Matt Damon’s surprise appearance as Judge Brett Kavanaugh during the cold open of the season premiere of “Saturday Night Live” came together quick by even the NBC show’s standards.
According to a report in Vulture on Monday, it was Weekend Update co-anchor and co-head writer Colin Jost’s idea to have Damon play Kavanaugh in the sketch that lampooned the SCOTUS nominee’s contemptuous Senate hearing. Jost ran it by Damon after midnight on Friday, and Damon arrived in New York at around 4 p.m. Saturday for rehearsals, leaving the Oscar winner less than eight hours to prepare.
The sketch began with Damon as Kavanaugh screaming his opening remarks. “I’m gonna start at 11! And I’m gonna take it to a 15 real quick!” he yelled mockingly.
From there, Damon echoed much of Kavanaugh’s actual comments, though with a twist. Damon repeatedly brought up the nicknames of Kavanaugh’s real high school friends, though he also added a few, like “Donkey Dong Doug,” “Handsy Hank” and “Gang Bang Greg.”
The sketch also included Kavanaugh’s general hostility toward the Democrats on the committee, as well as his repeated confessions of love for beer. “I’m a keg is half full kind of guy. But what I’ve seen from the monsters on this committee makes me wanna puke, and not from beer,” Damon said.
The 13-minute sketch also saw former castmember Rachel Dratch return to play Sen. Amy Klobuchar. “SNL” cast current cast members in the bit included Kate McKinnon as Lindsey Graham, Cecily Strong as Dianne Feinstein, Alex Moffat as Chuck Grassley, and Aidy Bryant as prosecutor Rachel Mitchell.
The 20 Best Sketches of 'SNL' Season 43 Ranked (Photos)
"Saturday Night Live" Season 43 brought back fan-favorite Alec Baldwin to play Donald Trump, and added a bunch of surprise star guests as other members of the White House administration. But "SNL" hasn’t just been great at the politics — there are have been a lot of hilarious parodies, send-ups and downright weird sketches along the way. Here are the best sketches of the season so far, ranked from great to best.
20. The Day You Were Born (Amy Schumer, May 12. 2018)
To celebrate Mother's Day, Amy Schumer plays a mom telling her fictional son the saccharine story about the day he was born -- but flashbacks to the actual day so how horrific it really was. The sketch honors moms by hilariously showing just how tough they have it. Watch the sketch here.
19. Sitcom Reboot (John Mulaney, April 14, 2018)
John Mulaney plays the showrunner of a 1980s sitcom who gets a second life thanks to Hollywood's hunger for reboots. Trouble is, the reason nobody watched "Switcheroo" the first time is because the body-swapping comedy focused on the weird implications of a dad and his son switching bodies. Specifically, the sexual implications between the kid and his mom. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
18. Themyscira (Gal Gadot, Oct. 7, 2017)
Kate McKinnon and Aidy Byrant wash up on Themyscira, the mythical island of the Amazons from Gal Gadot's movie "Wonder Woman." At first they're pretty excited to find an island full of warrior women because of all the relationship opportunities, but it turns out to be a bust. Check out the sketch here.
NBC
17. Whiskers R We with Tiffany Haddish (Tiffany Haddish, Nov. 11, 2017)
Tiffany Haddish and Kate McKinnon have a whole mess of cats they're trying to find good homes for in the latest edition of the running "Whiskers R We" sketch. Unruly kittens add to the ridiculous flirting between Haddish and McKinnon. You can see the sketch here.
NBC
16. Girlfriends Game Night (Bill Hader, March 17, 2018)
Cecily Strong brings her elderly husband, played by Bill Hader, to her girlfriends' game night, but their schedule for attempting to conceive a child means everybody is stuck watching. Hader is particularly ridiculous as he plows into the rest of the cast with his slow-speed scooter. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
15. Roach Product (Charles Barkley, March 3, 2018)
Charles Barkley rips the National Rifle Association's gun policies by suggesting the only way to stop cockroaches in homes is to train good guy cockroaches to use tiny AR-15 rifles. It's not a bad solution for anyone who doesn't mind roaches living in their houses and constant hails of bullets flying out of their cupboards. Check out the sketch here.
