The Academy Awards host opens up to ET about the "unprofessional" behavior of the Oscar-winning actor.
Jimmy Kimmel admits to ET's Cameron Mathison that he's had a change of heart towards his frenemy of 12 years, Matt Damon.
"He's such a sad person. I feel it's gone from anger to sympathy," the 49-year-old comedian said of The Great Wall star. "I feel sorry for him. I feel sorry for his wife, [Luciana Barroso]. She's a lovely woman, [and] she has to live with him. I feel sorry for the Great Wall of China that had to be in a movie with him."
Both men will be at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California, for the 89th Academy Awards on Sunday, but in the meantime, Kimmel -- who is hosting the awards show on ABC -- says he's "praying" for Damon, who is nominated for his work as a producer on Manchester By the Sea.
When ET spoke to the 46-year-old actor earlier this month, he wished only "horrible things" for the Oscars host. "I don't think it's much of a secret that he's pretty unprofessional," Kimmel said of Damon's comments, adding, "And not very funny [or] kind off-camera."
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Damon is ready for the worst when he faces off with Kimmel on Sunday. "You know, I've been doing a lot of therapy around that and I'm just being told to just kind of let it go, just kind of brush it off and just kind of move on," he told ET. "I'm sure he'll have something horrible to say about me but I'd expect that. I'd expect nothing more from him. I wouldn't expect him to be kind of a bigger man about any of this."
As for whether he'll be participating in the show, Damon quipped, "Except for me throwing stuff at him, I don't anticipate [it]. He hasn't invited me, obviously."
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Damon may not be the only one concerned about what Kimmel will say at the awards show. “Well, for my wife [Molly McNearney], who is a relatively private person, she doesn't like me to talk about our personal life and sometimes it happens,” Kimmel noted of his spouse, who is currently pregnant. “I don't know that there will be a situation for that at the Oscars, but you really never know.”
