Matt Damon’s Kavanaugh Promises a Trump Third Term on SNL

Matt Damon dusted off the Supreme Court robes for the May 9 episode of Saturday Night Live, reprising his legendary Brett Kavanaugh impression in a cold open that immediately took over the internet. The sketch — set in a Washington, D.C. bar — delivered what might be the most elegantly absurd political joke of the season: Trump can serve a third term because he found the original Constitution and, at the very end, wrote “Psych!”

Damon’s Kavanaugh burst through the bar doors to find Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, played by Colin Jost, already drinking solo. Hegseth’s excuse? “None of Trump’s people like drinking as much as I do.” Kavanaugh’s entrance line set the tone immediately: he told Hegseth he knew he’d find him there because he “saw all the women covering their drinks.”

From there, the two launched into a bragging contest of controversial achievements. Jost’s Hegseth boasted that he “started a war.” Damon’s Kavanaugh countered that he “ended abortion” — punctuating it with a cheery “Your body, my choice!”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7N68NjL9cMA%3Ffeature%3Doembed

A third drinking buddy eventually joined them: Aziz Ansari’s FBI Director Kash Patel, a character the Parks and Recreation actor debuted in the May 2 cold open. “Seriously, we’re all living the American dream,” Ansari’s Patel declared. “I’m the first person in my family to go to college — parties, many years after graduating.”

Then came the punchline. Kavanaugh leaned in to share a secret: “We’re going to let Trump do a third term.” When pressed on the small matter of it being unconstitutional, he explained that Trump “found the original Constitution, and at the end, he wrote, ‘Psych!’”

The sketch went viral almost instantly, and it’s not hard to see why. The joke works because the gap between the satire and the actual political moment feels uncomfortably thin. Above the Law noted it was “less ‘political satire’ and more ‘lightly fictionalized documentary’” — and that’s precisely the energy the cold open was going for.

A Character Eight Years in the Making

Damon first played Kavanaugh in 2018, during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings on the justice’s nomination — a performance that became one of the most talked-about cold opens in recent SNL history. The image of Damon screaming about beer and calendars is practically burned into the collective memory of anyone who watched that era of the show. Eight years later, the character hasn’t lost a step.

This episode also marked Damon’s third time hosting SNL overall, and his first time back since that 2018 appearance. In his monologue, he tackled the awkward timing of plugging The Odyssey — Christopher Nolan’s upcoming film, which doesn’t open until July 17 — while the show goes on summer hiatus before then.

“I have a new movie coming out,” Damon told the audience. “It’s called ‘The Odyssey,’ and it is in theaters not this weekend, not next weekend, but nine weekends from now.”

He also addressed the missing Mother’s Day tradition. SNL typically flies the cast’s mothers in first class for the Mother’s Day weekend episode — but not this year. “Apparently, that was going to happen again this year, but then Spirit Airlines shut down,” Damon said. “So for all of you waiting to see the cast’s moms, I’m sorry, it ain’t happening tonight.” One exception: Marcello Hernandez’s mom made a cameo in the audience as part of a bit involving an unusually enthusiastic audience member.

It’s worth noting the cold open also continued a recent trend — for the second week running, James Austin Johnson’s Donald Trump didn’t appear. The show has been rotating its political roster, with Jost’s Hegseth and Ansari’s Patel increasingly anchoring the opening sketches.

What’s Next for SNL Season 51

Damon’s episode was the penultimate installment of Season 51. The season finale airs May 16, with Will Ferrell returning to host for a record sixth time — and Paul McCartney performing as musical guest. After that, the show heads into its summer break, with new episodes returning in the fall.

As for Damon’s Kavanaugh, the “Psych!” Constitution bit may be the character’s most quotable moment yet. The original 2018 sketch made him SNL canon. This one reminded everyone why.