In a biting festive edition, Saturday Night Live launched its Christmas episode with a cold open that mercilessly satirised former President Donald Trump, focusing on the controversial release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents and a decision to rename a iconic cultural institution.
Epstein Files Transparency Mocked
The sketch, which aired on Saturday 20 December 2025, saw cast member James Austin Johnson reprising his role as Trump. The parody zeroed in on the administration's claim to be the "most transparent in history," a statement heavily ridiculed in light of the recent partial release of long-awaited Epstein documents by the US Justice Department.
Hundreds of pages from the files were redacted when made public on Friday 19 December. Johnson's Trump, standing beside a giant, almost entirely blacked-out file, declared: "With regard to files, we're being very transparent. Because Jeffrey Epstein was a terrible man, and I didn't know him, and I liked him a lot." The only legible text on the prop file read: "Trump Didn’t Do Nothing Bad."
This comedic take referenced real-world events where Trump was mentioned only a handful of times in the tens of thousands of documents. Democrats had noted that one photograph appearing to show the former president was removed by the Department of Justice on Saturday. Trump has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case.
Renaming Spree and Cognitive Tests Lampooned
The near-five-minute skit also savaged a recent vote by a Trump-appointed board to rename the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. In the parody, Johnson announced the new, convoluted title: "The Donald J. Trump and The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts No Homo."
Extending the joke, the SNL version of Trump proposed renaming other national monuments after himself, displaying mocked-up images of the Trump-Washington Monument and the Trump Lincoln Memorial. "We're renaming so many government buildings after myself because we had to take it off of so many files," Johnson quipped. "We had to put them somewhere."
Mimicking Trump's discursive speaking style, the sketch wove in gags about the former president's frequent boasts regarding cognitive assessments. "I'm doing my own version of Nativity now, where kings from the Middle East bring gifts for me..." Johnson said, before digressing. "And I know camel, I know it very well. I know it from my mandatory daily cognitive test. I always get camel right. It's bumpy horse."
Cast Changes and a Fond Farewell
The episode, hosted by pop star Ariana Grande, also marked a significant departure for the show. It was the final appearance for cast member Bowen Yang, who had earlier announced his mid-season exit after seven years with the programme.
The 35-year-old actor and comedian shared a series of images on Instagram from his time at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, writing in a lengthy caption: "I loved working at SNL, and most of all I loved the people. I was there at a time when many things in the world started to seem futile, but working at 30 rock taught me the value in showing up anyway when people make it worthwhile. I’m grateful for every minute of my time there."
The cold open successfully blended sharp political satire with the show's trademark absurdity, using the holiday season as a backdrop to critique ongoing political narratives and personal branding efforts surrounding the former president.
