When Matt Damon Called Jimmy Kimmel a ‘Terrible Human Being’ on Live Show: "A Bad Man"

Through appearances on talk shows, interview remarks, and even call-outs at the Academy Awards, Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon have maintained the long-running jest — which has since developed into the renowned 'feud' between the two—in an admirable manner. During the 2023 premiere of his film Air at the Regency Village Theatre in West Hollywood, Damon was interviewed by ET's Kevin Frazier regarding his allegedly long-standing and acrimonious rivalry with the late-night talk show host.

Damon responded affirmatively when the outlet inquired whether he was prepared to bury the animosity with Kimmel. Damon said at the time, "No, no, he's an a--hole. Why would I ever do that? He's a terrible human being. He's a demonstrably bad man." As Kimmel reclined behind him on the carpet, Damon pivoted and shouted, "Hey! I'd love to take a picture with you but we ran out of time!" The jest was made in allusion to Jimmy Kimmel Live! late-night routine, in which he apologizes to Damon after each episode for time constraints that prevent him from airing his segment. Kimmel in response told the outlet, "You know, I don't know who that was, but yeah, I heard him. He was loud."

When asked if they could ever reconcile on his program, or if he could devote an entire episode to Damon, Kimmel dismissed the notion, stating: "I just can't imagine it happening. I really can't. I think we have Ben [Affleck] on tomorrow, so we'll have that, but that will be as close as we get." The infamous dispute originated in season 3 of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, wherein host Kimmel captained an episode at random by stating, "Apologies to Matt Damon, but we ran out of time." Damon, meanwhile, had no appearance planned as a guest on that evening's program. The actor disclosed many years later that he and Kimmel had never met nor shared any personal connection at the time.

As reported by HuffPost, Damon disclosed the information on The Jess Cagle Show, SiriusXM, in 2021. he said at the time, "People started to call me and ask like, 'Hey, what's your connection to this guy?' And I'd never met Jimmy'. He literally pulled my name out of thin air one night. And the way he told me this story, he said he had like a, he said ‘I had a ventriloquist and a guy in a gorilla suit as my guests. And I just said kind of as a throw away, my apologies to Matt Damon when we ran out of time,’ but he could have said Brad Pitt." 

Damon debuted as a guest on his show in 2006, one year after Kimmel's jest. Furthermore, they continued the jest, as expected. The ongoing rivalry between Kimmel and Damon persisted throughout 2015; however, a September episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! differed slightly from previous years, primarily due to the omission of Kimmel's infamous apologies to Damon. In a comedic routine, the adversaries sought couples counseling as a means to resolve their disputes.