Matt Damon slammed and told to 'keep quiet' after appearing to defend Louis CK

Matt Damon has been scolded for appearing to defend Louis C.K in a “car crash” interview about the sexual misconduct scandal in Hollywood.

Damon, 47, was branded an “idiot” and told to “keep quiet” after he appeared to argue that men who have groped women should be forgiven as they haven’t molested children or committed rape.

He said Louis C.K, who admitted to masturbating in front of women, should not be shamed in the same way as Harvey Weinstein.

The disgraced producer has been accused of several accounts of sexual assault and harassment, but vehemently denies “any allegations of non-consensual sex”.

Damon said C.K’s behaviour was “shameful and gross” but that there should be room for forgiveness.

Speaking with Peter Travers on ABC News, he said: “I do believe that there’s a spectrum of behaviour, right? And we’re going to have to figure – you know, there’s a difference between patting someone on the butt and rape or child molestation, right?

“Both of those behaviours need to be confronted and eradicated without question, but they shouldn’t be conflated, right?”

He continued: “The Louis C.K. thing, I don’t know all the details. I don’t do deep dives on this, but I did see his statement which [was] arresting to me.

“I don’t know Louis C.K I’ve never met him. I’m a fan of his, but I don’t imagine he’s going to do those things again. You know what I mean? I imagine the price that he’s paid at this point is so beyond anything that he – I just think that we have to kind of start delineating between what these behaviours are.”

Damon’s comments were lambasted online, with many questioning why he feels the need to speak out.