dad anymore, it’s easy to write that like it’s nothing, but it’s been sitting in my head like a monster for years,” he wrote.

He added that the “simplest way to own this” was to publish their final exchange.

“I’ve sent plenty since, but he hasn’t replied,” he shared.

According to Ben, the email appeared to have been sent after a tense family dinner in San Francisco in 2022. In it, he apologized for “screaming at each other” over “a completely separate tangent over who is to blame for what.” Richard’s response arrived mostly in all caps, addressing money and mentioning both Ben and his sister Emily.

“AT LEAST KEEP THIS ONE LETTER. IT’LL BE THE LAST ONE UNLESS YOU STOP BEING A COWARD. OR START BEING BETTER THAN YOUR BROTHER OR SISTER,” the actor wrote. Ben said that message was the last time his father responded.

He ended his Substack entry by saying he still cared deeply for Richard.

“I love my father. I have always loved him. I think he’s better than this email, but it’s been two years, and this appears to be the last email I’m ever going to get from him, so f**k it,” he shared.

The New York Post reported that Emily Dreyfuss reacted to her brother’s account with a post of her own.

“Ever since we became estranged from our dad, it’s been nearly impossible for me to write, for the first time, the thing most on my mind was something I couldn’t talk about, ” she wrote on X.

“Ben and I have different experiences of this sadness,” she added, “but I’m relieved it’s finally out in the open now.”

It remains to be seen if the family issues any futher statements.