December 15, 2018 Season 44 episode
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| Episode | 859 |
| Season Episode | 9 |
| Host | Matt Damon |
| Musical Guest(s) | Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus |
| Song(s) performed by Musical Guest(s) |
"Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" with Sean Ono Lennon |
| Previous Episode December 8, 2018 |
Next Episode January 19, 2019 |
The 859th episode and 9th episode of Saturday Night Live's 44th season premiered on December 15, 2018, hosted by actor Matt Damon, star of the hit films Good Will Hunting, The Talented Mr. Ripley, The Legend of Bagger Vance, All the Pretty Horses, the Bourne franchise and the Ocean's trilogy, Gerry, The Brothers Grimm, The Departed, Syriana, The Informant, Invictus, True Grit, Contagion, Hereafter, The Adjustment Bureau, We Bought a Zoo, Promised Land, Elysium, The Monuments Men, The Martian, Downsizing, Suburbicon, Ford v Ferrari, Stillwater, The Last Duel, Air, Oppenheimer, IF, and The Instigators, with musical guests Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus, who performed "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)" with Sean Ono Lennon. This is Matt Damon's 2nd time as host and his first appearance in 16 years, 2 months, and 10 days. He last hosted SNL back on October 5, 2002, the season premiere of SNL's 28th season, with musical guest Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band.
Mark Ronson previously made his musical guest (and SNL) debut on the November 22, 2014 episode with Bruno Mars, the seventh episode and Thanksgiving show of SNL's 40th season, hosted by the actress Cameron Diaz. This is also Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus’ second and fourth respective musical guest stints on SNL.
Matt Damon's goodnights speech is "Okay, Thanks to Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Sean Lennon and Everybody at Home, Happy Holidays". (Cheers and applause)
Cast[]
Repertory Players[]
- Beck Bennett
- Aidy Bryant
- Michael Che
- Pete Davidson
- Mikey Day
- Leslie Jones
- Colin Jost
- Kate McKinnon
- Alex Moffat
- Kyle Mooney
- Cecily Strong
- Kenan Thompson
- Melissa Villaseñor
Featured Players[]
- Cameos by Alec Baldwin, Robert De Niro, and Ben Stiller
- Special musical guest appearance by Sean Ono Lennon
Sketches and Musical Performances[]
Cold Open Sketch Pre-recorded Weekend Update Music Performance Other
| Title | Image | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| It's a Wonderful Trump Cold Opening | President Donald Trump (Alec Baldwin) gets his wish to have never been president granted, as he sees an angel named Clarence (Kenan Thompson) and sees how the lives of Michael Cohen (Ben Stiller), Brett Kavanaugh (Matt Damon), Robert Mueller (Robert De Niro) and more (Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Mikey Day, Heidi Gardner, Kate McKinnon, Alex Moffat, Ego Nwodim, and Cecily Strong) have changed in an alternate reality. | |
| Monologue by Matt Damon | Returned to host SNL for the second time and his first appearance in 16 years, 2 months, and 10 days, actor Matt Damon opens up about what it means for him to host Saturday Night Live again after 16 years. Also Features Beck Bennett. | |
| 85th Annual Westminster Daddy Show | Commentators (Matt Damon and Kate McKinnon) give a play-by-play of the Best in Show competition at the 85th Annual Westminster Daddy Show. Also Features Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, Alex Moffat, Ego Nwodim, Chris Redd, Kenan Thompson and Melissa Villaseñor. | |
| Best Christmas Ever | A couple (Matt Damon, Cecily Strong) sits down to reflect on the best Christmas ever with their family (Beck Bennett, Aidy Bryant, and Mikey Day) and quietly recount the horror. | |
| Christmas Ornaments | A drunk Santa (Beck Bennett) ornament is hung on the back of the Christmas tree alongside other tacky decorations (Matt Damon, Kenan Thompson, Kate McKinnon, Aidy Bryant, Cecily Strong, and Mikey Day). Also Features Kyle Mooney and Melissa Villaseñor as the husband and wife. | |
| Oscar Hosts Auditions | Chris Hemsworth (Matt Damon), Roseanne Barr (Aidy Bryant), Kanye West (Chris Redd), Terry Crews (Kenan Thompson) and more (Pete Davidson, Heidi Gardner, Kate McKinnon, Ego Nwodim and Melissa Villaseñor) audition to host the 2019 Oscars. | |
| Carneige Lounge: Jingle Bells | Dianne Gellerman (Cecily Strong) and Sonny's (Matt Damon) Broadway-style holiday singalong is hard for the audience to keep up with. Also features Beck Bennett, Heidi Gardner, Kyle Mooney and Melissa Villaseñor as the audience members. | |
| Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus performed "Nothing Breaks Like a Heart" | ||
| Weekend Update with Colin Jost and Michael Che | Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like President Trump's growing risk of impeachment and make each other read jokes they've never seen it before live on air to close out the year 2018. With guests, Wes Willard (Mikey Day), Angel (Heidi Gardner) and Tommy Ray Donovan (Matt Damon). | |
| Weezer Fans | A Christmas party gets tense when two self-proclaimed Weezer fans (Matt Damon, Leslie Jones) start arguing over Weezer's best music. Also Features Kenan Thompson, Cecily Strong, Beck Bennett and Heidi Gardner as the neighbors. | |
| Cop Christmas | A group of cops (Matt Damon, Alec Baldwin, Kenan Thompson, Beck Bennett, and Cecily Strong) stop breaking balls to have a sentimental moment with their friend Paul (Kyle Mooney). Also Features Heidi Garnder as the bartender Rhonda. | |
| Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus covers John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band's song "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". Pete Davidson introduces Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus' second performance. | Ronson and Cyrus are joined by Sean Ono Lennon, son of original artists John Lennon and Yoko Ono. | |
| Happy Christmas, Britain | Prime Minister Theresa May (Kate McKinnon) hosts the talk show Happy Christmas, Britain, speaking with the likes of former Prime Minister David Cameron (Matt Damon) and Lord Voldemort (Mikey Day). With Aidy Bryant as Elton John. | |
| Goodbyes and Closing Credits | Matt Damon thanked Mark Ronson, Miley Cyrus, Alec Baldwin, Ben Stiller, Robert De Niro, Sean Lennon, everyone at SNL, and everybody at home wishes a "Happy Holidays". |
Cut For Time[]
Cold Open Sketch Pre-recorded Weekend Update Music Performance Other
| Title | Image | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| Glitter Litter Automatic Litter | Glitter Litter Automatic Litter Factory turns cat droppings into jewelry. |
Trivia[]
- In a break with tradition in which the host introduces musical guests, Pete Davidson introduces Ronson and Cyrus' second performance. It was Davidson's only live appearance on the show (though he did appear in one pre-recorded sketch). Earlier in the day, a post on Davidson's Instagram sparked public concern that he was suicidal.
- This episode attracted negative reactions from Donald Trump, both when the episode originally broadcast, as well as when the episode rebroadcast on March 16, 2019.
- Matt Damon also become the 10th person in SNL history whose 2nd appearance as host occured over sixteen years after their first.
| Preceded by: December 8, 2018 |
Saturday Night Live episode | Followed by: January 19, 2019 |