SNL went there in the Season 51 finale cold open. Will Ferrell played Jeffrey Epstein's ghost, appearing in the Oval Office during one of Trump's midday power naps to deliver uncomfortable truths. The sketch had the internet talking.
The premise: the late sex offender materializes in tattered, bloody clothes and a chain around his neck to catch up with James Austin Johnson's Trump.
When Trump brags that his approval rating sits in the 30s, Ferrell's Epstein responds: "The 30s—gross! Call me when it hits 17." The audience lost it.
Ferrell's Epstein casually mentions he's in hell playing Mahjong every Wednesday with Stalin and John Wayne Gacy.
The ghost then unleashes visions about Trump's cabinet members. Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem (Ashley Padilla) shills a shark wand vacuum on the Home Shopping Network. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) and FBI Director Kash Patel (Aziz Ansari) hawk their own liquor brands.
Epstein then reveals that the U.S. came in second in its war against Iran, before turning to Trump with what the sketch describes as "a hard truth."
The cold open pushed boundaries. Whether audiences found it funny or offensive, the sketch was widely shared across platforms.
