• Matt Damon returned to host SNL Season 51 and reprised his Brett Kavanaugh impression in the cold open
• Colin Jost played Pete Hegseth and Aziz Ansari played Kash Patel in the booze-soaked political sketch
• The sketch mocked Kavanaugh’s drinking history, Patel’s personalized bourbon bottles, and Trump’s third-term rumors
• Online reaction split sharply between fans praising the satire and critics calling the show repetitively political
• SNL’s Season 51 finale airs May 16 with Will Ferrell hosting and Paul McCartney as musical guest

Three political figures walked into a bar — and Saturday Night Live was waiting for them. The NBC sketch comedy institution opened its May 9 episode with one of its most talked-about cold opens of Season 51: a Georgetown bar crawl featuring Matt Damon back as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, Colin Jost doing his Pete Hegseth impression, and Aziz Ansari crashing the party as FBI Director Kash Patel, personalized bourbon bottles in hand.

The sketch was set inside Martin’s Tavern, the iconic Georgetown restaurant, where Jost’s Hegseth kicked things off by celebrating that he’d finally found a bar where he wouldn’t run into anyone from the White House. “None of Trump’s people like drinking as much as I do,” he quipped. Then Damon’s Kavanaugh strolled in and immediately ordered “six Bud Lights and three shots of Jameson” — prompting the bartender to deadpan that it was a “6-3 decision.”

The Kavanaugh jokes got sharper from there. When asked why he expected to find Hegseth at that particular bar, Damon’s character replied, “I just saw all the women covering their drinks” — a direct callback to the sexual misconduct and excessive drinking allegations that dogged Kavanaugh’s 2018 Senate confirmation hearings. Kavanaugh has consistently denied both drinking excessively and engaging in any misconduct.

Kash Patel Steals the Scene

Things escalated the moment Ansari burst through the door screaming, “Does this bar take Kash?!” — and the crowd lost it. Ansari, who bears a close physical resemblance to the real Patel, came loaded with material. He joked about getting mistaken for a kid with a fake ID because of his wide-eyed official photos, bragged about still living the American dream years after college, and held up a bottle of bourbon with his own name on the label.

“Yes, somehow this is a real thing, that I the FBI director had made. This is real,” Ansari’s Patel announced — a direct riff on an Atlantic report detailing how Patel distributes personalized bourbon bottles bearing his name and references to the FBI. In real life, Patel is currently suing The Atlantic over reporting connected to those allegations, which he has strongly denied.

The sketch kept piling on. Damon’s Kavanaugh grilled Ansari’s Patel over rumors that he’s been making FBI staffers take polygraph tests — but Patel pivoted immediately into chaos, joking that he actually wanted a chart of everyone at the FBI who’s “poly” because his girlfriend supposedly wants an open relationship. Hegseth and Kavanaugh responded with enthusiastic frat-style high-fives.

Trump’s Third Term and a Chumbawamba Finale

The cold open saved its most absurdist swing for last. Damon’s Kavanaugh leaned in and dropped what he called a “top secret” bombshell: “We’re gonna let Trump do a third term.” When Jost’s Hegseth pointed out that three presidential terms are flatly unconstitutional, Kavanaugh fired back with the explanation that Trump had apparently found the original Constitution and scribbled “Sike! We’re gonna live forever” at the bottom.

Kenan Thompson, playing the bartender, eventually called last call — and the three characters stumbled into a slurring sing-along of Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping.” It was a fittingly chaotic button on a sketch that had gone fully off the rails in the best possible way.

The episode was Matt Damon’s third time hosting SNL, and it came ahead of his leading role in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, due in theaters this July. Musical guest Noah Kahan also performed — his second appearance on the show, following the April release of his album The Great Divide.

The Internet Had Thoughts

Reaction online divided almost immediately along predictable lines. Critics of the sketch flooded social media calling the show stale and one-note. “It’s really frustrating to watch a handful of angry activists placate their audience,” one user wrote. Another went further: “Nobody watches SNL, it’s not funny.”

Supporters pushed back just as hard. “SNL has been poking fun at presidents and politicians for quite some time now,” one fan pointed out. Others specifically praised Damon’s energy in the sketch, with one viewer calling it “high-fashion red carpet energy” for political comedy.

It’s a cycle the show knows well. Back in November, SNL drew similar backlash when James Austin Johnson’s Trump impression anchored a cold open built around the unsealed Epstein files — complete with jokes about Trump being “the dog that hasn’t barked” and a closing gag about pardoning “a turkey that was a sex criminal.” That sketch drew the same split reaction: fury from one side, applause from the other.

