Ben Affleck and Matt Damon Offered to Pay Jimmy Kimmel's Entire Staff Amid Strikes
Jimmy Kimmel explains why he ultimately turned down the offer from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon were ready to give from their own pockets to support the staff of Jimmy Kimmel Live! amid the Writers Guild of America strike. Jimmy Kimmel shared the kind gesture from his celebrity pals during the premiere episode of Spotify's new Strike Force Five limited series podcast, which he co-hosts alongside fellow late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers and John Oliver.
"Ben Affleck and the despicable Matt Damon contacted me and offered to pay our staff for two weeks," Kimmel said on the Aug. 30 podcast episode, joking about the longstanding fake feud he and Damon have played out on his show. "A week each, they wanted to pay out of their own pockets our staff." Fallon chimed in, "They're good people."
Kimmel ultimately turned down the offer, saying he felt like it wasn't up to the Hollywood BFFs to pay his staff. "I did say no, but I felt that that was not their responsibility," Kimmel revealed, as Meyers jokingly asked, "Could it be transferable?" Colbert also teased, "Could you just say yes and then give your money to us?"
The WGA strike kicked off in May, with the SAG-AFTRA strike following not long after in July. While many big actors have joined striking members on the picket line, the SAG-AFTRA Foundation, a charity that provides financial assistance to striking performers, revealed earlier this month their fund's top-contributing actors. Meryl Streep and George Clooney helped lead a donation campaign that raised over $15 million in just three weeks, and each gave $1 million of their own money. Damon and Affleck were also on the list of actors who contributed at least $1 million, which also included Leonardo DiCaprio, Hugh Jackman, Dwayne Johnson, Nicole Kidman, Julia Roberts, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Oprah Winfrey and married couple Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively.
"I remember my days as a waiter, cleaner, typist, even my time on the unemployment line," Streep said in a statement at the time. "In this strike action, I am lucky to be able to support those who will struggle in a long action to sustain against Goliath." Clooney added, "We've stood on the shoulders of the likes of Bette Davis and Jimmy Cagney, and it's time for our generation to give something back."