Jimmy Kimmel says Ben Affleck and Matt Damon offered to pay his staff during the strikes ‘out of their own pocket’
Jimmy Kimmel has some pretty generous friends.
The host of “Jimmy Kimmel Live” revealed on the late-night host mega-group podcast “Strike Force Five” — the limited series that also features Jimmy Fallon, Seth Meyers, Stephen Colbert and John Oliver — that his old buddies Matt Damon and Ben Affleck offered to pay his show staff for a couple of weeks amid the ongoing writers’ strike.
While making note of his longtime “rivalry” with Damon, Kimmel said, “Ben Affleck and the despicable Matt Damon contacted me and offered to pay our staff for two weeks, a week each, they wanted to pay [them] out of their own pocket.”
The 55-year-old comedian said that, even though he was flattered by the offer, he ultimately declined because he “felt that that was not their responsibility.”
Late-night hosts Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Fallon, John Oliver, Jimmy Kimmel and Seth Meyers combine forces on a podcast to benefit their strike-affected staffers.
Kimmel’s podcast co-host, Colbert, jokingly quipped, “Could you say yes and then give your money to us?”
Aside from the “Good Will Hunting” stars’ generosity, Kimmel recalled that Ryan Reynolds extended an offer to provide the “Jimmy Kimmel Live” staff free services for a year from Mint Mobile — the “Deadpool” actor is part-owner of the telecommunications provider.
In another part of the debut episode of the podcast, the ABC late-night host disclosed that he considered retiring when the writers’ strike began.
“I was very intent on retiring right around the time where the strike started,” he said. “And now, I realize, oh yeah, it’s kind of nice to work. You know when you are working, you think about not working.”
Signaling increasing frustration with the Writers Guild of America, Hollywood studios took the unusual step of publicizing their latest offer to the guild.
The Spotify limited series is scheduled to have a 12-episode run, with each member of the cohort participating in every episode. The host of each episode rotates among the comedians. Although the main topic of the show is the Hollywood strikes, the TV funnymen will delve into other topics.
“All proceeds received by the hosts from ‘Strike Force Five’ will go to out-of-work staff from the hosts’ respective shows, ‘The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,’ ‘The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,’ ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live,’ ‘Late Night With Seth Meyers,’ and ‘Last Week Tonight With John Oliver,’” Spotify said in a statement. Some of the hosts had previously pledged to give their staffs some pay during the strike.
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