This weekend, Saturday Night Live didn’t hold back as it skewered the White House response to the sudden release of 20,000 Jeffrey Epstein emails.
The cold open offered viewers a biting mix of satire, impersonation, and jaw-dropping punchlines aimed squarely at President Trump and his press team.
Ashley Padilla Channels Karoline Leavitt
The spotlight fell on Ashley Padilla, who transformed into White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, the 28-year-old media-savvy aide now facing unprecedented scrutiny after Trump’s name repeatedly popped up in the emails.
Complete with a blonde wig, signature gold crucifix, and wardrobe that could have been plucked straight from Leavitt’s closet, Padilla delivered a perfect caricature.
“I am just so excited to be here and answer your friendly questions.
As you all know, there was no news this week,” she quipped, opening the sketch with the kind of nervous energy only SNL can pull off.
Then came the first jab at CNN’s Kaitlan Collins: “No one had any accusations that rhyme with ‘edophile’.
So I’ll open the floor to questions, starting with Kaitlan Collins from CNN who I openly hate, go ahead.”
Journalistic Sparring on Full Display
Collins, played by Chloe Fineman, wasted no time pressing on Trump’s connection to Epstein.
“Why does President Trump’s name appear in so many of these emails?” she asked, perfectly mirroring the real-life tension in White House briefings.
Padilla’s Leavitt fired back with a line that echoed the press secretary’s infamous verbal jabs: “You know you suck, right?” She then added a satirical twist to the official talking points: “The only thing these emails prove is that President Trump did nothing wrong.
If anything, his crime was loving too much. And possibly too young.”
Fans of SNL immediately noticed how closely this mirrored Leavitt’s actual statements defending Trump while downplaying Epstein-related allegations.
Trump’s Health Gets the Satirical Treatment
The sketch didn’t stop with Epstein. Kam Patterson, portraying a Fox News reporter described only as an “unnamed black guy,” lobbed a softball about Trump’s health.
“Is President Trump too healthy?” he asked, riffing on last week’s real headlines about the president’s checkups.
Padilla, staying true to Leavitt’s style, replied: “Thank you.
And yes, he got his 30th physical last week and it went great.
He took a cognitive test and did so well, they said, ‘We’d like to see you again as soon as possible.’”
Ghislaine Maxwell and Epstein Drama
Bowen Yang stepped in as an MSNBC reporter, turning attention back to Epstein, questioning the optics of a potential Trump intervention in Ghislaine Maxwell’s sentencing.
Padilla’s response kept the absurdity flowing: “Ghislaine Maxwell said in a sworn deposition she gave to Trump’s friend that Trump always acted like a gentleman.
And a little thing about me? I believe women.”
The line perfectly captured the strange intersection of legal drama, public perception, and White House spin that has dominated headlines in recent weeks.
Bouncing Between Topics with Comic Chaos
The sketch then pivoted to international headlines when Andrew Dismukes, playing a reporter, asked about Trump allegedly sending $20 billion to Argentina to help President Javier Milei, his supposed ally.
Padilla’s Leavitt wasn’t having it: “We shall return to Epstein!” she barked, setting up the grand finale.
James Austin Johnson, in his usual Trump impersonation, took the stage.
The punchlines came fast and furious: “Jeffrey Epstein, I barely knew the guy, as evidenced by the thousands of pictures of us together, dancing and grinding our teeth at various parties.
Always leering and pointing at something just off camera. Probably a book we’re excited to read.”
He capped the sketch with a surreal sales pitch: “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to release all of the Epstein files.
This is great. Each file will be on sale for the low, low price of $800.”
SNL’s Sharp Commentary on Real-Life Tension
This weekend’s cold open blended real-life quotes, uncanny impersonations, and biting political satire to tackle one of the most contentious stories involving the Trump administration in recent memory.
By mixing humor with pointed critique, SNL reminded viewers that some stories are too serious—and too absurd—not to lampoon.
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