Matt Damon Recalls ‘Crazy’ Dream After His Dad Died: ‘All I Knew Was He Was There’

Mar. 15, 2025

Matt Damonis reflecting on some of his earliest childhood moments as he remembers his late father.

The actor’s father, Kent Damon,died from rare blood disease multiple myelomaon Dec. 14, 2017, at age 74.

Damon, 53, revealed during an appearance onThe Late Show with Stephen Colberton Monday the “crazy dream” that helped him remember one of his earliest moments with his father.

Damon said the feeling gave him a sense of “overwhelming protection and love.”

Matt Damon and his father Kent at the 1998 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic

“All I knew was that he was there and that I was feeling that embrace,” continued Matt. “And it reminded me that I must have felt that as one of the very first things that I was aware of as my consciousness came online.”

On the first anniversary of his father’s death, Damon hostedSaturday Night Liveand opened up abouthow it was a special show for him and Kent.

“Week after week, I tried to stay up, and it wasn’t until I was 8 years old that I made it all the way to the end,” recalled Damon. “I probably didn’t get all the jokes, but I laughed at everything that my dad laughed at. And although it was way past our bedtime, my dad knew there was nothing more important in the world than to laugh with the people that you love.”

(L-R) Kent and Matt Damon.Alex J. Berliner/BEI/REX/Shutterstock

In March 2018, Damon opened up to PEOPLE about howhis father’s death also affected his longtime friendBen Affleck.

“The guy is like a brother to me and there are ups and downs in life,” said Damon. “It was a bad year for him, too. He was very, very close to my father, they had a great relationship. Loved each other a lot. So last year was no real picnic for him either.”

Matt Damon at the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party.Stefanie Keenan/VF24/WireImage

Stefanie Keenan/VF24/WireImage

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While speaking with PEOPLE in April 2023, Affleck, 51, echoed the same sentiments, remembering Damon’s late father assomeone “who I adore and love enormously.”

source: people.com