Matt Damon surprised Jimmy Kimmel by popping out of a Trojan horse on Jimmy Kimmel Live! on June 18, turning the promotion for Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey into one of the best moments of their 20-year comedy rivalry
Matt Damon found a creative way to promote his upcoming movie The Odyssey while continuing his years-long joke war with talk show host Jimmy Kimmel. The actor surprised everyone by hiding inside a Trojan horse prop and bursting onto the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live! on June 18.
During Kimmel’s opening speech, a person dressed as a UPS driver delivered two large wooden horses outside the studio. Kimmel and his team said they did not order anything. The driver brought the smaller horse on stage. Kimmel told the driver, “I didn’t order a horse!”
Then the horse split open. Matt Damon jumped out to loud applause from the audience.
The Moment Damon Surprised Kimmel
Damon came out strong with his first words to Kimmel:
“The horse is here, and there’s no take backs, b***h! I did it. I am here, baby. I have traveled far and wide through waves and war to save this audience from mediocrity.”
Kimmel called Damon’s entry “trespassing” and “another crime.” Damon quickly responded, “Your face is a crime.”
When Kimmel asked how long Damon had been hiding, Damon asked back, “Did the Knicks win?” Kimmel told him he could catch the end of the parade if he left quickly.
Kimmel then asked why Damon was there. Damon explained he came to promote a new movie. “What does it look like, dumbass? I’m on your show, I’m promoting a new movie, it’s coming out July 17,” Damon said.
Kimmel joked, “Is it called ‘We Bought a Horse?’” Damon corrected him, saying it is called The Odyssey. He added, “It’s based on a book, so you probably don’t know about it.”
Kimmel kept teasing Damon, asking if he made the whole movie just to sneak onto his show in a Trojan horse. He called it “the saddest thing I’ve ever heard” and called Damon a loser. Damon fired back with another joke about Kimmel’s family.
The pair ended the segment by playfully hitting each other with pool noodles.
Why The Trojan Horse Stunt Makes Perfect Sense
Damon’s surprise entry connects directly to his new movie. The Odyssey tells the story of Odysseus, played by Damon. In the ancient Greek story, Odysseus and his soldiers hide inside a giant wooden horse to trick the Trojans and win a war. The soldiers come out at night and attack the city from inside.
The movie is based on the famous Greek poem attributed to Homer. It follows Odysseus on his 10-year journey back to his home island of Ithaca after the Trojan War. Christopher Nolan directed the film, which has a reported budget of $250 million.
The cast includes Tom Holland, Anne Hathaway, Zendaya, Lupita Nyong’o, Robert Pattinson, Charlize Theron, and many others. The movie opens in theaters on July 17 in the US and UK. The film will also have a premiere in Mumbai, India, on July 6, making it Nolan’s first movie to premiere in India.
The 20-Year Comedy Rivalry Explained
The jokes between Damon and Kimmel started in 2005. Kimmel ended one episode by saying, “Apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time.” Damon was not even scheduled to be on the show that night. The comment was made up on the spot, but it started a joke that has lasted 20 years.
Kimmel kept saying this apology at the end of many shows. Damon first appeared on the show in 2006, but Kimmel cut him off before he could speak. The two have played pranks on each other many times since then.
Some of the most memorable moments include:
- Damon making a music video with Kimmel’s then-girlfriend Sarah Silverman called “I’m F Matt Damon”
- Kimmel making a response video with Ben Affleck called “I’m F Ben Affleck”
- Damon taking over as host of Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2013 while Kimmel was tied to a chair
- Damon hiding under Affleck’s coat to sneak onto the show
- Damon disguising himself as Tom Brady after the Super Bowl
The two are actually friends in real life. Damon attended Kimmel’s wedding in 2013. Kimmel also officiated Damon’s vow renewal ceremony with his wife Luciana that same year.
In 2025, Damon and Ken Jennings won $1 million on Who Wants to Be a Millionaire hosted by Kimmel. The money went to Damon’s charity Water.org. At the 2024 Oscars, Kimmel showed a clip of a dog pretending to urinate on Damon’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
The Trojan horse stunt has now become one of the best chapters in their comedy rivalry. It also gave Damon a clever way to build excitement for The Odyssey.
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