The Damon/Kimmel faux feud has been going on for decades at this point, and it just never gets old. Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel have been pretending to hate each other for years, doing bits about it at the Oscars and on Kimmel’s talk show. And despite actually being great friends, they love to keep this bit going. On that note, the talk show host was recently asked to give a toast to Matt Damon at a huge Hollywood event, and there's a hilarious video that I just can't get enough of!
Damon has had quite a year, having released The Rip, which co-stars his best friend, Ben Affleck. The Rip was also a huge hit for Netflix and allowed for him to continue to work with Affleck amid other projects at their production company. Damon was also most notably the star of The Odyssey, which grossed well over a billion dollars worldwide and is an awards season favorite. As a result, GQ named Damon one of their Men of the Year in their annual issue. At the party to celebrate the magazine. Jimmy Kimmel gave quite the speech, which you can see below:
Kimmel, of course, couldn’t resist mentioning some controversial people named in GQ magazine over the years to compare Damon, too. On top of that, the talk show was quick to say that Tom Holland was more deserving of this honor. Kimmel said:
Matt had a big year and he's in great company. I've made a list of some of the other honorees. Mel Gibson, 1996, 2007, Kanye West. The list goes on and on and you you deserve it. You really do. Not as much as others might deserve it. You know, Tom Holland was in the Odyssey and Spider-Man this year. He was in number one and number two. You're just number two. You're a big number two. You deserve this.
Kimmel then toasted to his faux foe and fittingly called him “Mrs. Ben Affleck.” Of course, Damon had his own hilarious quips as a response. He was quick to point out one key detail about that night, saying:
I would just like to repeat that I did not invite Jimmy Kimmel to this place.
Of course, this is all in good fun, and the riffing is expected any time these two guys are in the same room together. It started back in the early 2000s when Jimmy Kimmel started saying “Apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time” at the end of every show. It was a self-deprecating joke, as a way to make fun of how terrible his guests were when his show first started, as opposed to having a movie star like Damon. It became a running joke that continued even as Kimmel’s show became more successful.
Periodically, Damon tries to sneak onto Kimmel’s show, and the host jokingly refuses to have the actor on as a guest. They also make fun of each other relentlessly in public, and hilariously compete for the affection of Ben Affleck. It’s a great bit, and if this GQ speech is any indication, this duo isn’t planning on retiring the quips anytime soon. I hope they continue to dig at each other for years to come, because it is just too much fun to watch.
Fans can check out Matt Damon in The Odyssey, which is still playing in select theaters nationwide. It’s the tail end of The Odyssey’s historic box office run, so make sure to see it on the big screen while you still can. You can also watch Jimmy Kimmel Live!, which airs at 11:35 p.m. ET on ABC and is available to stream with a Disney+ subscription.
