Overview
- The U.S. and U.K. editions of Saturday Night Live opened their Saturday, April 11 shows with parodies of the first lady’s recent Epstein denial.
- In NBC’s version, Chloe Fineman’s Melania called James Austin Johnson’s Trump to pitch a “big, random” speech denying ties to Epstein, then floated lines about the Gilgo Beach killer and Diddy that Trump warned would raise more suspicion.
- The U.K. cold open set at a Croydon cookout had Emma Sidi’s Melania popping from a hedge to say “Never have I ever been friends with Jeffrey Epstein,” then fixating on the topic as baffled partygoers asked why she kept bringing it up.
- Coverage and audience feedback ranged from praise for Fineman’s “spot-on” impression to complaints about a “tired” Trump-focused cold open, with reports of audible groans during darker jokes.
- The satire followed the first lady’s White House statement earlier in the week denying any relationship with Jeffrey Epstein or Ghislaine Maxwell, and the parallel skits extended that message’s reach across U.S. and U.K. media without prompting a new official response.