Matt Damon, one of Hollywood’s most carefully managed leading men, found himself on the receiving end of a very public reality check when his teenage daughter decided his red carpet posture was simply unacceptable.
The moment took place during the New York City premiere of his new film The Rip, where Damon was posing for photographers alongside Ben Affleck. The shoot quickly turned into meme-fodder once his 17-year-old daughter, Gia, openly mocked the way her father was standing.
“Why are you standing like this?” she asked, while physically imitating her father by hunching forward and puffing her arms out to either side.
Matt Damon went viral after his daughter called him out for looking stiff while posing with Ben Affleck
Image credits: Roy Rochlin/Getty Images
The criticism came as Damon stood shoulder to shoulder with Affleck, both dressed in dark suits and facing a wall of cameras.
Gia, watching from nearby, did not hold back. Her imitation made it clear she found her father’s stance awkward and worthy of immediate correction.
Rather than shutting the moment down, Damon embraced it.
Image credits: Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images
The footage shows him recreating the exact pose his daughter was mocking, leaning forward with exaggerated arms before breaking into a wide grin. Gia laughed as her mother, Luciana Barroso, and Damon’s other daughters Isabella, 19, and Stella, 15, looked on.
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The exchange instantly humanized the Oscar winner. On a carpet designed for polished images and practiced poses, Damon became, for a brief moment, just another dad getting roasted by his teenager in front of a crowd.
“All those daughters! I see why Matt is greyer than Ben!” a viewer joked.
“Ah teens, they keep us humbled… and we keep them embarrassed,” another added.
Ben Affleck praised Matt Damon’s work ethic and dedication to his family
The family soon regrouped and posed together for formal photos.
Barroso, 49, stunned in a strapless red gown, while her daughters wore figure-hugging dresses as they stood alongside Damon.
“I couldn’t tell which one was the kids and which one was the wife. The wife looks so young,” a viewer noted.
Image credits: Netflix
The premiere also shone a spotlight into Damon’s decades-long friendship with Affleck, who spoke about their bond during the event, praising both Damon’s work ethic and his role as a father.
“I keep relearning things about Matt that I already knew and I forget them,” Affleck said.
“Honestly, I am continuously reminded of what a great father he is and what a fabulous actor he is.”
Image credits: The Howard Stern Show/YouTube
Their collaboration on The Rip continues a creative relationship that began with Good Will Hunting, a film that also played an unexpected role in Damon’s personal life.
During a joint appearance on The Howard Stern Show on Monday, January 12, Damon revealed that Barroso had seen Good Will Hunting years before they met and initially thought Affleck was “the cute one.”
“I think I met her best friend from high school, and it came out that the two of them went and saw Good Will Hunting together,” Damon told host Howard Stern. “Her best friend thought I was the cute one and she thought Ben was the cute one.”
The actor has spoken about the challenges and pleasures of being a father to daughters
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Family, by Damon’s own account, has always been the center of his life. In a 2024 interview on Radio Andy, the actor reflected on his approach to raising daughters.
“I wouldn’t deign to give anybody advice other than that I just try to listen and be helpful,” Damon told host Andy Cohen.
“Ultimately, it’s about building self-esteem. You know, 99 percent of the decisions they make, you’re not gonna be there, right?”
That philosophy has been consistent for years.
In a 2012 interview with The Guardian, Damon admitted that fatherhood exceeded every expectation he had going into it.
“People who were already parents would tell me: ‘It’s great! It’s wonderful!’” he said at the time.
“But I don’t think you can really appreciate it until you experience it for yourself. It’s really quite something.”
“It’s not just my kids!” The moment had netizens seeing themselves in Damon
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