Richard Dreyfuss’ Son Exposes Family Estrangement With Explosive Emails

Hollywood legend Richard Dreyfuss is back in the headlines, not for a new role, but for a deeply personal family rift now spilling into the public eye. The "Jaws" and "Close Encounters" star is reportedly estranged from all three of his adult children, according to new posts from his eldest son, Ben Dreyfuss, who claims the 78-year-old actor has “no money” left and that their relationship has deteriorated beyond repair. The revelations come after Ben shared long-buried details about the Dreyfuss family’s years-long turmoil, including the MeToo-era allegations that fractured their bond and what he calls the final, heartbreaking email exchange between him and his father.

Richard Dreyfuss’ eldest son, Ben Dreyfuss, is pulling back the curtain on years of painful family conflict and revealing that he and his Oscar-winning father are no longer on speaking terms. In a series of since-deleted tweets, the 39-year-old confirmed the family rift while also claiming the Jaws actor “has no money” to leave to him or his siblings, Harry and Emily. Ben told followers that even if Richard did have money, “we wouldn’t get it since we’ve been estranged ever since some complicated family drama to do with MeToo.”

According to USA Today, Ben explained that drama erupted in 2017 after he tweeted support from Richard’s account for his brother Harry’s claim that Kevin Spacey groped him at age 18. Ben said the post “prompted someone to MeToo” Richard, referring to writer Jessica Teich’s allegation that the actor exposed himself to her, an accusation Richard “emphatically” denied. But within the family, Ben says Richard blamed him, which led to “years of acrimony.”

Earlier this week, Ben published what he described as his and Richard’s “final email exchange” on Substack. The messages, sent in January 2024, revealed deep tension surrounding a volatile family dinner in 2022.

Ben recalled the night spiraling when he brought up being labeled a “nepo baby.” He admitted he didn’t explain himself well before he and his siblings erupted into an argument. He also confessed to calling his father a homophobic slur during the blow-up and said he’s been “trying to make amends” for more than a year.

Richard’s alleged response was a furious all-caps message that included, “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.”

He followed with, “UNTIL YOU ALL WROTE SOMETHING ADDRESSING THE LIES, DISTORTIONS… YOU WOULD NOT BE HEARING FROM ME.” Ben then told readers, “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-ck it.”

Not long after Ben’s posts, Dreyfuss’ daughter Emily weighed in publicly, saying she is “relieved” their family turmoil is “out in the open now.”

With Ben’s revelation about the family rift tracing back to his tweet from Richard’s account supporting his brother Harry’s claim that Kevin Spacey groped him at age 18, it’s fitting that Spacey himself is making headlines again, but for a very different reason.

In a new interview with The Telegraph, the actor revealed that he is effectively homeless after losing the Baltimore residence where he lived for 12 years. “I’m living in hotels, I’m living in Airbnbs,” he shared, adding that financial strain from years of legal battles has wiped him out.

Spacey was accused in 2017 of sexually assaulting four men between 2004 and 2013 while serving as artistic director at London’s Old Vic Theatre. He faced nine criminal charges, all of which he denied. In July 2023, a jury acquitted him of every count, and he had previously won a civil case brought by actor Anthony Rapp in 2022.

Still, the fallout has been severe. “The costs over these last seven years have been astronomical,” Spacey admitted. “I’ve had very little coming in and everything going out.” The actor, once one of Hollywood’s most in-demand stars, said he now moves from place to place as work allows. “In weird ways, I feel I’m back to where I first started, which is I just went where the work was,” he said.