SNL's Final 2025 Show Roasts Epstein Files, Trump: 'They Ran Out of Black Ink'

Saturday Night Live closed out the year with a politically charged episode, taking relentless aim at the recently released Jeffrey Epstein files and former President Donald Trump. The controversial documents, which reportedly dropped on Friday, became a running gag throughout the night.

The show kicked off with an Epstein-heavy cold open featuring James Austin Johnson's Donald Trump. The topic carried straight into the 'Weekend Update' segment, where the show’s anchors pulled no punches.

Anchor Colin Jost set up a classic holiday joke, noting it’s the time of year when we all talk about "the man who flies through the air to visit children all over the world." After a pause, he delivered the punchline: "...Jeffrey Epstein." His co-anchor, Michael Che, offered a theory as to why the Department of Justice couldn't release all the files at once.

"They ran out of black ink."

The segment continued its focus on politics, with jokes targeting RFK Jr.'s stance on banning transgender-affirming care, Marjorie Taylor Greene's recent engagement, and reports on Trump's apparent health issues.

SNL also lampooned a recent Vanity Fair interview with White House officials. The article quoted Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, who stated that Trump had an "alcoholic's personality." Jost used the line to rib his co-anchor, quipping, "Hey, don't you dare compare him to my friend, Michael Che."

PRISM Insight: This SNL episode highlights the show's function as a real-time cultural barometer in an accelerated media ecosystem. The ability to turn a Friday news dump into primetime Saturday satire shows how deeply political scandals are woven into the fabric of popular entertainment. It demonstrates comedy's evolving role not just as a release valve, but as one of the primary ways a polarized public processes and discusses complex, often dark, national events.