Matt Damon Claims Cancel Culture Feels Harsher Than Serving Time

Matt Damon is out making the rounds for his new Netflix flick 'The Rip,' but the conversation took a sharp turn on Joe Rogan's podcast. If you ever wondered how Hollywood types really feel about 'cancel culture,' Damon did not hold back—he says getting canceled can be worse than ending up in prison. Yeah, really.

Getting Canceled vs. Going to Jail

So here’s the setup: Joe Rogan brings up how cancel culture doesn’t just mean criticism—it can end careers. Once you’ve said or done one thing wrong, as he put it, 'we’re going to exaggerate that to the fullest extent and cast you out of civilization for life.' Damon, jumping in, basically says, 'exactly—and it lasts forever.'

Damon went even further, spelling out just how rough the fallout can be:

'The thing about that, getting kind of excoriated publicly like that, it just never ends. And it’s the first thing that… you know, it just will follow you to the grave.'

He then makes the wild-but-kind-of-sobering comparison: some people would literally rather go to jail for 18 months than get run out of town online. At least with jail, you do the time, pay what you owe, and it’s over. With cancellation, Damon says, your baggage comes with you for life—no clean slate, no release date.

Some Personal History

Now, this wasn’t a random observation from Damon. He’s been on the receiving end of a public backlash himself. A while back, he admitted to having used a homophobic slur in his personal life (not in public, but still). After his daughter called him out—she even wrote him what sounds like a full-on essay about why the word is toxic—he says he stopped using it altogether. Damon’s explanation? When he was a kid, the word 'had a different application.' (That’s one take, I guess.)

Who Was in the Room?

• Matt Damon: Starring in 'The Rip,' sharing what it feels like when the internet turns on you.
• Ben Affleck: He was part of the conversation, but Damon stole the spotlight on this particular topic.
• Joe Rogan: Forever game to stir up a discussion around hot-button issues, and never shy about throwing in his own two cents.

The Takeaway

So there you have it: Matt Damon, star of everything from 'Good Will Hunting' to 'The Rip,' thinks the court of public opinion may be tougher than any judge. Say the wrong thing in an interview or (yikes) online, and it will echo longer than the closing credits.

Is this an exaggeration or a little too on-the-nose? Up for debate. But hey, Damon’s not the first to draw comparisons between public shaming and criminal punishment—and, judging by how fast these stories travel, he definitely won’t be the last.