Matt Damon Returns as Brett Kavanaugh in SNL Cold Open
Matt Damon returned to brett kavanaugh in Saturday Night Live’s penultimate season 51 episode, and the cold open put him back in Martin’s Tavern in Georgetown. Aziz Ansari joined the sketch as Kash Patel, with Colin Jost playing Pete Hegseth.
The setup was built around political impersonations and a celebrity return, but the cast gave it a broader entertainment utility: Damon was also there to promote The Odyssey, which is coming out in nine weeks. That puts the sketch in the same lane as his earlier 8H appearances, when he first showed up in 2001, hosted in 2002, made a brief season 37 digital-short appearance, and returned a few times in 2018 as both host and as Brett Kavanaugh.
Martin's Tavern in Georgetown
The cold open leaned on a familiar setting and a specific trio. Damon’s Kavanaugh lamented the male loneliness epidemic, while Ansari’s Kash Patel arrived to reassure him and brag about his bourbon. The sketch ended with the three friends performing Chumbawamba’s “Tubthumping,” which gave the bit a punchline built on repetition rather than a bigger setup.
That choice fits Damon’s pattern on the show: he has never been a regular cast presence, but he has been used as a high-recognition guest when the writers want a straight-faced performer to play a public figure with an edge of absurdity. In 2018, that approach already worked well enough for the show to bring him back as Brett Kavanaugh; season 51 repeated the formula instead of trying to reinvent it.
Ansari as Kash Patel
Ansari’s role mattered because the sketch needed a second player who could keep the exchange moving without turning the scene into a one-man impression. Jost’s Pete Hegseth gave the cold open a three-way balance, and the tavern setting let the writers push the conversation into a loose, buddy-comedy rhythm.
Victoria Jackson’s reaction followed that same line of thinking. She said, “was funny for people who closely follow politics! And Matt Damon was funny, and the casting was spot on! The Kash Patel face with the eyes was perfect!”
For viewers, the practical takeaway is simple: Damon’s return was not a one-off nostalgia beat, but a repeatable sketch choice built around a role he has already played and a political-cameo format the show knows how to deploy. With The Odyssey due in nine weeks, he is also using the episode as a promotional stop, not just a sketch guest spot.
