Perhaps you thought Matt Damon’s initial assault, Jimmy Kimmel’s tweeted response, and the latter’s opening monologue were the only aspects of Sunday’s 2017 Oscars that would feature the actor and the talk show host’s ongoing feud. If you did, then you’d be so very wrong, as Kimmel took sweet, sweet advantage of Damon’s presenting the Best Original Screenplay trophy with his friend and Good Will Hunting collaborator, Ben Affleck.
Just before that, however, Kimmel introduced the pair with his own take on the evening’s “Inspiration” theme by lampooning Damon’s 2011 film We Bought A Zoo. After teasing the “talentless” actor over his performance in the family drama, Affleck and Damon came out with the latter defending his performance in the film. “I actually liked that performance in that movie,” he said, following an official introduction identifying him as Affleck’s “guest.” For his part, Affleck loved playing the part of Kimmel’s goon: “Yeah, it’s like plus one.”
Yet the gag’s real treat came when the two introduced the nominees for Best Adapted Screenplay, which Damon’s partner Kenneth Lonergan won for Manchester By the Sea. Whenever Affleck spoke, he did so without any interruptions. Whenever Damon read his lines from the teleprompter, however, the Kimmel-directed orchestra played at its highest decibels to make him stop. If the Jimmy Kimmel Live host were a chef, he’d be kissing his fingers already.
