It turns out that Jennifer Garner was the secret genius behind one of late-night TV’s most iconic sketches. Yep, the hilarious I’m F***ing Ben Affleck from Jimmy Kimmel Live! wouldn’t have existed without her lightbulb moment. And when you learn how it came to life, you’ll wonder why she doesn’t have a comedy writing credit.
The story starts with Jimmy Kimmel’s long-running “feud” with Matt Damon—a gag born from a bad night at the office. Kimmel, down on his luck after hosting a lineup he generously described as “below D-list,” ended the show with a cheeky apology: “I want to apologize to Matt Damon. We ran out of time.” It was an off-the-cuff joke, but Damon’s publicist encouraged him to keep it going.
Fast-forward to Kimmel’s then-girlfriend, Sarah Silverman, who upped the ante in the feud. For one of the show’s anniversary episodes, she surprised Kimmel with a now-infamous video: “I’m F***ing Matt Damon.” Kimmel, completely blindsided, later called it “the single most successful thing we’ve ever done on the show”—and, hilariously, he had zero involvement in making it.
Not to be outdone, Kimmel needed a follow-up. That’s where Jennifer Garner entered the chat. According to Entertainment Weekly, she pitched the idea of flipping the script with a Ben Affleck version. Over dinner, she floated the concept to Harrison Ford, who loved it and wanted in on the action. If Indiana Jones himself was game, how could Kimmel resist?
With Ford’s enthusiasm as fuel, the project snowballed. The team transformed the bit into a star-studded parody that resembled a We Are the World-style music video. Celebrities lined up to play along, making the sketch an instant viral sensation. “The rest is Internet history,” Kimmel said. And he’s not wrong. The skit cemented its place in pop culture lore, proving that a little dinner-table brainstorming (and many A-listers) can create comedy gold.
As for Kimmel, the mastermind behind so many laughs couldn’t have guessed that others’ brilliant ideas sparked his most memorable moments. Jennifer Garner’s BTS brilliance is just another reminder that she’s also got a killer sense of humor. So, the next time you find yourself cracking up over Kimmel’s antics, don’t forget to thank the real MVP of “I’m F***ing Ben Affleck.”
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