A Timeline of Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel's 'Feud'

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Jimmy KimmelandMatt Damon’s playful love-hate relationship goes way back.

As a late-night talk show host and an Academy Award-winning actor, it’s no surprise that the two Hollywood talents have crossed paths throughout their careers — but ever since Kimmel unleashed a random dig at Damon in 2005, the two have hilariously “feuded” for nearly two decades.

During his show,Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the hostmade a tradition of closing out episodeswith, “Apologies to Matt Damon, but we ran out of time,” even though the actor was never scheduled to come on the show.

From stints on the talk show to quips during interviews to even call-outs atthe Oscars, both Kimmel and Damon have impressively kept the long-running joke up over the years — a gag that has evolved into what is now a famed “feud” between the host and the actor.

Several stars have even found themselves in the middle, likeKimmel’s ex-girlfriendSarah Silvermanand Damon’s palBen Affleckwhile promoting their filmAir.

All jokes aside, the late-night host and actor are truly good friends, but for the sake of this story, here’s a timeline of Kimmel and Damon’s “feud” that spans nearly two decades.

2005: Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon’s ‘feud’ begins

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The famed “feud” began during season 3 ofJimmy Kimmel Live!when host Kimmel randomly decided to conclude an episode with the line: “Apologies to Matt Damon, but we ran out of time.”

Meanwhile, Damon wasn’t even scheduled as a guest on that night’s show! The actor revealed years later that he wasn’t even close with Kimmel at the time — nor had they even met.

“People started to call me and ask like, ‘Hey, what’s your connection to this guy?’ And I’d never met Jimmy,'” Damon revealed on SiriusXM’sThe Jess Cagle Showin 2021. “He literally pulled my name out of thin air one night.”

“‘I had a ventriloquist and a guy in a gorilla suit as my guests,” Damon recalled of how Kimmel explained his reasoning to use his name. Kimmel said he used Damon’s name “kind of as a throw away.”

“He could’ve said, you know, George [Clooney] ― he could have said somebody else. But he just, for some reason, maybe I had a movie out that week or something, but he just said my name,” theAiractor added. “And it changed the course of both of our lives. We’ve kept this feud going for, you know, it’s gotta be 15 years now. I’ve had a lot of fun doing it.”

2006: Matt Damon appears onJimmy Kimmel Live!for the first time

A year after Kimmel made the joke, Damon made his official debut as a guest onJimmy Kimmel Live!in 2006. And of course, they kept the joke running.

February 2, 2008: Matt Damon gets Sarah Silverman in on the joke

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Producers atJimmy Kimmel Live!approached Damon in November 2007 and asked if he’d make an appearance in celebration of Kimmel’s 40th birthday, but like the true actor Damon is, he decided to stay in character and keep the joke running.

Through Silverman, he gave Kimmel a video — a raunchy one at that — in February 2008. The video, starring Silverman and Damon, featureda silly original song that exposed Silverman’s (fake) affairwith theGood Will Huntingactor.

“I don’t even think he thought twice about it,“Damon’s rep told PEOPLE at the time. “He just said, ‘I’ll do it.'” The rep added, “He had so much fun… “It was his turn to get Jimmy.”

January 25, 2013: Matt Damon takes overJimmy Kimmel Live!

In 2013, Silverman was at it again when she appeared onJimmy Kimmel Live!. The zinger? Damon was the host andhad Kimmel held captive, tied up with duct tape at the back of the stage. Meanwhile, theMystic Pizzaactor took over the late-night desk and interviewed Silverman.

September 29, 2015: Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon try to work out their ‘feud’ in couples counseling

The Kimmel vs. Damon feud continued throughout 2015, but a September episode ofJimmy Kimmel Live!looked a little bit different than years past — particularly because Damon didn’t hear Kimmel say those dreaded words, “Apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time.”

During a comedic sketch, the frenemies went tocouples counselingin an attempt to work out their beef. (So yes, Damon technicallydidmake it on the show as a guest!)

February 29, 2016: Ben Affleck smuggles Matt Damon ontoJimmy Kimmel Live!

ABC/Randy Holmes

In 2016, Damon tried to get onJimmy Kimmel Live!yet again, only this time,he enlisted help from his pal Ben Affleck.

The hilarious bit saw Affleck stumble on stagewearing a huge overcoat hiding Damonwho was strapped to his friend with a special harness. “I hate to say it but you’ve ballooned,” Kimmel quipped, with Affleck, responding: “Wow, I didn’t know tonight was about body shaming.”

Once Damon’s cover was blown, Kimmel wasted no time in him getting pushed off stage in his chair. “You are ruining my Oscars show!”

February 7, 2017: Matt Damon crashesJimmy Kimmel Live!dressed as Tom Brady

Damon devised another tactic to get onJimmy Kimmel Live!during a 2017 episode following theSuper Bowl— and yes, his strategy involved another disguise. This time, Damon decided to dress up asTom Brady, the former New England Patriots player who had just won the NFL championship game.

“We have a surprise guest with us,” Kimmel told the audience. “Probably the most beloved Patriot of all of them …Tom Brady, everyone!” But instead of the Super Bowl champ, in walked Damon dressed in a Patriots uniform — helmet, eye black and all.

When Kimmel asked why he was still wearing his uniform, Damon did his best to cover his tracks. However, the jig was up when Kimmel removed the helmet and exposed theAiractor’s true identity.

February 22, 2017: Jimmy Kimmel says he wants Matt Damon to ‘go home with nothing’ at the Oscars

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Ahead of Kimmel’s hosting duties at the 89th Academy Awards in 2017, the late-night host admitted during an interview onGood Morning Americathatthere’s one person he doesn’t want to seewin — you guessed it, Damon.

