It's been 13 years since Hilary Duff's iconic ad for GLSEN where she lightly admonished two women who were using the word "gay" as a term of ridicule.
But actor Matt Damon must have missed that ad--and then some.
Damon went public with a statement about his learning process as it pertains to the gay community that raised more than a few eyebrows.
In it, Damon revealed he didn't realize it was not okay to use the widely recognized homophobic slur f****t until a "treatise" from his daughter.
Matt Damon’s daughter: https://t.co/ddxZ9SS8Xg— Daniel D'Addario (@Daniel D'Addario) 1627849644.0
i hope matt damon's daughter is having a good day https://t.co/we48diz9M7— olivia (@olivia) 1627856506.0
I want to know what word Matt Damon has replaced f****t with.— billy eichner (@billy eichner) 1627851159.0
My favorite thing about this Matt Damon thing is he told on himself. This didn’t leak, he literally told us.— Michael Benjamin (@Michael Benjamin) 1627866241.0
Matt Damon talking about gay people before his daughter yelled at him https://t.co/nnhsSvsH45— Will Kellogg (@Will Kellogg) 1627849145.0
In his interview for the UK publication The Sunday Times, Damon decided to open with the anecdote wherein he, wide-eyed and innocent, had no idea society had moved past using the "f-slur for homosexual," as Damon called it.
"I made a joke, months ago, and got a treatise from my daughter," he said.
"She left the table. I said, 'Come on, that's a joke! I say it in the movie Stuck on You!' She went to her room and wrote a very long, beautiful treatise on how that word is dangerous. I said, 'I retire the f-slur!' I understood."
Everybody: The national news media: The trades: TMZ: Matt Damon: Y’know I said f*gg*t until like last Tuesday?— Chase Mitchell (@Chase Mitchell) 1627866067.0
the funniest part of the matt damon interview is when he says that “f*ggot” meant something different when he was a… https://t.co/pC1sQQqG91— matt (@matt) 1627861038.0
matt damon when he speaks to his daughter now https://t.co/JJtVwhJydy— ✨ Mikey Almeida ✨ (@✨ Mikey Almeida ✨) 1627854947.0
Matt Damon after 8 minutes of not saying the F-Slur in front of his daughter: https://t.co/H7BuylS5g5— In My Mind (@In My Mind) 1627850658.0
The fact that Matt Damon’s daughter had to explain to him that saying a slur is wrong is insane https://t.co/KeOIlxRZP8— Cedrica (@Cedrica) 1627843101.0
Damon, 50, has a Harvard University education.
He has played prominent LGBTQ+ characters Including Scott Thorson, the former partner of artist Liberace, in the film Behind The Candelabra.
The news comes on the heels of rapper DaBaby's career-harming anti-gay tirade which resulted in the rapper being removed from the lineup of Lollapalooza.
I’ve lost some respect for Matt Damon for two reasons: 1. Being a 51-year-old Harvard-educated person who only rea… https://t.co/CdAh8jDBQx— Mrs. Betty Bowers (@Mrs. Betty Bowers) 1627850364.0
Wheel of Fortune: British slang for 'cigarette' Matt Damon: https://t.co/iK9D5OoxJc— Brent in Lexington 8.19-21 (@Brent in Lexington 8.19-21) 1627861391.0
holy god Matt Damon is dumb— Molly Lambert 🦔 (@Molly Lambert 🦔) 1627856123.0
Just outstanding that Matt Damon told his "I learned not to use a homophobic slur at 50" like it was a heartwarming… https://t.co/4pxkKZVo2J— James Felton (@James Felton) 1627896672.0
Regarding Matt Damon, why do white people volunteer so much information that no one asked for?— Imani Barbarin, MAGC | Crutches&Spice ♿️ (@Imani Barbarin, MAGC | Crutches&Spice ♿️) 1627868922.0
Damon's approach to the story, as if he should be rewarded for learning something simple most people learned decades ago, has upset many people across the internet.
2021 has been waiting for Damon. Hopefully he will begin living in it.