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Saturday Night Live closed out its 51st season on Saturday night with a star-studded line-up, as comedy legend Will Ferrell hosted alongside rock-and-roll icon Paul McCartney as the musical guest. The episode came out swinging as Ferrell played the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein in the cold open.
In the Oval Office-set cold open of the Season 51 finale of Saturday Night Live, beloved former cast member Will Ferrell played Jeffrey Epstein in an A Christmas Carol-style sketch that found the ghost of the deceased sex offender haunting President Trump (James Austin Johnson) in his sleep.
Will Ferrell’s ‘Ghost of Jeffrey Epstein’ haunted President Donald Trump’s dreams in the Saturday Night Live Season 51 finale
The SNL sketch began with Trump chatting with JD Vance (Jeremy Culhane) about his two-day trip to China before sending the Vice President away and falling asleep. Ferrell’s Epstein then materialized in Trump’s dream, clarifying that he “killed myself… wink!”
When Epstein mentioned that Trump’s approval rating was in the 30s, he responded: “Gross… call me when it hits 17!”
omg not Will Ferrell playing Jeffrey Epstein during the SNL cold open
Will as Jeffrey Epstein: How you doing, Donny, baby?
James Austin Johnson as Trump: Not so good, Jeffrey. My approval rating is in the 30s.
Will: 30s?! Gross. Call me when it hits 17. pic.twitter.com/Axxnc7Cx44
— Spencer Althouse (@SpencerAlthouse) May 17, 2026
Epstein also showed Trump visions of the future, similar to the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in Charles Dickens’ iconic 1843 novella: Kristi Noem selling cheap goods on HSN and Pete Hegseth (Colin Jost) and Kash Patel (Aziz Ansari) filling a beer bong while recording a podcast before closing on Trump and Epstein performing a duet of Grover Washington Jr.’s “Just the Two of Us.”
“People will always associate you with me!” Ferrell’s Epstein ghost added at the end.