Former President Barack Obama and Matt Damon had a famous back-and-forth in 2011 when they went at each other in public. Damon had supported Obama in the 2008 U.S. Presidential elections but went on to state in a 2011 interview that he was no longer a fan of him. Obama also fired back, joking that he felt the same after watching Damon’s film The Adjustment Bureau.
While Damon found the joke funny, he was still critical of the 44th U.S. President. The Adjustment Bureau starred Damon and Emily Blunt, who played the roles of a young congressman and a beautiful ballerina.
Barack Obama Destroyed Matt Damon With A Joke After Actor Spoke Against Him
Jason Bourne actor Matt Damon supported Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential elections, campaigning for him (via CNN). However, Damon was reportedly not impressed with how the President ran things at the White House. He was vocal against some of Obama’s policies or lack thereof.
The Ford v. Ferrari actor shared his concerns when he appeared on Piers Morgan Tonight to promote his film The Adjustment Bureau (via CNN). Damon shared that he was no longer a fan of Obama and accused him of misinterpreting his mandate.
Obama fired back at the criticism when he spoke at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in May 2011. Obama addressed Damon’s disappointment in his Presidency and joked that he saw The Adjustment Bureau and had the same feeling for Damon. Obama shared (via The Obama White House | YouTube):
Just the other day, Matt Damon — I love Matt Damon, love the guy — Matt Damon said he was disappointed in my performance. Well, Matt, I just saw “The Adjustment Bureau,” so … right back atcha, buddy.
The former President managed to make the entire hall laugh with his roast. However, George Nolfi’s The Adjustment Bureau is not too bad a film and received positive reviews from critics. The film was based on Philip K. Dick’s Adjustment Team and collected over $127.8 million at the worldwide box office, against a budget of $62 million (via Box Office Mojo).
Matt Damon reiterated his criticism of Barack Obama during an interview with ELLE later in 2011 (via EW). However, during a 2012 interview with GQ magazine, the Oppenheimer actor shared that he came to know about the President’s joke when his friends mailed him about it.
He found it funny but didn’t believe that Obama came up with the joke. He shared, “I have to say, it was pretty funny. Whoever came up with it, it was a terrific joke.” (via USA Today).
Barack Obama Produces Critically Acclaimed Projects Under Higher Ground Productions
Barack Obama was an outsider to the film industry when he passed the joke about Matt Damon’s film. However, he now owns a film and TV production company called Higher Ground with his wife Michelle Obama. Obama established the company in 2018 and signed a multi-year deal with Netflix.
The company started off producing a few documentaries, children’s TV shows, and The Michelle Obama Podcast. In 2021, Higher Ground produced its first feature film Fatherhood, starring Kevin Hart. Obama’s production company also produced the Oscar-nominated Netflix film Rustin.
They later produced the high-concept sci-fi film Leave the World Behind, in which Obama also contributed insightful and thorough script notes. In 2024, Higher Ground produced its first scripted series on Netflix, titled Bodkin.
The Adjustment Bureau is now available for rent on AppleTV+.
