Matt Damon’s Near-Death Experience at Jimmy Kimmel’s Home Revealed in Dramatic Interview
Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, 57, has recently disclosed a harrowing incident involving his long-standing on-screen rival, actor Matt Damon, 54, who reportedly came close to death while dining at Kimmel’s home. The dramatic revelation, made in a new interview with Variety, sheds light on a frantic ordeal where a pork rib nearly claimed Damon’s life.
According to Kimmel, the incident unfolded during a private dinner party. Damon, arriving late and notably hungry, began eating the pork ribs served by his host with considerable speed. This haste quickly turned perilous when, as Kimmel recalled, Damon “started choking on a pork rib.” What followed was not a brief scare but a protracted crisis, with the rib remaining “stuck in his throat for about an hour and a half.”
The gravity of the situation was immediately apparent to Kimmel. “I said, ‘We have got to get him to the hospital,’ because if he dies in my house, I’m going to prison for the rest of my life. I will never be able to explain this as anything other than a murder,” Kimmel recounted, injecting a touch of his characteristic humor into the grim memory, yet underscoring his genuine panic.
In a desperate bid to save his guest, Kimmel initially attempted the widely recognized Heimlich maneuver. However, this proved unsuccessful, indicating the depth at which the obstruction was lodged. Faced with a dire emergency, the host turned to an unconventional source of medical advice: the internet. “We did a lot of YouTube-ing and finally concluded that eating little bits of bread was the way to get that rib to work its way down into his stomach — and bread saved him,” Kimmel explained, detailing the unexpected solution that ultimately resolved the terrifying episode.
The Enduring Rivalry: A New Chapter of Feud and Friendship
This near-fatal dinner party adds a new, dramatic chapter to the famously playful “feud” between Kimmel and Damon, a comedic rivalry that has entertained audiences for nearly two decades. The mock animosity began in 2005 when Kimmel first jokingly insulted Damon on his show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and has since evolved into a beloved running gag.
The public’s most recent glimpse into their comedic dynamic occurred on the July 30 episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. Damon joined trivia legend Ken Jennings as his partner, much to Kimmel’s apparent chagrin. Together, they clinched the grand prize, which Damon generously directed towards Water.org, a nonprofit organization he co-founded. The lighthearted tension persisted even during their victory, with Kimmel begrudgingly shaking Damon’s hand as they held the oversized check.
Their banter on the show underscored the unique nature of their relationship. When Damon, referring to Jennings’ record-breaking 74 consecutive wins on Jeopardy!, quipped, “This is like if you challenged me to a pick-up basketball game and I showed up at the park with Michael Jordan,” Kimmel swiftly retorted, “I look at it as if Michael Jordan showed up with a hemorrhoid.” This exchange perfectly encapsulates the blend of genuine friendship and theatrical animosity that defines one of Hollywood’s most enduring and entertaining rivalries.
