“Saturday Night Live” opened its new episode with a sketch addressing the recently publicized emails connected to Jeffrey Epstein, after the House Oversight Committee released correspondence earlier this week in which Epstein referenced former President Donald Trump, reported Baltimore Chronicle with reference to USA TODAY. The cold open presented James Austin Johnson portraying Trump at a White House press briefing, responding to the documents that included Epstein’s claim that Trump “knew about the girls,” an accusation Trump continues to deny.
The scene began with Karoline Leavitt, played by Ashley Padilla, attempting to assure reporters that no unusual revelations had emerged regarding the president. Despite her insistence that nothing of significance had occurred, she was repeatedly questioned about Trump’s appearance in Epstein’s emails. Her character maintained that the president bore no responsibility, adding that if any wrongdoing existed, it was rooted in “loving too much, and possibly too young.”
Johnson’s Trump soon interrupted the briefing, declaring that he was “hiding almost nothing” about Epstein, only enough to fuel speculation. He emphasized that he barely knew Epstein, despite what he jokingly described as “thousands of pictures” of them together at various events, humorously attributing their expressions in the photos to excitement over a book that was supposedly just off camera.
The sketch referenced a specific email that drew public interest, in which Epstein’s brother inquired whether Russian President Vladimir Putin possessed an incriminating photograph involving Trump. Johnson’s Trump in the sketch then announced that he was selling limited-edition, gold-framed printouts of the Epstein emails for $800, highlighting one message that asked if Putin had the photo in question and calling it a fan favorite.
The segment concluded with Trump granting a Thanksgiving pardon to a turkey, which he described—coincidentally—as a convicted sex offender. The episode came just a day after actor Glen Powell’s new action film “The Running Man” premiered in theaters. Powell, appearing as host for the Nov. 15 episode, marked his first time leading the show after previously appearing in a cameo in 2024 alongside Sydney Sweeney. Olivia Dean served as the evening’s musical guest.
During his monologue, Powell addressed remarks from critics fatigued by his recent visibility in film and media, responding jokingly that viewers’ mothers were not tired of seeing him. The program also referenced the previous week’s cold open, which parodied an Oval Office event during which a pharmaceutical company representative fainted behind Trump. Johnson’s Trump in that sketch delivered a deliberately emotionless reaction and went on to comment on rising grocery costs and widespread flight cancellations attributed to the government shutdown.
In the same satirical segment, Trump claimed that grocery prices had “plummeted straight up,” and when addressing concerns about Thanksgiving preparation, he remarked that families would not gather due to the absence of flights, saying, “all the planes are gone.” Another recent episode, hosted by comedian Nikki Glaser on Nov. 8, drew attention for a monologue in which she tackled sensitive topics, including sex trafficking and pedophilia, generating considerable online discussion.
The current season marks the 51st for “Saturday Night Live,” which premiered in October following the departure of several longtime cast members during the summer break, such as Heidi Gardner and Ego Nwodim. During the latest broadcast, it was announced that Melissa McCarthy will return to host the Dec. 6 episode, accompanied by musical guest Dijon.
Earlier we wrote that Jeffrey Epstein Emails Claim Trump “Knew About the Girls,” Democrats Say.
