Kavanaugh Hearing Cold Open

In this cold open parodying Brett Kavanaugh's explosive Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Matt Damon plays the Supreme Court nominee as a barely-contained rage machine. Kavanaugh opens with a thunderous "WHAT?!" before launching into a passionate, unhinged defense of his character. He insists he likes beer (repeatedly), accuses Democrats of a coordinated conspiracy, brandishes his childhood calendars as evidence of his innocence, references his friends "PJ," "Tobin," and "Squee," and threatens that everyone questioning him will "pay" once he's on the Supreme Court. Various senators take turns questioning him — from the flustered Chuck Grassley to a fiery Lindsey Graham — while special prosecutor Rachel Mitchell tries in vain to maintain order. Damon's Kavanaugh swings wildly between tearful victimhood and explosive outrage, delivering some of SNL's most quotable lines in recent memory. The sketch was famously assembled in under 24 hours after Damon was contacted Friday afternoon and flew to New York that same night.

Matt Damon was contacted about the sketch on Friday afternoon and flew to New York that same night, giving him less than 24 hours to prepare — widely regarded as one of the greatest cold opens in SNL history. The sketch aired as the Season 44 premiere, hosted by Adam Driver with Kanye West as musical guest. Many of Damon's lines closely mirrored Kavanaugh's actual Senate testimony. Kate McKinnon's Lindsey Graham was widely praised; Rachel Dratch made a rare return as a guest player. The YouTube video has amassed over 33 million views and 327,000 likes.