How Matt Damon supported BFF Ben Affleck through Jennifer Lopez divorce and addiction battle

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have spent nearly three decades navigating fame, friendship and Hollywood side by side.

While appearing on Monday’s episode of The Howard Stern Show, Damon, 55, insisted his loyalty toward his longtime pal, 53, has never wavered, even during Affleck’s darkest moments.

During the conversation, Stern boldly asked Damon whether he was able to step in and offer support to Affleck amid his highly publicized personal struggles, including two divorces and battle with addiction.

‘Oh, yeah, our relationship isn’t affected by what people are saying,’ Damon replied. ‘I was there for all of it.’

Affleck responded emotionally to the comment, telling his friend, ‘That means a lot to me. That’s sort of what a real friend is.’

Affleck separated from Jennifer Garner in 2015 and later announced he had completed treatment for alcohol addiction, around the same time.

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have spent nearly three decades navigating fame, friendship and Hollywood side by side; seen in January 2026

In 2018, he released a public statement after completing a 40-day stay at a treatment center for alcohol addiction.

‘Battling any addiction is a lifelong and difficult struggle. Because of that, one is never really in or out of treatment. It is a full-time commitment. I am fighting for myself and my family,’ he said. ‘With acceptance and humility, I continue to avail myself with the help of so many people and I am grateful to all those who are there for me. I hope down the road I can offer an example to others who are struggling.’

Four years later, he went on to marry Jennifer Lopez, but the pair filed for divorce after just two years.

The former couple wed without a prenuptial agreement – with their cumulative wealth sitting at $550million.

The actor-director and singer-actress eloped at the Little White Chapel in Las Vegas on July 16, 2022 – 18 years after breaking off their first engagement in 2004.

The couple again exchanged vows at Affleck’s estate outside of Savannah, Georgia on August 20 that year.

J-Lo filed the divorce documents on the two-year anniversary of their Georgia nuptials, but listed their separation date as April 26, 2024.

They had first rekindled their romance in early 2021, just weeks after J-Lo broke off her engagement to Alex Rodriguez.

While appearing on Monday’s episode of The Howard Stern Show, Damon, 55, insisted his loyalty toward his longtime pal, 53, never wavered, even during Affleck’s darkest moments

During the conversation, Stern boldly asked Damon whether he was able to step in and offer support to Affleck during his two divorces and battle with addiction

During Damon and Affleck’s latest interview, the Oscar-winning duo also reflected on the unusual way they rose to fame together in their mid-twenties.

‘Your evolution gets kind of stunted at the moment you become famous because the world treats you differently,’ Damon explained. ‘I think we were lucky in that we were 25 and 27, so we had a handful of years under our belt where we would walk into a room and not turn any heads.’

The two finished the thought in unison, bluntly adding, ‘And nobody gave a s**t.’

Affleck agreed with Damon that establishing their friendship and perspective early on helped them withstand the pressures of fame.

‘That’s kind of why we’re as sane as we are – to what degree, you may be the judge!’ Affleck joked. ‘But getting famous and successful kind of together, [we had] somebody to turn to and go, “Is this f**king nuts, or what?” Or to say, “What are you doing, man?”‘

Affleck married Jennifer Lopez divorced in 2025 after two years of marriage; seen in 2023

The conversation also turned lighthearted when Stern asked whether they had ‘blown through’ the $600,000 they earned for Good Will Hunting.

‘Well, it turns out, Howard, you have to pay these things called taxes,’ Affleck joked.

Damon echoed the surprise, saying, ‘It was a big wake-up call. We were like, ‘We understand this guy gets half, but who else gets half? What’s happening?’

‘It was like having an ex-wife right away – you just divide, divide, divide,’ Affleck added, quickly clarifying, ‘And that joke is in no way meant to reflect on anyone…’

Affleck and Damon, who first met in high school, have remained inseparable creative partners ever since.

Their upcoming film, The Rip, marks their third collaboration in just five years, following The Last Duel and Air.

During the interview, the Oscar-winning duo also reflected on the unusual way they rose to fame together in their mid-twenties (pictured in 2021)

In a previous interview with GQ, Damon revealed he was deeply moved after watching Peter Jackson’s Beatles documentary Get Back, which highlighted the fact that the Fab Four never reunited creatively.

‘I started crying,’ Damon recalled. ‘I told Ben, “Who cares if we oversaturate the marketplace with movies we’re both in? We’re crazy if we don’t take advantage of the fact that we are both still here and able to do this.”‘

In The Rip, which premieres on Netflix on January 16, Affleck plays a larger-than-life character while Damon takes on a quieter, more introspective role – a dynamic reminiscent of Good Will Hunting.

‘Well, someone’s gotta put the movie on their back,’ Damon joked. ‘Maybe he’s just a more versatile actor than I am.’

Affleck laughed but suggested the dynamic had roots in how they were first perceived in Hollywood.

‘Matt has probably always been considered a more bankable or reliable leading man,’ he said. ‘I bet Matt wouldn’t trade places with me.’

Damon and Affleck famously won their first Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998 (seen in March 1998)

Despite the ribbing, Affleck was effusive in his praise.

‘Every time I act with Matt is a humbling experience,’ he said. ‘He is so understated, so real and so honest – it’s almost impossible to catch Matt acting. He is really a master of realism and it’s something I deeply admire about him.’

Beyond acting, the pair also produced The Rip through their production company, Artists Equity, which they launched in November 2022.

The company’s growing slate includes Air, Kiss the Future, The Greatest Love Story Never Told, Small Things Like These, The Accountant 2, The Instigators, Kiss of the Spider Woman and Unstoppable.

Damon and Affleck famously won their first Academy Awards for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998.

Affleck was just 25 at the time, making him the youngest-ever winner in the category – a record that still stands nearly 30 years later.