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Matt Damon Recreated Brett Kavanaugh's Hearing in SNL's Season 44 Cold Open
In Season 44, the Oscar-winner played the Supreme Court nominee in a sketch reenacting his controversial confirmation hearing.
In the weeks leading up to February 16's three-hour 50th anniversary celebration on NBC, the team behind Saturday Night Live has selected one sketch from every single season — 50 seasons in 50 days — to reflect the show's rich legacy across five decades. Presenting the sketch that represents Season 44: "Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open" starring Matt Damon.
From randomly popping up in movies to playing Liz Lemon's pilot boyfriend on 30 Rock, one thing that Matt Damon's always gonna do is slay a cameo. And that was certainly the case when he transformed into then-Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh in Saturday Night Live's "Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open" in the Season 44 premiere.
Joined by several Season 44 cast members — and Rachel Dratch, an SNL performer from 1999-2006 — Damon brought the September 2018 headlines to life as President Donald Trump's pick to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy. Though Supreme Court nominations can be famously divisive across party lines, Kavanaugh's nomination made headlines due to a woman's allegations that he'd sexually assaulted her when they were teenagers.
Kavanaugh's vehement denial of the assault claim, and his response to questions about his past alcohol consumption, turned his Supreme Court confirmation hearing into a high profile event. And so, like so many SNL memorable cold opens that have focused on politics over the show's 50-year run, "Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open" found the satire in what was very serious news.
Matt Damon developed his Brett Kavanaugh impression less than 24 hours before SNL
Fun as it was to see Dratch as Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the sketch's success largely hung on Damon's over-the-top impersonation of Kavanaugh (with help from a wig and prosthetic nose).
"Let me tell you this: I'm going to start at an 11," Damon's excessively-sniffing Kavanaugh shouted at the top of the cold open. "I'm going to take it to a 15 real quick!" Announcing that he'd written a speech, he shared that "I wrote it myself last night while screaming into an empty bag of Doritos."
According to a 2018 Vanity Fair story on how the sketch — and Damon's cameo – came together, The Martian actor flew from a California to New York the morning of the show. It was then-head writer Colin Jost who called Damon last-minute to ask if he'd like to appear in the cold open.
It was late afternoon when Damon entered Studio 8H, and developed the impression in around three hours while SNL's hair, makeup, and wardrobe teams went to work on his prosthetics and costuming. Per Vanity Fair, "Damon researched the role by watching videos of Kavanaugh" — and then he knocked it out of the park at 11:30 pm.
Watch "Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open" from Season 44, Episode 1 above, and stream all 50 seasons of SNL on Peacock anytime.
How many times has Matt Damon hosted SNL?
Twice.
While Damon has only hosted Saturday Night Live two times with a 16-year gap — first in October 5, 2002, and then in December 15, 2018 — he's made four standout cameos. Those include his turn as Kavanaugh during Adam Driver's episode, and his appearance in Kristen Wiig's Season 49 episode, in which he appeared during her monologue and played himself in a hysterical "Retirement Party" sketch.
