Matt Damon is a s–tty storyteller.
In this exclusive sneak peek of the 45th Annual Kennedy Center Honors—airing Dec. 28 on CBS—Matt pays homage to his friend and honoree George Clooney in a speech that, at least to start, seems harmless enough.
“It has been said that my friend George Clooney is the last of the true movie stars,” Matt begins, “so I got to thinking about exactly what that meant. Of course, a number of past Kennedy Center honorees have certainly been movie stars in that classic sense. Actors with class and sophistication—Cary Grant, Henry Fonda, Paul Newman, Gregory Peck.”
That’s when things take a turn.
“And then I think of George,” Matt says, “a man who defected in Richard Kind‘s kitty litter box as a joke.”
Richard, best known for Mad About You, Spin City and his voice work in multiple Pixar films, is seated onstage and acknowledges Matt’s reference with a hearty salute.