Matt Damon might be a four-time Oscar nominee, but for Jimmy Kimmel, of course, his best role is his shortest. The mock feud between the Air actor and the late-night host has been going on for the good part of two decades, but Kimmel will keep it up for as long as it works, and, surprisingly, it always does.
Talking to Variety at the LA premiere of Air, Kimmel said his favorite Damon movie isn’t the one he was there to help promote, but Thor. The reason? “Because he was in it for four seconds,” the comedian quipped.
In Kimmel’s defense, if there’s a scene stealer in all the Marvel Cinematic Universe, it has to be Damon as a random Asgardian actor playing Loki in a low-budget town play. The third Hemsworth brother, Luke, played Thor. The bit then carried over from Thor: Ragnarok to Thor: Love and Thunder, where Melissa McCarthy also joined in as an Asgardian playing Loki and Thor’s sister Hela (originally played by Cate Blanchet). All of us, and Jimmy Kimmel, have Taika Waititi to thank for this explosive combination of Hollywood excellency.
Kimmel’s running Matt Damon joke first started in 2003 during a less-than-ideal episode of his show. In order to make light of the situation, Kimmel closed the show with “‘I want to apologize to Matt Damon. We ran out of time.” Kimmel told NPR Matt Damon was the first A-lister that popped into his head, and his producer found it so hilarious he just kept the gag going. And the rest is history.
The two (actual) good friends have taken their feud to all corners, from the Emmys to the World Series and, most recently, the Air premiere. Kimmel will certainly jump at every chance to make more Matt Damon jokes once Air hits theaters April 5, 2023.
