What Happened With Jimmy Kimmel And Matt Damon? Is Matt Damon And Jimmy Kimmel Friends?
by Samina
Updated Jan 27, 2023
What Happened With Jimmy Kimmel And Matt Damon?
Perhaps you've heard of the Late Night Wars between David Letterman and Jay Leno in 1992, when the two competed to replace Johnny Carson as host of "The Tonight Show," or the subsequent war between Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien in 2010. (via Vulture, CNN). But there's another Late Night War to discuss: the one between "Jimmy Kimmel Live" host Jimmy Kimmel and actor Matt Damon. The pair have been embroiled in a nearly 20-year feud that is as perplexing to them as it is to Kimmel's audience.
What Is The Reason Behind the Feud?
Kimmel's show was not the mega-ratings driver it is today in 2003. So, at the end of the night, Kimmel took a risk that changed everything. "We had a bad performance. The guests were awful, and by the end of the show, I was feeling pretty bad about myself. And I decided to apologise to Matt Damon, much to the amusement of one of our producers who was standing next to me.”I want to apologise to Matt Damon. We ran out of time,” Kimmel told NPR in 2013. "And he got a kick out of it, the producer, so I just started doing it every night to amuse him."
Kimmel chose Damon as the celebrity they would not bump. Even Kimmel is surprised by the joke's longevity. Repeating the same joke every single night, you'd think eventually people would get tired of it, but they don't."
Matt Damon’s Reaction To The Comment
No one was more taken aback by Jimmy Kimmel's remarks than Matt Damon. The two had not even met at this point. "Maybe I had a movie out that week," Damon speculated during a SiriusXM interview, according to YouTube. In any case, Damon maintains a good sense of humour about it, even though the joke became a recurring bit on the show and later evolved into a full-fledged "feud." "It changed the course of both of our lives," Damon said. We've kept this feud going for, you know, it's gotta be 15 years now. We've had a lot of fun doing it."
Are Matt Damon And Jimmy Kimmel Friends?
Damon and Kimmel have become actual friends in the years since, even attending a baseball game in matching "I'm With Stupid" shirts at one point (via MLB). As their alleged feud grew, the pair included their friends and business partners in the fun. Kimmel's then-girlfriend, comedian Sarah Silverman, made a video with Damon in 2008 called "I'm F***ing Matt Damon," in which she claims to be, well, f***ing Matt Damon (via Vox). Kimmel, never one to back down, responded with his own video, "I'm F***ng Ben Affleck," featuring Damon's best friend Ben Affleck.
The gags continued over time: in 2015, the two appeared on-air for "couples therapy," and in 2017, they took it all the way to the Oscars (via Youtube). So, as long as these two are close friends in real life, they appear to be enemies on-screen.
Matt Damon Biography
Specifications
Nickname
Matt Damon
Gender
Male
Age
52 years old (in 2023)
Date of Birth
October 8, 1970
Full Name
Matthew Paige Damon
Profession
Film Actor, Filmmaker, Voice actor, Screenwriter
Nationality
American
Religion
Roman Catholic
Zodiac Sign
Libra
Details
Reference: Superstarsbio
Jimmy Kimmel’s Biography
Specifications
Nickname
Jimmy, Briefcase Joe
Gender
Male
Age
55 years old (in 2023)
Date of Birth
November 13, 1967
Full Name
James Christian Kimmel
Profession
Comedian, TV Host, Producer, Writer
Nationality
American
Birthplace
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Zodiac Sign
Scorpio
Details
Reference: Superstarsbio
What Happened With Jimmy Kimmel And Matt Damon- FAQs
In 2021, he starred in the movies Stillwater and The Last Duel. In 2022, you can see him in Thor: Love and Thunder, and in 2023, watch for him in the movie Oppenheimer. Not many stars would choose to walk away from a busy career.
Jimmy Kimmel is worth about $35 million, and earns $10 million a year in his primary gig as host of Jimmy Kimmel Live.
American late-night talk-show personality, producer, and comedian best known as the host of Jimmy Kimmel Live!
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon have been close since they were kids.
Matt Damon has an IQ of 160.