In a biting cold open this weekend, Saturday Night Live turned its satirical gaze towards the White House, specifically targeting its response to the release of 20,000 emails from the files of the late sex trafficker, Jeffrey Epstein.
A Press Secretary Under Fire
Cast member Ashley Padilla made her debut as White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, a figure previously unparodied on the show despite her high-profile role. The sketch depicted a desperate attempt to deflect mounting questions concerning the billionaire's ties to former President Donald Trump, who is mentioned numerous times in the correspondence.
Padilla was a convincing double for the 28-year-old Leavitt, complete with a blonde wig, a prominent gold crucifix necklace, and a wardrobe seemingly lifted directly from the press secretary's own closet.
The mock briefing opened with Padilla's Leavitt attempting to set a dismissive tone. 'I am just so excited to be here and answer your friendly questions. As you all know, there was no news this week,' she began sarcastically. 'Nothing happening with the president. No weird information was revealed. No one had any accusations that rhyme with 'edophile'.'
Real-Life Tensions Brought to Screen
The sketch quickly mirrored real-world dynamics, with Padilla singling out CNN's Kaitlan Collins, played by Chloe Fineman, stating, 'I'll open the floor to questions starting with Kaitlan Collins from CNN who I openly hate, go ahead.' This reflects the frequent and publicly tense exchanges between Leavitt and Collins during actual briefings.
True to form, Fineman's Collins immediately zeroed in on the Epstein case. 'We definitely need to start with the 20,000 Epstein emails. Why does President Trump's name appear in so many of them?' she asked.
Padilla's retort—'You know you suck, right?'—was a tamer version of past real-life insults. She then delivered a line almost identical to one used by the real Leavitt last week: 'Look, 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.'
Trump's Cameo and the Maxwell Question
The satire continued with a softball question from a Fox News reporter, played by Kam Patterson, about Trump's health, before Bowen Yang, as an MSNBC reporter, shifted back to Epstein. He queried about reports that Epstein's associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, might have her sentence commuted by Trump.
'Are you not worried about the optics of Trump giving Epstein's partner in crime, Ghislaine Maxwell, a sweetheart deal?' Yang asked.
Padilla's Leavitt replied, '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.' This referenced Maxwell's recent deposition, widely seen as an attempt to secure a reduced sentence from Trump.
The sketch culminated with James Austin Johnson's Trump taking over the podium. Insisting he 'barely knew the guy,' Johnson's Trump referenced the 'thousands of pictures of us together' before making a joke about monetising the files. '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.'
