Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Ketanji Brown Jackson Hilariously Opens Up About Acting With Matt Damon In Harvard Drama Class

Ketanji Brown Jackson; Matt Damon
Paras Griffin/Getty Images; Andreas Rentz/Getty Images

The Supreme Court Justice told CBS' Norah O'Donnell about her experience doing a scene from 'Waiting for Godot' with the Hollywood actor while the two were undergrads at Harvard.

Make us preferred on Google

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson has opened up about one of her favorite college memories—with actor Matt Damon.

Brown Jackson and Damon attended Harvard at the same time in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and it turns out they once had a drama class together.


Brown Jackson told CBS' Norah O'Donnell about a time when the two were paired together to do a scene from the play Waiting for Godot—and it didn't go how anyone would expect.

@cbsmornings

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson reminisces about being paired with Matt Damon as scene partners in "Waiting for Godot" for a Harvard drama class: "And at the end, the professor said, 'Ketanji, you were very good. Matt, we'll talk.'" #ketanjibrownjackson #mattdamon #SupremeCourt #Harvard #Scenepartner #CBSSundayMorning #news

Brown Jackson said that the two never properly performed together, but were assigned a scene from the play together in class.

She told O'Donnell:

“He’s not going to remember this, of course. The reason why I remember it is because he was already kind of well-known around campus and off campus, so it was kind of exciting to be his scene partner for a particular class.”

Damon had already appeared on TV and in small roles in films like Mystic Pizza and School Ties during his time at Harvard, so of course the budding star and future Oscar winner stole the show while the future legal mind just muddled through, right?

Think again. Brown Jackson says she received high accolades from the professor for her work in the scene. Damon on the other hand? Not so much.

She said:

“At the end, the professor said, ‘Ketanji, you were very good. Matt, we’ll talk.'"
"I was like, ‘Oh my God, I was better than Matt Damon in a scene.’”

On social media, people loved the anecdote about Brown Jackson and Damon's time as classmates.








Brown Jackson majored in government at Harvard while also dabbling in theater and an improv troupe called On Thin Ice.

Damon, of course, famously dropped out of Harvard to pursue his Hollywood dreams. And while he said in 2022 that he doesn't remember acting with Brown Jackson, he thinks the story is "so cool!" Perhaps they can reprise their scene at the next Harvard reunion.

More from Entertainment/celebrities

Donald Trump
Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images

Trump Unveils Photo Of 'Newly Revamped' West Wing Entrance Makeover—And Critics Have Some Thoughts

President Donald Trump was criticized after sharing a picture of the latest update to the entrance of the White House West Wing that made the historic landmark look more like a signature Trump hotel.

The Oval Office has been significantly revamped since Trump took office in January 2025—it features, among other things, a fireplace adorned with gold cherubs and medallions, surrounded by portraits of American statesmen in ornate gold frames and shelves filled with gilded figurines, urns, and freshly installed Rococo mirrors.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nicolle Wallace; Marco Rubio and Donald Trump
MS NOW; Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Nicolle Wallace Offers Hilariously Brutal Suggestion For 'Addled' Trump Amid 'Bizarre' NATO Press Conferences

MAGA Republican President Donald Trump has been participating in the NATO Summit in Ankara, Turkey, since Tuesday afternoon, but the visit has been anything but successful for the embattled POTUS.

Trump's appearances before the international press on hand for the summit have been rife with gaffes that have the domestic and international communities both amused and concerned over the 80-year-old's continued cognitive decline.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fashionista Rihanna attends the 2026 Met Gala, celebrating "Costume Art" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Taylor Hill/Getty Images

Rihanna Applauded For Powerful Response To Cancer Patient Who Apologized For Looking 'Terrible' Without Wig

Rihanna’s latest viral moment has nothing to do with music, fashion, or beauty launches. Instead, fans say the singer helped someone shine bright “like a diamond” after reassuring a cancer patient who apologized for not wearing a wig during an unexpected meeting.

The nine-time Grammy winner, 38, made a fan’s day during a recent trip to a supermarket, where she posed for a photo and offered words of encouragement after learning the woman was living with cancer and feeling self-conscious about her appearance. The interaction appeared in Jason Lee’s video series, Jason Lee Unlocked: Grocery Shopping with Rihanna, released on Monday, July 6.

Keep ReadingShow less
Catherine Zeta-Jones; Bonnie Tyler
Monica Schipper/Getty Images; Christian Augustin/Getty Images

Catherine Zeta-Jones Pens Touching Tribute To Singer Bonnie Tyler After Death—And Fans Are Emotional

Bonnie Tyler, singer of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Holding Out for a Hero," died on July 8, 2026, just a month after her 78th birthday.

She was in a hospital in Portugal, and she died unexpectedly from the illness she was being treated for.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Rasmus Svaneborg; Mark Rutte
@atrupar/X; Altan Gocher / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images

Reporter Puts NATO Secretary General On The Spot With Brutal 'Self-Respect' Question About Trump

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte found himself on the spot after Danish reporter Rasmus Svaneborg questioned whether sitting silently beside President Donald Trump as he discusses "conquering" Greenland and criticizing allies has impacted his "self-respect."

Rutte, a former Dutch prime minister, has been forced to manage Trump's repeated criticism of NATO while contending with his public insistence that the United States should acquire Greenland from Denmark.

Keep ReadingShow less