Matt Damon and Ken Jennings Win Top Prize on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,’ Thanks to This Final Question originally appeared on Parade.
Matt Damon may have finally gotten the last laugh in his long-running (and famously fake) feud with Jimmy Kimmel.
On Wednesday night’s episode of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which Kimmel hosts in prime time, the Oscar-winning actor teamed up with Jeopardy! host Ken Jennings for a special celebrity edition of the game show.
The duo played on behalf of Water.org, the nonprofit Damon co-founded in 2009 to expand access to clean water and sanitation.
By the end of the episode, the pair had done what few have before when they answered every question correctly to win the full $1 million prize.
After their win, Kimmel leaned into Damon to humorously express his faux outrage: “This is the least dramatic million-dollar moment in history. I’m begrudgingly going to shake your hand.”
Their winning moment came on the final question:
“Which of these words is used to describe one of the most beautiful auditory effects on Earth: the sound made by the leaves of trees when wind blows through them?”
The answer was susurrus, a word Jennings recognized and confirmed using the 50/50 lifeline.
Despite the win, Kimmel wasn’t above poking fun at both contestants, referencing Damon’s long beard for an upcoming role in The Odyssey.
“Ken and what appears to be a yak are in the hot seat,” he quipped before asking Damon sarcastically: “Where were you on January 6?”
With their victory, Damon and Jennings join a small group of celebrities who have claimed the top prize on the U.S. version of the show, including David Chang (with Mina Kimes) and Ike Barinholtz and his father Alan.
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire airs Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
Matt Damon and Ken Jennings Win Top Prize on ‘Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,’ Thanks to This Final Question first appeared on Parade on Jul 31, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 31, 2025, where it first appeared.
