Damon and Affleck recall bond that survived fame and hardships

13/01/2026

Damon and Affleck recall bond that survived fame and hardships

Matt Damon (left) and Ben Affleck

LOS ANGELES, Jan 13: Hollywood actors Matt Damon and Ben Affleck spoke about their decades-long friendship and how Damon supported Affleck through personal struggles, including divorces and alcohol addiction, in an interview aired Monday on The Howard Stern Show.

“I was there for all of it,” Damon said, reflecting on his support for Affleck during difficult times. Affleck, touched by the comment, added, “That means a lot to me. That’s sort of what a real friend is.”

Affleck’s turbulent decade included a high-profile divorce from Jennifer Garner, admission to treatment for alcohol addiction, and a brief reunion and subsequent separation from ex-fiancée Jennifer Lopez in 2022–2025. Damon emphasized that their friendship remained steady despite public scrutiny.

The duo, who first met as children — Damon at age 10 and Affleck at age 8 — were introduced by their mothers, both educators. Affleck recalled, “We were just kids who grew up two blocks apart, and both wanted to be actors… and hung out. Then we sort of went off and were just dumb enough to think, ‘It’ll pan out!’”

They rose to fame with the 1997 Oscar-winning film Good Will Hunting, which they co-wrote and starred in. Damon noted, “Your evolution gets kind of stunted at the moment you become famous because the world treats you differently… I think we were lucky… we had a handful of years under our belt where we would walk into a room and not turn any heads.”

Affleck reflected on the importance of lifelong friendships formed in youth, saying, “Especially as a young guy… those relationships are lifelong. I think as young men, we understood better how important these pure friendships were, and what they meant to us, and how they kind of define your identity as early as high school.”

Now both in their 50s and starring in the upcoming crime thriller The Rip, Damon said, “We hit the lottery. We hit it together,” highlighting the enduring bond that has supported them through fame, fortune, and personal challenges.