Throwback When Matt Damon And Jimmy Kimmel Try To Bury The Hatchet In ‘Couple’s Therapy’ After Years Of Feuding, “ I Was Feeling Pretty Bad About…”
Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon's animosity has grown into a legendary narrative, making it one of the most fascinating rivalries in late-night television.
Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon’s feud has been a constant source of entertainment ( Photo Credit – Wikimedia; Facebook )
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A prank battle that started as an aside on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2008 has escalated into something ridiculously intricate that has been going on for years. Below is a brief history of its origins and development.
It kicked off during a lackluster episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in its third season. Kimmel, feeling the sting of a rough show, quipped about bumping Matt Damon from the guest list. What was meant to amuse a single producer quickly turned into a nightly gag. “We had a bad show… The guests were bad, and I was feeling pretty bad about myself at the end of the program,” Kimmel explained to NPR in 2013. “I decided to say, for the amusement of one of our producers, ‘I want to apologize to Matt Damon. We ran out of time.’” Little did he know, this throwaway line would spark one of TV’s most enduring gags.
Kimmel picked Damon almost at random. “Matt Damon was just the first name that popped into my head,” Kimmel said. Despite its randomness, the joke hit home. Fans loved it, keeping the show’s spirit alive. What started as a one-off turned into a surprise hit, becoming a staple of Kimmel’s show.
Naturally, it wasn’t long before Damon jumped in on the fun. In 2006, Damon appeared on a primetime special, staging a hilarious faux fight with Kimmel. Damon was livid, shouting, “I knew you were going to f—king do it.” This marked the beginning of a series of escalating pranks.
Kimmel returned in 2007 with a humorous appearance in The Bourne Ultimatum, when Guillermo bumped Damon. In 2008, Kimmel’s then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman and Damon published the viral video “I’m F—king Matt Damon,” which garnered almost 20M views. Kimmel responded with a Ben Affleck-starring video.
By 2010, the animosity continued. Kimmel stated at the Academy Awards that Damon had him expelled from the Handsome Men’s Club. In 2013, Damon upped the ante by taking over Kimmel’s hosting gig, adding a fresh twist to their ongoing battle. Despite Kimmel’s attempts to regain control, including a staged fire alarm during Damon’s interview, the feud persisted.
The rivalry took a brief pause in 2015 when Kimmel’s newborn son had heart surgery. Damon, typically the target of Kimmel’s jokes, sent flowers, marking a rare moment of truce. But the peace was fleeting. Damon soon made a comeback, crashing interviews and even pranking Kimmel by disguising himself as Tom Brady to sneak onto his show after the Patriots’ Super Bowl win.
The antics didn’t stop there. Kimmel’s mock United Airlines commercial, where Damon got “bumped” from a flight, was just another chapter in their playful war. By 2017, Kimmel was still taking shots at Damon, including a memorable jab at the Oscars where Kimmel introduced Damon as “Best Picture Vominee Matt Damon.”
Their rivalry even spilled over to social media and other events. Kimmel continued to taunt Damon during the 90th Academy Awards, and Damon’s retaliatory moves included crashing Clooney’s interview and mocking Kimmel’s Oscars coverage.
The duo appeared to make amends during the 2018 World Series, sporting matching “I’m with stupid” shirts. However, the peace was superficial. Ben Affleck, who joined them, poked fun at the shirts, hinting that Damon was the real problem.
Most recently, Kimmel cranked up the feud by involving Tom Brady, who threw a football through Damon’s window. Kimmel playfully claimed it was just to test Brady’s arm strength. As Kimmel said, “Sorry about that…my friend Tom threw that. We’re just seeing how strong his arm is.”
In summary, the Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon feud, though entirely staged, has provided years of entertainment and hilarity. With each new twist, fans eagerly anticipate what these two will cook up next. For now, it’s clear that their playful rivalry is far from over.
