Image Source: Getty / Gilbert Flores
There have been some explosive celebrity feuds over the years, but one of the best ones yet isn’t even real. We’re talking about Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon‘s long-standing frenemy relationship. The two stars are known for playing up their “hatred” for each other now and then, but when exactly did their fake feud start?
Well, it all began during the third season of “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in 2005, when the late-night TV host ended his show by jokingly apologizing to Damon for running out of time. “We had a bad show,” Kimmel explained to NPR in 2013. “The guests were bad, and I was feeling pretty bad about myself at the end of the program, and I decided to say [it] for the amusement of one of our producers, who was standing next to me.” After Kimmel’s producer got a kick out of the joke, the host decided to keep the offhand gag running . . . every single night.
So, why exactly did Kimmel use Damon as the butt of his jokes? According to him, the “Air” star just happened to be the first name that popped into his head. “I was trying to think of an A-list star and somebody we absolutely would not bump if he was on the show,” said Kimmel. The little joke eventually became a beast of its own, and the two have been playing it up ever since with various insults on talk shows and in interviews, as well a series of comedic videos — including one from 2015 where the two decided to go to “couples therapy.”
Most recently, the two reignited their digs at each other, with Kimmel poking fun at Damon once again while he hosted the 2023 Oscars. “Was it difficult filming your movie ‘The Martian’ because your costar Matt Damon can’t read and smells like dog medicine?” the host jokingly asked Jessica Chastain in the audience.
Kimmel and Damon kept the insults going during the latter’s red carpet premiere of “Air” on March 27 where they both spoke to Entertainment Tonight. When asked if he’d ever bury the hatchet with Kimmel, the “Air” actor joked to ET, “No, no, he’s an asshole. Why would I ever do that? He’s a terrible human being. He’s a demonstrably bad man.” Meanwhile, Kimmel jokingly told the outlet, “I just can’t imagine it happening. I really can’t.”
On March 28, Damon’s “Air” costar Ben Affleck tried to get the two to make peace during his appearance on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” After the host left Damon out of his praise of the movie’s cast — which includes Jason Bateman, Viola Davis, Chris Tucker, and Marlon Wayans — Affleck said, “I understand you have your feuds and everything, but Matt is a friend of mine.” He added, “Honest to God, it would mean a lot to me if you just asked him one question about the movie. I can get him on the phone.”
Despite Kimmel’s objections, Damon’s face appears on the big screen behind the host’s studio desk, and the two actually have a nice conversation about the film. But while answering Kimmel’s question, Damon’s screen starts to glitch and soon Damon is plagued with a carousel of image-distorting filters. The disgruntled actor then ends their exchange by telling Kimmel, “Why don’t you take your ‘real’ question and your little show and shove it up your big hairy ass!”
While we couldn’t imagine a world without their infamous feud, we also can’t help but wonder what would have happened if the host had uttered the name of another A-list actor back in 2005, like Kevin Bacon or even Leonardo DiCaprio.