“Unfortunately, we’ll see Matt Damon,“Kimmel cracked about his longtime arch-rival during his morning talk show interview. “Of course, I’m rooting against him.”

October 11, 2017: Matt Damon ‘hacks’ his way ontoJimmy Kimmel Live!

Atypical of his usual attempts at crashingJimmy Kimmel Live!— historically involving disguises or smuggling tactics — Damontook a technical approachto get on the show, crashingChris Hemsworth’s interview in October 2017.

Held just before the premiere of Marvel’sThor: Ragnorak(in which Damon has a cameo as “Actor Loki”), Hemsworth was being interviewed as a guest on the show, while actorMark Ruffaloand the film’s directorTaika Waititiwere waiting in the backstage area of the show.

At one point during the interview, Kimmel cut to Ruffalo and Waititi in the green room. As the cameras turned their way, Damon slowly popped his head into the frame.

As the crowd began to scream and applaud, Kimmel joked, saying, “It’s the mighty Thor not the muddy bore, so maybe take a walk!”

Later in the show, Damon took his antics up a notch, “hacking” into the big screen behind Kimmel and Hemsworth and stealing the spotlight. “I’m on the show,” Damon said. “I hacked into the system.”

April 20, 2018: Ben Affleck says he’s ‘Team Jimmy Kimmel’ over Matt Damon

Remember when Affleck tried to smuggle Damon onJimmy Kimmel Live!in 2016? Well, theArgoactor’sfeelings towards his longtime pal have seemingly evolvedin the two years that followed, according to a tweet he penned in favor of the late-night host.

Responding to a report that claimed Damon wanted to distance himself from his best bud and replace him with Hemsworth, Affleck let his fans know that the gossip didn’t bother him because he sides with Kimmel anyways.

“Hey @chrishemsworth, you can have him!I’m Team @JimmyKimmel anyways"Affleck jokingly wrote on Twitter.

May 2, 2019: Jimmy Kimmel has Tom Brady break one of Matt Damon’s windows

Randy Holmes/ABC

In addition to Affleck and Silverman, football player Brady has repeatedly gotten in on the “feud” between Damon and Kimmel.

OnJimmy Kimmel Live!, the host arrived at a suburban home with Brady and Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo. Kimmel then asked if Brady could throw the football he was holding through a window of the house, and Brady replied that he of course can.

“Very well done, that was impressive,” Kimmel said after Brady shattered the window. But as they’re congratulating Brady, a very angry Damon walked out and demanded to know what was going on.

“Oh no, do you live here?” Kimmel replied, with Damon angrily answering, “You know I live here!”

June 14, 2019: Matt Damon jokes Jimmy Kimmel is banned from his comedy club

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When Kimmel’sComedy Clubopened up in Las Vegas in 2019, he joked that Damon would never set foot in the establishment.

“I’d love to see him do standup. I think it would be a nightmare for him and everyone involved, but he’s not going to be doing it at my club because we have a restraining order against him,” Kimmel joked to PEOPLE at the June 14 opening. “Las Vegas Metro Police are on alert to make sure he never gets in here.”

March 3, 2023: Jimmy Kimmel jokes he’s ‘thrilled’ Matt Damon might not attend the Oscars

Ahead of Kimmel’s return to hostthe Oscarsfor a third time in March 2023, the late-night host was giddy at rumors that Damon wouldn’t be in the audience at the awards telecast.

“I’m thrilled that he won’t show,“Kimmel playfully told PEOPLE. “I hope he never gets nominated again.”

Kimmel maintained that Damon, a five-time nominee who took home the Best Original Screenplay Oscar forGood Will Huntingin 1997, somehow holds theblame for the backstage envelope snafuin 2017 which led to the announcement of the wrong Best Picture winner.

“I believe that his presence in some way caused the envelope mixup,” deadpanned Kimmel.

March 27, 2023: Matt Damon calls Jimmy Kimmel a ‘terrible human being’ onAirred carpet

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At the premiere of Damon’s filmAir, the frenemies had anexchange on the red carpet, with Damon joking toEntertainment Weeklythat Kimmel is a"terrible human being.”

When the outlet asked Damon if he was ready to bury the hatchet with Kimmel, he responded: “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 rolled up on the carpet behind him, Damon turned and yelled, “Hey! I’d love to take a picture with you but we ran out of time!” The joke was in reference to Kimmel’s repetitive gag onJimmy Kimmel Live!where he ends every episode apologizing to Damon for running out of time and not being able to get to his segment.

“You know, I don’t know who that was, but yeah, I heard him. He was loud,” Kimmel toldEW.

March 28, 2023: Ben Affleck plays peacemaker amid Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon ‘feud’

Affleck found himself back in the middle of Kimmel and Damon’s feud as he appeared onJimmy Kimmel Live!in March 2023. While promoting his filmAir, which he directed and stars in alongside Damon, heattempted to play peacemakerbetween his “feuding” pals.

“I understand you have your feuds,” Affleck said to Kimmel, addressing his fake, ongoing feud with Damon. “Matt is a friend of mine,” he continued, before requesting Kimmel ask Damon one question for the sake of promoting the film.

To Kimmel’s agreement, Affleck called up Damon on FaceTime and Kimmel asked the actor “one question.” When Damon started to answer, the screen and sound went jumbled.

“Oh wow, seems like we’re having a connection problem with the WiFi,” Kimmel reacted to Damon’s frozen face, which kept freezing at his most unflattering expressions.

March 10, 2024: The ‘feud’ is reignited when Jimmy Kimmel closes the Oscars with a dog pee joke

Jimmy Kimmel / Instagram

Kimmel made it through the entire 2024 Oscars without a jab at Damon — or so it seemed. But in the final moments of the broadcast, a clip aired that showed Messi,the dog fromAnatomy of a Fall, appearing to pee on Matt Damon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

source: people.com