Sun Nov 16 17:40:00 UTC 2025: News Article Summary:

Saturday Night Live tackled the recent release of Jeffrey Epstein emails in its cold open, featuring James Austin Johnson as Donald Trump. The sketch satirized Trump’s denials of knowing about Epstein’s sex trafficking, referencing photos of the two together and emails mentioning Trump. The show also poked fun at an email about Vladimir Putin allegedly having a photo of Trump. The Epstein theme continued throughout the episode, appearing in “Weekend Update” with Colin Jost commenting on the number of alleged pedophiles Trump was friends with and in a MacGruber skit where MacGruber tries to hide his name in the files. Glen Powell hosted the episode, addressing his recent ubiquity in his monologue. The episode also included a parody of a recent White House event where someone fainted behind Trump.

News Article:

SNL Skewers Trump’s Epstein Ties in Latest Episode

NEW YORK CITY – Saturday Night Live dove headfirst into the controversy surrounding the recently released Jeffrey Epstein emails, with James Austin Johnson reprising his role as Donald Trump in the show’s cold open. The sketch centered on Trump’s attempts to distance himself from the convicted sex offender, despite his name appearing in the released documents.

The skit opened with a White House briefing where press secretary Karoline Leavitt, played by Ashley Padilla, tried to downplay the significance of the emails. Johnson’s Trump then took over, delivering lines filled with satirical denials and self-aggrandizing claims. References were made to numerous photos of Trump and Epstein together and to an email asking if Vladimir Putin possessed a compromising photo of Trump.

The Epstein theme continued throughout the show. During “Weekend Update,” Colin Jost quipped about the surprising number of “alleged pedophiles” Trump was associated with. The topic also surfaced in a MacGruber skit where Will Forte, as MacGruber, frantically tried to erase his own name from the Epstein files.

The episode was hosted by Glen Powell, who addressed his recent rise to fame in his opening monologue. Olivia Dean was the musical guest.

Last week, the cold open mocked a White House event where a drug company representative fainted behind Trump. The episode was hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser who shocked viewers with a monologue where she joked about dark subjects.

It was announced that Melissa McCarthy will host the Dec. 6 episode.

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