Whether you loved it or hated it, Season 51 is nearly done. The finale airs May 16 with Will Ferrell returning to host for the sixth time — his first time back since 2019 — alongside musical guest Paul McCartney, whose new album The Boys of Dungeon Lane drops May 29. If the season has been this chaotic, it’s hard to imagine Ferrell and McCartney toning things down for the exit.

The post SNL’s MAGA Bar Sketch Has the Internet Divided appeared first on Cream.

• Matt Damon returned as Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in SNL’s May 9 cold open — his first time in the role since 2018
• Colin Jost’s Pete Hegseth and Aziz Ansari’s Kash Patel joined Kavanaugh for a boozy night at Martin’s Tavern in Washington, D.C.
• The sketch ended with Kavanaugh dropping a “top secret” bombshell: Trump is getting a third term because he found the original Constitution and wrote “Sike!” at the bottom
• This was Damon’s third time hosting SNL — the penultimate episode of Season 51 — with musical guest Noah Kahan
• Season 51 wraps next week with Will Ferrell hosting and Paul McCartney as musical guest

Matt Damon dusted off his gavel and his beer gut for the May 9 episode of Saturday Night Live, reprising his iconic Brett Kavanaugh impression in a cold open that turned into the most unhinged MAGA boys’ night out television has ever seen.

The sketch opened at Martin’s Tavern — the legendary Georgetown watering hole — where Colin Jost’s Pete Hegseth arrived looking for a quiet drink away from the office. “It’s just nice to have my sneaky bar here, where I’m not going to run into anyone from work,” Jost’s Hegseth declared, “because none of Trump’s people like drinking as much as I do.”

He hadn’t even settled onto his barstool before Damon’s Kavanaugh came roaring in, robe and gavel in hand. “Wrong!” The justice immediately ordered what he called a “six-three decision” — six Bud Lights and three shots of Jameson — and Kenan Thompson’s bartender deadpanned, “Yep, a 6-3 decision coming right up.”

When Hegseth asked if Kavanaugh had accidentally included him in a Signal chat, the justice shook his head: “No, I just saw all the women covering their drinks.”

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7N68NjL9cMA%3Fsi%3Do3vV_-CVQe2Wm9Io

The Gang’s All Here

The two wasted no time catching up on their greatest hits. Jost’s Hegseth crowed, “Dude, can you believe I just, like, started a war?” Damon’s Kavanaugh shot back, “Can you believe I ended abortion? Your body, my choice!” When asked how the war in Iran was going, Hegseth offered: “Oh, it’s totally chill. It’s like me at a DWI checkpoint: completely blew over.”

Kavanaugh then pulled out what appeared to be a gerrymandered Tennessee voting district map — shaped suspiciously like a dinosaur — before correcting himself. “Oh, wait. Actually, no. That’s a field sobriety test. They told me to draw a circle.”

The real emotional gut-punch came when Kavanaugh confessed his deepest worry. Not the war. Not the courts. Male loneliness. “I used to have all my buddies to hang out with,” he lamented. “I just wish there were more people in this administration who could really hang.”

Right on cue, the doors swung open.

“Does this bar take Kash?!”

Aziz Ansari’s FBI Director Kash Patel — eyes bulging, energy unhinged — slid into the booth carrying personalized bourbon bottles engraved with his own name. “Somehow this is a real thing that I, the FBI director, have made,” Ansari’s Patel marveled. “This is real!” The bottles are, in fact, a real thing that exists.

Patel explained why he brings his own alcohol to bars: “Sometimes people think I’m a kid with a fake ID. They say, ‘Nobody would make this face in official photos.'” He then reflected on his journey. “We are all living the American dream. I’m the first person in my family to go to college — parties, many years after graduating.”

When Kavanaugh pressed him on rumors that he’s been ordering FBI staffers to take polygraph tests, Patel denied it emphatically. “No, I told them to make a graph of everyone in the FBI who’s poly. My girlfriend wants to open up our relationship!” The trio exchanged frat-style high-fives. “She says she wants to bring other guys into the bedroom and for me to stay in the living room.”

The Top Secret Bombshell

Just when things couldn’t get more chaotic, Damon’s Kavanaugh leaned in conspiratorially. “Can I tell you guys a secret?” he asked. “We’re gonna let Trump do a third term.”

Hegseth and Patel lost their minds — until Hegseth caught himself. “I thought that was unconstitutional?”

“It was,” Kavanaugh replied, “until Trump found the original Constitution, and at the end, he wrote, ‘Sike!’ We’re going to live forever!”

