Actor Matt Damon portrayed Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in a Saturday Night Live cold-open sketch that aired May 9, 2024 [1].
The performance highlights the show's continued use of high-profile celebrity impersonations to comment on the stability and nature of the U.S. judiciary and executive power.
Set in a fictional local tavern with U.S. officials, the sketch used the Kavanaugh character to lampoon current politics [2]. Specifically, the satire focused on the idea of a third term for former President Donald Trump [3]. This marked the third time Damon has appeared in a stint on the program [4].
Damon first portrayed the justice in a parody that aired in December 2018 [5]. The return to the role served as a vehicle for the show to address the intersection of judicial appointments and political ambition, a recurring theme in the program's political commentary.
Tina Fey said, "He played him so perfectly" [6].
The sketch was broadcast from the Saturday Night Live studio in New York [2]. By reviving the character, the production aimed to draw parallels between the justice's initial confirmation hearings and the current political climate surrounding the former president's ambitions [3].
“He played him so perfectly.”
The revival of this specific parody reflects the enduring public and comedic interest in the 2018 confirmation process. By linking Justice Kavanaugh to discussions of a third presidential term, the show suggests that the legal and political precedents set during the previous administration continue to shape the current national discourse on executive power.
