Matt Damon Admits He Stopped Using the "F-Slur" After His Daughter Explained Why It's "Dangerous"

"It's a fair point. Anybody should be offended by that behavior," Matt Damon shared after revealing he used a slur that upset his daughter. She would later educate him on why it's "dangerous" to use.

By Alyssa Morin Aug 01, 2021 10:38 PMTags

Matt Damon is officially retiring this F-word from his vocabulary.

In an interview with U.K.'s The Sunday Times on Aug. 1, the Oscar winner opened up about how he used to utter a derogatory term, one that many people use as a slur against members of the LGBTQ+ community.

However, he decided it was time to remove it from his vernacular after one of his four daughters took offense to it.

Matt told the newspaper that his child, who he didn't specifically name, had recently called him out for using the slur.

"The word that my daughter calls the 'f-slur for a homosexual' was commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application," the Stillwater actor explained. "I made a joke, months ago, and got a treatise from my daughter. She left the table."

He initially defended himself, sharing, "I said, 'Come on, that's a joke! I say it in the movie Stuck on You!'"

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"She went to her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous," he continued. "I said, 'I retire the f-slur!' I understood."

The Good Will Hunting star also noted that his daughter made a valid argument in her essay. As he described, "It's a fair point. Anybody should be offended by that behavior."

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After the interview was published, Matt's quotes spread like wildfire online. Many expressed that they were flabbergasted by his remarks, including celebrities such as Billy EichnerDear White People's showrunner Jaclyn Moore and others. 

Billy wrote on Twitter, "I want to know what word Matt Damon has replaced f****t with."

"Remember when the joke was that Ben Affleck was the dumb one and Matt Damon was the smart one?" Jaclyn tweeted. "Because one is dating J-Lo and the other is spending the year of our lord Dolly Parton 2021 bragging about how he just stopped saying 'f-g.'"

Actor Mark Harris also weighed in, "When I meet a straight man, that split-second assessment--would they say that word to you, would they say it about you, what if they thought you'd never hear it--is still something I'm hardwired to do. An extra safety-check for many of us. For decades."

"I'm not piling on Damon; his journey's his journey; whatever," Mark continued. "But if any straight folks wonder why some gay people seem a little braced, consider. Even Matt Damon. Someone who, FFS, has worked in Hollywood for decades had that word sit easily in his mouth until 2021. That's why."

Mark added, "I want people to understand the cost of that word, and the threat in that word, and if this helps them get it, good."

At this time, Matt hasn't publicly commented on the backlash to his remarks. E! News has reached out to his reps, but we haven't received a response.

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It was just three days ago the award-winning actor was the topic of discussion for his new movie Stillwater, which premiered on July 30. 

Considering the film is loosely inspired by the 2007 murder of Meredith Kercher, Amanda Knox spoke out about why she wasn't a fan of its premise.

The 34-year-old, who was acquitted of Meredith's murder in 2013 and 2014, said she felt the project wrongfully portrayed her real-life experience following the tragic death of her roommate.

"Does my name belong to me? My face? What about my life? My story? Why does my name refer to events I had no hand in?" she questioned in a Twitter thread posted on July 29. "I return to these questions because others continue to profit off my name, face, & story without my consent. Most recently, the film #STILLWATER."

"By fictionalizing away my innocence, my total lack of involvement, by erasing the role of the authorities in my wrongful conviction, McCarthy reinforces an image of me as a guilty and untrustworthy person," Amanda continued. "And with Matt Damon's star power, both are sure to profit handsomely off of this fictionalization of 'the Amanda Knox saga' that is sure to leave plenty of viewers wondering, 'Maybe the real-life Amanda was involved somehow.'"

Matt, as well as others attached to the film, haven't publicly addressed Amanda's comments.