Matt Damon’s wife had brain surgery days before Oscars, pulled off ‘heroic’ surprise for actor

Matt Damon said his wife, Luciana Barroso, had surgery for a brain aneurysm in the week before the 2024 Oscars. On the first evening she felt well enough to go out, she surprised him by joining him at an after-party, a gesture he described as heroic and deeply meaningful.

The moment recalled Damon’s regret at missing the celebration when The Departed won best picture in 2007, while he was filming in Miami. He and Barroso watched that ceremony from bed with their infant daughter. Damon also spoke about the family’s support for his work, including a filming stretch that kept him away for three and a half weeks, beyond their usual two-week limit; the couple have three daughters, and he helped raise Barroso’s older daughter.