The sketch closed with the trio — plus the rest of the bar — belting out Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping,” with drink orders subbed in for the lyrics. It was the perfect ending for a sketch that leaned hard into the real-life fact that both Hegseth and Kavanaugh faced pointed questions about their drinking during their respective confirmation hearings.

A Solid Night for Damon Overall

The cold open was the highlight of what turned out to be a genuinely strong episode. Damon — hosting for the third time, his first since 2018 — threw himself into everything. He played himself in a pre-taped Mother’s Day sketch called “Mom: The Movie,” a film deliberately stripped of all conflict because, as the premise went, “Moms have enough stress. Why not let them feel good for a day?” In it, Ashley Padilla’s character is blissfully married to Matt Damon, and they met when he noticed her giant turquoise necklace. It streams on HomeGoods Plus.

In his monologue, Damon addressed the elephant in the room: he’s hosting SNL nine weeks before his summer blockbuster The Odyssey opens on July 17, because the show will be on hiatus by then. He also explained why the beloved Mother’s Day tradition — flying cast members’ moms in for the show — wasn’t happening this year: Spirit Airlines shut down. The one exception was Marcello Hernández’s mom, who made it to the audience and got her own little moment.

The standout non-cold-open sketch of the night was a late-show bit pairing Damon with Sarah Sherman as two auctioneers having a marriage-ending fight — auctioneering their way through infidelity, their sex life, and eventual divorce terms in front of four young sons (played by adult cast members holding numbered signs). It was a genuinely bold piece of live comedy, and Damon’s acting chops gave it real weight underneath the absurdity.

Weekend Update featured Marcello Hernández and Mikey Day as government-employed kamikaze dolphins, Jane Wickline in a musical rant about always being late, and Jeremy Culhane’s Tucker Carlson impression — which leaned hard into Carlson’s tendency to see everything through a very particular lens. Describing ASAP Rocky’s Met Gala pink robe, Culhane’s Carlson noted the performer was “wearing my least favorite color… African-American.”

Musical guest Noah Kahan performed “The Great Divide” and “Doors.”

Next Saturday, Season 51 wraps with Will Ferrell returning for his sixth time hosting, alongside musical guest Paul McCartney. After that, SNL heads into its summer hiatus. Damon’s Kavanaugh, one assumes, will keep ordering 6-3 decisions until the show needs him again.

The post Matt Damon’s Kavanaugh Is Back and SNL’s Bar Tab Is Huge appeared first on Cream.

• Matt Damon hosted Saturday Night Live for the third time, with musical guest Noah Kahan.
• Damon reprised his Brett Kavanaugh impression in a bar-set cold open alongside Colin Jost’s Pete Hegseth and Aziz Ansari’s Kash Patel.
• A Mother’s Day fake movie trailer called Mom featured Damon as the world’s most ideal husband.
• The episode — the penultimate of Season 51 — aired ahead of the May 16 finale with Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney.
• Damon also promoted his upcoming role as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey during his monologue.

Matt Damon walked back into Studio 8H on Saturday night and made it look easy. Hosting Saturday Night Live for the third time in his career — following stints in 2002 and 2018 — the Cambridge native delivered one of the more cohesive episodes of Season 51, anchoring everything from a raucous political cold open to a pitch-perfect Mother’s Day fake movie trailer that will absolutely be texted to your mom tomorrow morning.

And yes, Brett Kavanaugh is back.

The Cold Open: Beers, Bourbon, and a Third Term

Damon first played Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh in September 2018, at the height of the judge’s contentious confirmation hearing, channeling simmering frat-boy outrage in a performance that’s still talked about. Saturday’s cold open brought a very different Kavanaugh — looser, cockier, and very much at home in a bar.

The scene was set at Martin’s Tavern, the legendary Georgetown watering hole, where Kavanaugh runs into Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, played once again by Colin Jost. Aziz Ansari — returning as Kash Patel following his debut last week — rounded out the trio, arriving with his own branded bourbon.

“Pistol Pete,” Damon’s Kavanaugh said. “I kind of figured I was going to find you here.”

“Oh, did I include you on a Signal chat by accident?” Jost’s Hegseth asked.

“No, I just saw all the women covering their drinks!”

Both characters, of course, faced questions about heavy drinking during their respective confirmation hearings — and the show leaned all the way into it. “Hey, can I just say that we are both kicking ass right now,” Damon’s Kavanaugh offered. “Dude, can you believe I just, like, started a war?” Jost’s Hegseth replied. Kavanaugh shot back: “Can you believe I ended abortion? Your body, my choice.”

