Matt Damon And Ben Affleck Defend Patriots And Debate Cancel Culture

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck have long been synonymous with Boston sports, Hollywood camaraderie, and, more recently, candid conversations about the evolving culture of public accountability. This past week, the two actors—both raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts—were in the spotlight not only for their latest Netflix film, The Rip, but also for their outspoken takes on the New England Patriots’ new era and the increasingly fraught landscape of "cancel culture." Their recent media appearances have offered fans a window into their unwavering sports loyalty, their reflections on personal growth, and their thoughts on forgiveness in an age of social media scrutiny.

On January 17, 2026, Damon, 55, and Affleck, 53, joined Katie Nolan’s "Casuals" podcast, where the conversation quickly turned to their beloved New England Patriots. The Patriots, a team that has long defined Boston sports pride, are enjoying a resurgence that’s reignited hope among fans. When asked about the team’s future, the duo didn’t hesitate to express their enthusiasm for the Patriots’ new quarterback, Drake Maye.

"Oh, we love him," Damon replied, his voice brimming with excitement. Affleck echoed the sentiment, marveling at the team’s good fortune: "I mean, it’s like a miracle, how do you get another really good quarterback? I thought I’d be dead before New England had another great football team." According to The Washington Post, the actors reminisced about Patriots legends like Jim Plunkett and Steve Grogan, but their focus remained on the franchise’s promising future. "The way they’re set up for the future," Damon observed, "Drake Maye is 23 years old. We’ve got all this cap space."

Affleck, ever the comic, jumped in: "Every time I see this guy, I’m like, ‘This kid is in high school.’ The people are like, ‘No, Dad, you’re just old.’" The playful banter underscored the generational shift underway in New England football, as well as the actors’ deep connection to their hometown team. It’s a connection that’s led them to turn down film roles requiring Yankees hats and to defend the Patriots on national television—testaments to their unwavering loyalty.

But Damon and Affleck’s week in the media wasn’t just about football. On January 16, 2026, the pair sat down with Joe Rogan to tackle a different kind of controversy: the phenomenon of "cancel culture." Rogan, known for his unfiltered interviews, introduced the topic by describing cancelation as "this idea that one thing you said or one thing you did, and now we’re going to exaggerate that to the fullest extent and cast you out of civilization for life." Damon, never one to mince words, interjected: "in perpetuity."

He elaborated, drawing on personal experience: "Because I bet some of those people would have preferred to go to jail for 18 months or whatever, and then come out and say, ‘I paid my debt. Like, we’re done. Like, can we be done?’ 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." It was a raw admission, reflecting the scars left by years in the public eye.

Damon’s brushes with cancel culture are well-documented. In 2021, he found himself in hot water after discussing his decision to stop using a homophobic slur, a revelation that drew criticism despite his clarification that he "never called anyone" that word in his personal life. Years earlier, he publicly apologized for comments that appeared to downplay the importance of diversity on movie sets, as captured in his HBO documentary series Project Greenlight. According to The Daily Beast, Bill Maher once remarked, "It is a phenomenon that truly fascinates me, that every couple of years, Matt Damon, one of the most likable guys in Hollywood, with impeccable liberal credentials, is again flailing around in cancel culture quicksand."

Affleck, too, weighed in on the topic during the Rogan interview. Drawing parallels to the plot of The Rip, he said the film explores "the slippery slope people can get into before making big mistakes." For Affleck, the story is about more than cops and cash; it’s "a much more honest evaluation of people. And it allows for, like, complexity and forgiveness and f---ing all the s--t that’s sort of beautiful about people like rather than this notion of like, well, we’re going to be binary, good or bad, perfect or not, whatever, and any infraction permanently stains you."

He continued, "You become like an outcast. And I don’t think anybody wants to think you’re the sum total of… who you are is your worst moment." Damon chimed in, emphasizing the importance of personal growth: "It’s about evolution and our own personal evolution, and we’re all on our own path towards that. The idea of attacking someone… it’s like ‘Oh, so you aced the test? Like, put your pencil down, you nailed being human? You’re done, congratulations.’"

The actors’ remarks struck a chord not just because of their celebrity, but because they tapped into broader questions about accountability, redemption, and the permanence of public judgment. Their willingness to discuss their own missteps—and to call for nuance in evaluating others—felt refreshingly candid in an era when many shy away from controversy.

Of course, their media blitz wasn’t solely philosophical. The actors were also promoting The Rip, their new Netflix thriller about Miami cops who stumble upon millions in hidden cash, only to find their loyalties and morals tested. The film’s themes of temptation, trust, and the gray areas of right and wrong provided a fitting backdrop for the duo’s reflections on cancel culture and forgiveness. As Affleck explained, "It’s a much more honest evaluation of people," suggesting that the movie, like their conversation, resists easy answers or moral binaries.

For fans of Damon and Affleck, the week’s interviews offered a reminder of why the pair have remained so enduringly popular. Whether dissecting the Patriots’ prospects or wrestling with the complexities of modern fame, they bring a mix of humor, humility, and hard-earned wisdom. Their bond—on display in every exchange—remains as strong as ever, rooted in decades of friendship and shared experience.

As the Patriots look to a future with Drake Maye at the helm and The Rip finds its audience on Netflix, Damon and Affleck continue to navigate the spotlight with a rare blend of candor and camaraderie. Their voices, shaped by both triumph and controversy, offer a compelling perspective on what it means to grow, to err, and to hope for forgiveness—in sports, in Hollywood, and in life.