Matt Damon Engaged?

Good Will Hunting's Damon may settle down with longtime steady Odessa Whitmire

By Lia Haberman Dec 23, 2002 11:45 PMTags

Are they? Or aren't they?

Oscar-winning actor Matt Damon, who has dated a harem's worth of Hollywood stars, including Winona Ryder and Minnie Driver, has reportedly proposed to his steady girlfriend, Odessa Whitmire.

But you might want to hold off on the gifts of china and silverware. Damon has yet to publicly confirm the engagement.

News of the engagement started circulating after the New York Post ran an item last month, but no official confirmation was ever issued.

The story gathered steam after Sandra Bullock confirmed the rumor, while comparing Damon to his best friend Ben Affleck during a press junket for Two Weeks Notice.

"Ben doesn't like publicity. I know he'd much rather have had it play out like Matt Damon's engagement to Odessa," Bullock told reporters.

Then an item ran today in the Post, which claimed that the winsome twosome were spotted showing off Whitmire's rock to friends last week.

Calls to Damon's rep were not returned.

While most papers picked up news of the engagement, the Boston Herald, Damon's hometown paper, reportedly spoke to his father, who denied wedding bells would ring.

"No, he's not engaged," said Kent Damon.

If a ceremony ever takes place, it would be the first for Damon and Whitmire.

Damon, 32, and Whitmire, 27, met last year while she worked as Affleck's personal assistant. Whitmire has since quit her job and been seen with Damon this year on promotional junkets to Taiwan and Austria for the Bourne Identity.

Even with the media hype, the couple remains more discreet than friends Lopez and Affleck. The romantic tale of how the Sum of All Fears star proposed to Lopez was shared with Diane Sawyer and the rest of America last month on ABC's Primetime: Special Edition.

"He opens the door, and it is just a blanket, a quilt of rose petals, all over the whole entire house...And my song 'Glad' was playing," gushed Lopez.

In case you missed the highly hyped interview, Lopez responded, "Yes, yes, yes!" when Affleck presented her with a six carat pink diamond engagement ring from Harry Winston. "Jenny from the Block" would undoubtedly have been just as happy with a trinket from the mall.