“Order. I find in favor of six Bud Lights and three shots of Jame-O,” Damon declared at one point, playing judge from a barstool.

The kicker came when Kavanaugh leaned in to share “something top secret” with his new pals. “We’re gonna let Trump do a third term,” Damon said, sending Hegseth and Patel into screaming excitement. Kenan Thompson’s bartender called last call, and the whole bar — political figures included — broke into Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping” to close it out.

It was the show’s best cold open in a while. The Jost/Damon/Ansari combination of repulsive frat-boy energy had a genuine comedic momentum to it, and Damon’s easy comfort in the role — especially the way he casually name-drops Kavanaugh’s famously alleged friend “Squee” — made it land.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=7N68NjL9cMA%3Fsi%3DJFsaTBbgW3-mdMak

The Monologue and a Very Busy Career

Damon kept his opening monologue short and warm, offering a “personal message” to moms ahead of Mother’s Day and mentioning his upcoming role as Odysseus in Christopher Nolan’s highly anticipated The Odyssey — a cast that also includes Anne Hathaway, Tom Holland, Zendaya, and Robert Pattinson. Not a bad résumé to casually drop on a Saturday night.

His hosting history on the show is a bit of a running joke at this point. Damon has made four additional cameo appearances on top of his three hosting gigs, and even joked about it during a 2024 appearance — when he was handed two “Five-Timers” jackets before the actual honoree, Kristen Wiig, got hers. In the promos for this week’s episode, cast member Ben Marshall pointed out that at his current pace, Damon would reach Five-Timer status sometime around 2052.

The pre-show promos also leaned hard into Good Will Hunting — the 1997 film Damon co-wrote and starred in, which earned him an Oscar. In one bit, Sarah Sherman and Jeremy Culhane were found staring at a chalkboard covered in comedy equations, trying to crack the formula for the perfect SNL sketch. Damon recognized the bit immediately. “That movie is like 30 years old,” he said. Neither Sherman nor Culhane had seen it — Sherman because she just hadn’t, Culhane because he grew up in a cult.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=CA3VtWgnGtw%3Ffeature%3Doembed

Mom: The Movie Your Mother Actually Wants

The highlight of the night for many viewers will almost certainly be Mom — a fake movie trailer timed perfectly to Mother’s Day that is, as its own voiceover declares, “completely devoid of conflict, suspense and dramatic tension.”

The premise: an empty-nester mom (Ashley Padilla) is visited by her three adult children, who have the best possible announcement. They’re all moving back in. She is thrilled. The house is clean. The kids are home.

And the husband is, straight up, Matt Damon.

“I just love being married to you, Matt Damon,” mom says.

“I feel the same way, Rhonda. Rhonda Damon,” he replies. “You want to go upstairs?”

“To make love?” she asks.

“No — to do a fashion show with everything in your closet!”

She lights up. The audience loses it.

The sketch keeps going from there, each beat more specifically calibrated to mom-brain wish fulfillment. When a daughter panics that her baby shower and a big pickleball tournament are on the same day, mom checks the calendar and reports, completely unbothered: “They’re on different days.” In another scene, her kids need their birth certificates. She has them all. And when someone named Judith — the same Judith who once called mom’s porch pillows ugly — turns out to be sick, mom smiles and moves on without a second thought.

“And rest assured,” the voiceover adds, “if something bad happens, it will be to someone you don’t like.”

Mom, an “Isn’t This Nice?” production, hits theaters Sunday.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=u8q1H3H6SOQ%3Fsi%3DUz7xBeXFCEJe9JRe

The Rest of the Night

Beyond the cold open and the trailer, Damon spent the episode doing exactly what the show needed: playing middle-aged doofy everymen with the kind of ease that reminded you why Will Ferrell’s era worked so well. A sketch about tough guys recounting increasingly elaborate ways they’d been beaten up felt like it could have been written in 1993. An auctioneer sketch with Sarah Sherman had the energy of an early Dan Aykroyd bit. A fake Tidy Care Kitty Litter ad — in which Damon’s character slowly comes to believe his son has been urinating in the cat’s litter box — landed firmly in the show’s more recent absurdist mode.

As a whole, the episode had a surprising coherence to it. Damon’s persona — the boyish bro who grew into a dependable dad-fave — gave the night a through-line that made even the looser sketches feel intentional. It was a good night to be in the audience.

Musical guest Noah Kahan, a fellow New Englander, performed as well. Next Saturday brings the Season 51 finale, with Will Ferrell returning as host and Paul McCartney as musical guest.

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