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Amanda Knox Reignites Feud with Matt Damon Over “Cancel Culture” Comments
Amanda Knox, known for her wrongful conviction and subsequent acquittal in Italy, has once again publicly challenged actor Matt Damon. This time, the renewed friction stems from Damon’s recent remarks on “cancel culture,” made during an interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience.”
Damon, alongside his longtime co-star Ben Affleck, delved into the complexities of cancel culture during the podcast, which aired on January 16. The 55-year-old actor suggested that for some public figures, the relentless public scrutiny and ostracization associated with being “canceled” could be more punishing than a prison sentence.
“I bet some of those people would have preferred to go to jail for 18 months or whatever and then come out and say, ‘No, but I paid my debt. Like, we’re done.
Like, can we be done?’” Damon stated.
“Like, the thing about 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.”
Knox, 38, who previously criticized Damon for his role in the 2021 film “Stillwater,” a movie she claims capitalized on her real-life ordeal, swiftly responded on social media. She shared a news article detailing Damon’s comments on X (formerly Twitter), adding, “Another thing Matt Damon could have run by me before putting out into the world.”
Knox spent four years in prison after being twice convicted and later acquitted in the 2007 murder of her roommate, Meredith Kercher, in Perugia, Italy. She and her ex-boyfriend, Raffaele Sollecito, were released in October 2011.
Her post sparked a lively discussion, with Knox engaging directly with several X users. When journalist Katherine Brodsky commented that some “canceled” individuals might prefer jail given the unending nature of public excoriation, Knox responded, “People commit suicide in prison, too.”
Addressing another user who suggested she was “unfamiliar with the word some,” Knox clarified her stance. “You’re missing the point,” she wrote.
“You don’t get to go to prison in secret. It comes with its own stigma and lasting trauma.
You don’t just get to ‘be done with it,’ personally or socially.”
Since her release, Knox has become a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform, focusing on media ethics and the wrongfully convicted. She has authored two memoirs, “Waiting to Be Heard” (2013) and “Free: My Search for Meaning” (2025), and hosts the “Hard Knox” podcast.
The previous clash between Knox and Damon arose from the release of “Stillwater” in July 2021. Directed by Tom McCarthy, the film features Damon as a father whose daughter is imprisoned in France for a crime similar to the one Knox was accused of. McCarthy confirmed the movie was inspired by Knox’s case.
Knox expressed outrage that the film further linked her name to Kercher’s murder, particularly as she had been exonerated. She also took issue with a significant plot deviation in “Stillwater,” which implied the character based on her was not entirely innocent, casting doubt on her own real-life innocence.
In an August 2021 interview, Knox explained her decision to speak out against the film. “Wrongful convictions don’t just happen to the individual.
They happen to a whole network of human beings who love this person and know that they’re innocent and fight for their innocence,” she stated. She emphasized that the film’s “fictional” twist blurred the lines between reality and fiction in an irresponsible way, reopening old wounds.
Knox argued that filmmakers cannot claim sufficient distance from her case when media coverage consistently links “Stillwater” to the “Amanda Knox case.” She highlighted how such portrayals can influence public perception of her, even after her acquittal. “And then Matt Damon and the director can walk away with a great story in their pocket, but meanwhile, I’m still living with the consequences of people thinking that I am somehow involved in this crime that I am not involved in,” she asserted.
Last year, Knox participated in a retelling of her story as an executive producer for the Hulu limited series “The Twisted Tale of Amanda Knox,” an eight-episode true-crime drama that premiered in August 2025.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Damon’s representative for comment on the latest developments.