Some Hollywood feuds leave behind bruised egos, sabotaged careers, and even mustard stains. Jimmy Kimmel and Matt Damon, however, have spent the last twenty years doing the exact opposite. Their long-running rivalry has always been one elaborate joke, born from Kimmel's throwaway sign-off, originally invented to make a struggling late-night show end on a bigger laugh and keep audiences coming back.

Unlike the bitter clashes of Bette Davis and Joan Crawford, or Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone, Kimmel and Damon's feud borrows only the word "feud."

"I want to apologize to Matt Damon. We ran out of time," That throwaway line started it all. Jimmy Kimmel blurted it out during a rough 2003 episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live! packed with low-tier guests, hoping to squeeze out one final laugh and lift the mood backstage. Choosing Matt Damon, one of Hollywood's biggest stars, made the joke deliciously absurd, and audiences refused to let it die.

Damon eventually decided that if he was going to be the punchline, he might as well write a few of his own. In 2006, after finally landing on Kimmel's couch, he was immediately cut off because the show had, predictably, 'run out of time.' The rivalry only escalated with Sarah Silverman, Matt Damon's then-girlfriend's, viral video along with Kimmel's retaliation video, and Damon's gleeful 2013 takeover of the entire Jimmy Kimmel Live! show.

The mayhem soon escaped late-night television. Damon crashed the Emmys to mock Kimmel's loss, endured Kimmel's orchestra trying to play him off at the Oscars, and even found his Hollywood Walk of Fame star targeted by Messi the dog during the 2024 Academy Awards. By 2026, Damon was emerging from a giant Trojan horse to promote The Odyssey, proving that some publicity campaigns apparently require ancient Greek warfare.

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With The Odyssey dominating conversations and renewed curiosity about Matt Damon and his family, it is hardly surprising that his long-running feud with Jimmy Kimmel is making headlines again, despite the pair being close friends off-screen.

For two men who spend so much time pretending to dislike each other, Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel have become suspiciously excellent friends. Their television rivalry accidentally introduced them, but real life did the rest. Damon later trusted Kimmel to officiate his and Luciana Barroso's vow renewal, attended Kimmel's wedding to Molly McNearney, and happily folded their families into the same close-knit circle that includes Ben Affleck, John Krasinski, and Emily Blunt.

The friendship only grows stronger in the best possible way. Damon and Ben Affleck once offered to cover the salaries of Kimmel's late-night staff during the 2023 writers' strike, while Kimmel later helped Damon through a frightening choking emergency before joking that it looked suspiciousl. Somehow, after twenty years of insults, their greatest running gag remains how remarkably loyal they are to each other.

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Do you find Matt Damon and Jimmy Kimmel's 'feud' endearing? Let us know in the comments!