Matt Damon 'kidnaps' Jimmy Kimmel, takes over show

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LOS ANGELES, Jan. 25 (UPI) -- Actor Matt Damon took over Jimmy Kimmel's Los Angeles chat show Thursday night, tying his faux rival to a chair and interviewing his celebrity guests.

"Since the beginning of 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' in 2003, the late-night host has made it a nightly tradition to 'bump' Matt Damon from his show, explaining that unfortunately he's run out of time for the A-list star. The two men have a decade long history of taunting each other," ABC said in a tongue-in-cheek news release before the show aired. "Now Damon has taken matters into his own hands. The Oscar winner accepted Kimmel's invitation to finally be a guest on his show tonight, but then arrived at the 'JKL' studio this morning and promptly took Kimmel hostage."

"There's a new host in town and his initials are M.D.," Damon told the studio audience at the beginning of the show. "That's right, the doctor is in."

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long, long time," Damon said during his monologue after the opening credits. "This is like when I lost my virginity, except this is going to last way longer than one second. ...

"I am in command of this ship," he told the audience.

Gesturing to Kimmel, who had his tie stuffed in his mouth, Damon said, "You have never been funnier."

Among the superstars who dropped by the show while Damon was in charge and Kimmel was incapacitated were Damon's "Good Will Hunting" co-star Robin Williams, his best friend Ben Affleck and Sarah Silverman, Kimmel's ex-girlfriend.

Sheryl Crow, Nicole Kidman, Gary Oldman, Amy Adams, Reese Witherspoon and Demi Moore also appeared on the show.