NEW YORK — Saturday Night Live kicked off its latest episode with a sharp political satire, featuring Matt Damon reprising his role as a tipsy Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by impressions of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and FBI Director Kash Patel. The cold open, which aired on May 10, 2026, at NBC's Studio 8H in Rockefeller Center, revisited themes of excess and power from the previous week's sketch, drawing on real-life controversies surrounding the figures portrayed.
The skit unfolds at Martin's Tavern, the storied Georgetown bar in Washington, D.C., known for its history among political insiders. Colin Jost, playing Hegseth, arrives first, only to bump into Damon's Kavanaugh, who is depicted still wearing his judicial robe and clutching a gavel. This setting nods to the actual scrutiny both men faced during their confirmation processes over allegations of heavy drinking—Kavanaugh during his 2018 Supreme Court hearings and Hegseth more recently amid his nomination for defense secretary.
"Hey, can I just say that we are both kicking ass right now," Damon's Kavanaugh declares with a slurred enthusiasm, setting the tone for the boozy banter. Jost's Hegseth responds, "Dude, can you believe I just, like, started a war?" The exchange quickly escalates into jabs at recent policy decisions, with Kavanaugh boasting, "Can you believe I ended abortion? Your body, my choice."
The dialogue then shifts to Hegseth's fictional war efforts, with him quipping, "Oh, it’s totally chill. It’s like me at a DWI checkpoint. It completely blew over." This line alludes to broader criticisms of Hegseth's military background and personal history, including reports of driving while intoxicated incidents during his time in the National Guard.
As the sketch progresses, it takes aim at the Supreme Court's 2023 decision in Allen v. Milligan, which addressed redistricting under the Voting Rights Act. The ruling led to new maps in southern states, including Tennessee, where a majority-Black district encompassing Memphis was redrawn, potentially diluting Democratic representation by allowing a Republican from another part of the state to claim the seat. In the skit, Kavanaugh holds up an irregularly shaped drawing and says, "It’s the new voting district that I approved in Tennessee." He pauses, then adds, "Actually, no, that’s a field sobriety test. They told me to draw a circle."
The scene gains another layer when Aziz Ansari enters as Kash Patel, the controversial FBI director known for his loyalty to former President Donald Trump. Patel arrives brandishing a bottle of his personalized "FBI bourbon," complete with the bureau's shield emblazoned on the label. According to a recent report in The Atlantic, Patel has indeed been traveling with supplies of this custom spirit, raising eyebrows about the appropriateness of such branding for a federal official.
"I bring my own alcohol to bars because sometimes they think I’m a kid with a fake ID," Ansari's Patel explains. "They say, no adult would make this face in official photos." He then exaggerates a wide-eyed stare, mimicking Patel's intense expression from his official portrait. The character continues, "We’re all living the American dream. I’m the first person in my family to go to college … parties, many years after graduating."
The trio's conversation turns to internal FBI matters, with Kavanaugh asking, "Is that rumor true that you make everybody in the FBI take a polygraph?" Patel retorts, "No, I told them to make a graphy of everyone in the FBI who is Polly. My girlfriend wants to open up our relationship. Yeah. She says she wants to bring other dudes into the bedroom and for me to stay in the living room." This twist plays on Patel's real-life push for loyalty tests within the bureau, including reported demands for polygraph exams to weed out perceived disloyal agents.
The sketch reaches its climax when Kavanaugh leans in to share a "secret" with his companions: "We’re gonna let Trump do a third term." Hegseth and Patel react with exaggerated screams of excitement. When Hegseth protests, "I thought that was unconstitutional," Kavanaugh replies, "Yeah, it was, but Trump found the original and at the end, he wrote, ‘Psych! We’re going to live forever.'" The line satirizes ongoing debates about constitutional limits on presidential terms, especially amid speculation about Trump's political future following his 2024 reelection.
This cold open marks the second consecutive week that SNL has featured Ansari as Patel, following his debut the prior episode. The show's writers appear to be capitalizing on the trio's prominence in the Trump administration—Hegseth as defense secretary, Patel heading the FBI, and Kavanaugh on the high court—to lampoon what they portray as a cavalier attitude toward governance and personal conduct.
SNL's tradition of political satire dates back to its 1975 premiere, but the 2026 season has leaned heavily into impressions of Trump-era figures. Damon's Kavanaugh first appeared in 2018 during the justice's contentious confirmation, delivering a memorable monologue that mixed humor with the hearing's gravity. Jost, a longtime cast member and Weekend Update anchor, steps into sketch roles less frequently, making his Hegseth portrayal a notable departure.
Behind the scenes, the episode's production reflects SNL's quick turnaround for timely content. Writers drew from recent headlines, including The Atlantic's piece on Patel's bourbon and ongoing litigation over Tennessee's redistricting maps, which civil rights groups argue violate the Voting Rights Act by intentionally fragmenting minority voting power. Tennessee officials, however, maintain that the new boundaries comply with court rulings and aim for fair representation.
Reactions to the skit were swift on social media, with SNL's official Twitter account posting a photo captioned, "A Secretary of War, a Supreme Court Justice, and an FBI Director walk into a bar," accompanied by a clip link. Viewers praised the writing for its bite, though some conservative commentators dismissed it as partisan exaggeration. One tweet from a prominent GOP strategist read, "SNL's bias is showing again—turning serious leaders into punchlines."
Beyond the cold open, the May 10 episode included other segments touching on entertainment news, such as sketches riffing on upcoming films like 'Mortal Kombat II' and 'The Devil Wears Prada 2,' which are competing for box office dominance. NBC also announced new series orders for the 2026-27 season, including reboots of 'The Rockford Files' and 'Newlyweds,' signaling a push toward nostalgic programming amid industry anxieties.
As the 2026 midterm elections approach, expect SNL to continue mining political absurdities for material. With redistricting battles still unfolding in states like Tennessee—where the new maps could shift congressional control—and whispers of constitutional challenges to term limits, the show's satire underscores the high stakes. For now, the cold open serves as a reminder of how comedy can spotlight the intersections of power, policy, and personal foibles in Washington.
In a separate development, ABC has raised concerns over the FCC's equal time rules affecting 'The View,' claiming they infringe on First Amendment rights by forcing balanced coverage of political figures. Meanwhile, 'Saturday Night Live UK' made waves with a cameo skewering Nigel Farage, highlighting the format's international appeal. These stories illustrate the broader media landscape SNL navigates, blending domestic politics with global entertainment trends.