DAMON NOT DITCHING U.S.
Matt Damon is once again hanging out in Australia with Hollywood pal Chris Hemsworth, which has only refueled last month’s refuted rumors that he was relocating his family to the country for political reasons. But the trip Down Under has long been on the docket for Damon and it doesn’t mean he’s moving there full time.
“That’s crazy!” Nancy Carlsson-Paige, Damon’s mother and a professor at Lesley University, told the Track shortly after the rumors first arose.
“Matt is going to Australia for a bit, then to Spain, then to Atlanta — he travels a lot,” she added.
So far, that itinerary checks out. The Cambridge-raised actor has been in Australia since Easter, which he spent with his wife, Luciana Barroso, and their daughters, as well as Hemsworth, his wife, Elsa Pataky, and their children. The two families have been spotted the past couple of weeks heading out to breakfast, attending the Byron Bay Bluesfest together and, most recently, cheering kids on at a community field day.
Damon has also been photographed on the streets of New South Wales, laughing off an unfortunate incident that left bird droppings on his T-shirt and hitting up some shops with the fam.
The rumor mill kicked into high-gear on March 15, when Page Six published a story saying the star was buying a house near Hemsworth and was mulling over a permanent move to Australia because he disagrees with President Trump’s policies.
“Matt’s telling friends and colleagues in Hollywood that he’s moving the family to Australia for a year,” an unnamed “insider” had told Page Six.
Damon’s rep promptly shut down the story, saying he did not buy a home, was not relocating there and just likes Australia a lot. And we don’t blame him.