NBC
14. Black Jeopardy with Chadwick Boseman (Chadwick Boseman, April 7, 2018)
Chadwick Boseman reprises his "Black Panther" role as T'Challa, king of the fictional nation of Wakanda, on "Black Jeopardy." T'Challa isn't an American, but he quickly picks up the the cultural context to be a competitor on the show. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
13. Inside the NBA (Kevin Hart, Dec. 16, 2017)
Kevin Hart, who is 5-foot-4 in real life, plays a 7-foot Shaquille O'Neal on a send-up of "Inside the NBA." Hart's O'Neal is barely coherent throughout the sketch, but that doesn't change that he's fed up with all the insults being slung his way by Kenan Thompson's Charles Barkley. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
12. Morning Joe Michael Wolff Cold Open (Sam Rockwell, Jan. 13, 2018)
In the wake of the release of "Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House," "SNL" brings author Michael Wolff onto its parody version of "Morning Joe." Fred Armisen surprises in the role of Wolff, but the real joke of the sketch is debuting Bill Murray as Steve Bannon. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
11. Office Phone Call (Kevin Hart, Dec. 16, 2017)
As an office worker, Kevin Hart finds out that he's not fooling anyone with his daily "emergency phone calls" that last about 10 minutes and happen during meetings right after lunch. Everybody knows what he really needs is an intense bathroom break, but Hart can't give up on the lie. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
10. Family Feud: Harvey Family Thanksgiving (Chance the Rapper, Nov. 18, 2017)
Kenan Thompson's Steve Harvey brings his own family on "Family Feud" for Thanksgiving, as well as the family of a longtime friend. It's only midway through the holiday episode of the show that he realizes he's made a huge mistake. Check out the sketch here.
NBC
9. Diner Lobster (John Mulaney, April 14, 2018)
Pete Davidson breaks an unspoken rule: He orders lobster in a diner. That triggers a full-on musical, a parody of "Les Miserables," as the lobster (Kenan Thompson) sings his lament as his life is about to come to an end. He's joined by the rest of the cast as a team of impressively musical diner workers. You can see the sketch right here.
NBC
8. Donald Trump Robert Mueller Cold Open (Tina Fey, May 19, 2018)
For its season finale, "SNL" brings back together Alec Baldwin as Donald Trump with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro as lawyer Michael Cohen and Special Counsel Robert Mueller, one last time. The sketch riffs on the finale of "The Sopranos," a perfect cap to Season 43. Check out the sketch here.
7. A Kanye Place (Donald Glover, May 5, 2018)
The monsters can't see you, but they can hear you, so everyone in this "A Quiet Place" parody has to be as quiet as possible. Unfortunately, Kanye West keeps tweeting his support of Donald Trump and saying things like "slavery was a choice," and Donald Glover and his companions can't stop freaking out (and getting eaten). You can see the sketch here.
NBC
6. Kellywise (Kumail Nanjiani, Oct. 14, 2017)
Alex Moffat's Anderson Cooper heads home after his show, "Anderson Cooper 360," only to find someone creepy lurking in the sewers: Kellyanne Conway, played by Kate McKinnon. The sketch riffs on the horror movie "It," with Conway taking on the persona of Pennywise the Clown, turning into Kellywise. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
5. 80s Music Video (Donald Glover, May 5, 2018)
Donald Glover stars in a sketch that's a mix between a music video by singer Razz P. Berry about discovering his girlfriend is cheating on him, and a confrontation. Razz has done some pretty awful stuff to get back at his girlfriend for her infidelity. It turns out, he was following the wrong woman. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
4. George W. Bush Returns Cold Open (Will Ferrell, March 3, 2018)
When Will Ferrell returned as host of “SNL,” he also reprised his role as President George W. Bush. He took the opportunity to remind everyone just how bad president Bush was, since people have lost perspective in the Trump era. You can check out the sketch here.
NBC
3. Game of Life: DACA Edition (Chadwick Boseman, April 7, 2018)
After the Trump administration’s confusing actions on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), “SNL” skewered the government’s policies with an awful version of the board game "The Game of Life: DACA Edition." Melissa Villaseñor is stuck navigating documentation and deportation as the game keeps getting worse and worse. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
2. OJ Simpson Date (Gal Gadot, Oct. 7, 2017)
“SNL” slow-burns the joke on this sketch with Kenan Thompson on a date with Gal Gadot. It turns out that Thompson is playing the newly released O.J. Simpson, and that, lucky for him, Gadot plays a woman who wasn’t in the U.S. during his infamous trial. Watch the sketch here.
NBC
1. Michael Cohen Wiretap Cold Open (Donald Glover, May 5, 2018)
The best best cold open of the season has a surprising number of surprise guests, with Ben Stiller reprising his role as Michael Cohen, attorney to Alec Baldwin’s Donald Trump. Stiller and Baldwin are joined by Martin Short, Kate McKinnon, Scarlett Johansson and Jimmy Fallon, playing a bunch of characters in Trump’s orbit. Watch the sketch here.
From Alec Baldwin’s turns as Donald Trump to OJ Simpson’s first date out of prison, here are the funniest ”SNL“ sketches this season
"Saturday Night Live" Season 43 brought back fan-favorite Alec Baldwin to play Donald Trump, and added a bunch of surprise star guests as other members of the White House administration. But "SNL" hasn’t just been great at the politics — there are have been a lot of hilarious parodies, send-ups and downright weird sketches along the way. Here are the best sketches of the season so far, ranked from great to best.
