Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Confirms She and Matt Damon Were Scene Partners for a Harvard Drama Class: ‘It Is True’

Mar. 15, 2025

Ketanji Brown Jackson; Matt Damon.Photo:Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty

Collection of the Supreme Court of the United States via Getty; Cindy Ord/Getty

Supreme Court JusticeKetanji Brown Jacksonand Academy Award winnerMatt Damonhave unexpected history together.Speaking toCBS Sunday Morningon Sunday, Sept. 1, ahead of the release of her memoir,Lovely One, Jackson, 53, revealed that she and Damon, also 53, had a notable run-in long before they became the powerhouses they are now in their respective fields.“So, is it true you were here at the same time as Matt Damon?” CBS’Norah O’Donnellasked Jackson about their Harvard University drama class days.Jackson replied, “It is true,” adding that theInstigatorsactor was “a year ahead” of her. And while the two were “never in an actual performance” together, they were paired up as “scene partners” in a drama class.“He’s not going to remember this, of course,” she said of pairing up with the Oscar winner for a scene fromWaiting For Godot.Ketanji Brown Jackson; Matt Damon.Justin Sullivan/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/WireImage“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,” a smiling Jackson told O’Donnell, 50.Jackson said she and Damon had to memorize scenes for the two-person play, and once they were done, she did better than she anticipated.“At the end, the professor said, ‘Ketanji, you were very good. Matt, we’ll talk,’ ” she said. “I was like, ‘Oh my God, I was better than Matt Damon in a scene.’”Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in May 2024.Paras Griffin/GettyThough Damon attended Harvard as an undergrad,he did not finish.In February 2022, the same year Jackson was sworn in as the country’sfirst Black female justice, a representative for Damon confirmed to theAssociated Pressthat the actor did not remember working with Jackson forWaiting for Godotin their drama class.However, theGood Will Huntingstar still found the story impressive.“That’s so cool!” he said.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Matt Damon in July 2024.Cindy Ord/GettyAP Newsadded that during her time at Harvard, Jackson took drama and musical theater courses and was also part of an improv group called On Thin Ice — though she studied government.On Sunday, Jackson also spoke withCBS Evening Newssaying she was “considering” supporting a plan to enforce the code of conduct for justices that wasissued in November 2023.“A bindingcode of ethicsis pretty standard for judges, and so I guess the question is, is the Supreme Court any different?” she told CBS. “I guess I have not seen a persuasive reason as to why the court is different than the other courts.“Jackson’s debut memoir,Lovely One, will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Supreme Court JusticeKetanji Brown Jacksonand Academy Award winnerMatt Damonhave unexpected history together.

Speaking toCBS Sunday Morningon Sunday, Sept. 1, ahead of the release of her memoir,Lovely One, Jackson, 53, revealed that she and Damon, also 53, had a notable run-in long before they became the powerhouses they are now in their respective fields.

“So, is it true you were here at the same time as Matt Damon?” CBS’Norah O’Donnellasked Jackson about their Harvard University drama class days.

Jackson replied, “It is true,” adding that theInstigatorsactor was “a year ahead” of her. And while the two were “never in an actual performance” together, they were paired up as “scene partners” in a drama class.

“He’s not going to remember this, of course,” she said of pairing up with the Oscar winner for a scene fromWaiting For Godot.

Ketanji Brown Jackson; Matt Damon.Justin Sullivan/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

Justin Sullivan/Getty; Dia Dipasupil/WireImage

“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,” a smiling Jackson told O’Donnell, 50.

Jackson said she and Damon had to memorize scenes for the two-person play, and once they were done, she did better than she anticipated.

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

Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson in May 2024.Paras Griffin/Getty

Paras Griffin/Getty

Though Damon attended Harvard as an undergrad,he did not finish.

In February 2022, the same year Jackson was sworn in as the country’sfirst Black female justice, a representative for Damon confirmed to theAssociated Pressthat the actor did not remember working with Jackson forWaiting for Godotin their drama class.

However, theGood Will Huntingstar still found the story impressive.

“That’s so cool!” he said.

Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer​​, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Matt Damon in July 2024.Cindy Ord/Getty

Cindy Ord/Getty

AP Newsadded that during her time at Harvard, Jackson took drama and musical theater courses and was also part of an improv group called On Thin Ice — though she studied government.

On Sunday, Jackson also spoke withCBS Evening Newssaying she was “considering” supporting a plan to enforce the code of conduct for justices that wasissued in November 2023.

“A bindingcode of ethicsis pretty standard for judges, and so I guess the question is, is the Supreme Court any different?” she told CBS. “I guess I have not seen a persuasive reason as to why the court is different than the other courts.”

Jackson’s debut memoir,Lovely One, will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 3.

source: people.com