Ego Nwodim played the newly confirmed Supreme Court justice for “Saturday Night Live,” in an episode hosted by Jake Gyllenhaal.
History was made earlier this week when Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson was confirmed by the Senate on Thursday, making her the first Black woman to become a Justice of the Supreme Court. And, though it was not quite as monumental in scale, a “Saturday Night Live” sketch commemorated this achievement, imagining Jackson (as played by Ego Nwodim) preparing for a celebratory speech as she consulted with President Biden (James Austin Johnson) at the White House. Johnson, as Biden, gave himself a pat on the back: “I made a campaign promise to put a Black woman on the court, and I did it,” he said. “So that’s one campaign promise down and only 74 to go.” Nwodim, as Jackson, explained that she was happy to do her part to ensure her confirmation: “Work twice as hard as a white man my entire life, and then spend a week listening to Ted Cruz call me a pedophile,” she said. As he exited, Johnson gave her some words of encouragement. “Take a moment in this room,” he said. “Feel the weight of history. Sometimes I like to imagine talking to all the great Americans who came before me.” Reflecting on this advice, Nwodim asked herself, “Who would I want to talk to?” So saying, she was joined by Kate McKinnon, who returned to her recurring role as the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and offered Nwodim some guidance. “Here’s my advice,” McKinnon said. “Always label your lunches. A lot of those other justices, they got sticky fingers.” Also, she said, “If you’re anything like me, white ladies are going to start wearing buttons of your face like an ‘I voted’ sticker.
