Jimmy Kimmel has plenty of fans, but also plenty of critics. So it didn't surprise many when they heard about his feud with Matt Damon. But is there really a feud, and what went down between the two?
Are Matt Damon And Jimmy Kimmel Friends?
Everyone knows Matt Damon has an epic bromance with Ben Affleck, but what about Matt and Jimmy? For many years, Jimmy cracked jokes about Matt that had fans scratching their heads. So are the celebrity duo friends, or not?
As it turns out, the pair never had any beef, to begin with. Jimmy made a quip at the end of what he called a "bad show" in an attempt to turn things around. He later explained that he grabbed a celeb name out of thin air to make the joke, which went something like "I want to apologize to Matt Damon. We ran out of time."
The producer, Jimmy said, got a kick out of the bit, so he continued to do it. But the truth was, Matt hadn't been slated to appear on the show, to begin with. So what did he think of the joke?
Matt Damon Had A Sense Of Humor About The 'Feud'
Though they've always called it a feud, Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel are pretty much bros by this point. In fact, though the running joke about bumping Matt from the show lasted almost a year, the whole thing came to a head when the actor actually came on set.
In a pre-planned skit, Matt finally resolved the 'feud' by actually appearing on the show, and the whole thing was a hit with the audience (and the producer who originally loved the concept).
That happened back in 2006, though, but that wasn't the end of the long-running joke. In one episode of Jimmy Kimmel's show, he and Tom Brady "vandalized" Matt's house.
Fans commented that they loved the ongoing dynamic between Matt and Jimmy, with some suggesting that Jimmy have Matt on as his "final" guest if he ever retires. After all, in contrast with some of the most awkward moments on 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!,' all the scenes with Matt were hilarious.
And the joke has outlasted many others on Kimmel's show; since 2005, the Damon gag has been the most popular, carrying over into 2019 and beyond. Even Jimmy himself was surprised at how much traction the off-the-cuff joke got him, but he had the presence of mind to get Matt in on the joke, which likely helped prolong the hilarity.
