Posted in: NBC, Peacock, TV | Tagged: saturday night live, snl

SNL 51 Cold Open Finds Trump Trying to Distract From Epstein Files

SNL's Cold Open: Donald Trump tries (unsuccessfully) to distract the press from his connection to Jeffrey Epstein & the Epstein Files.

With host Glen Powell (The Running Man, Chad Powers) and musical guest Olivia Dean helping NBC's Saturday Night Live wrap up its three-episode run ahead of the holiday break, we're really curious to see what SNL has on tap tonight for its cold open. To say that this has been a busy news week would be a severe understatement. We think we can safely say that the controversy surrounding the relationship between Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, how much of a starring role Trump has in the infamous Epstein Files, and the growing movement on both sides of the aisle to release the files are the biggest headline-grabbers this week – not exactly "light material" to tackle. In addition, we also have the government back up and running, as dysfunctional as ever. With a decent amount of Democrats pointing fingers at those who broke ranks and sided with Republicans, that could be another target for tonight's opener. So, what did we end up getting?

We've got C-SPAN coverage of a White House Press Briefing with Karoline Leavitt (Ashley Padilla), who made it clear that there was no big news this week and there shouldn't be anything to ask about. Kaitlin Collins (Chloe Fineman) still went ahead with the questions, only to get Leavitt's abuse. Unnamed Black Guy, FOX "News' (Kam Patterson) asked a fluff question, before more Epstein questions forced Trump (James Austin Johnson) to make an appearance. After fumbling why he wouldn't release the files if he were innocent, Trump tried to talk through all of the images of him and Epstein together. After a quick compliment to Megyn Kelly for questioning if 15-year-olds are really underage, Trump dropped a reference to a released email implying that Trump gave President Bill Clinton a blowjob, and even tried to shift to Thanksgiving before realizing things were only getting worse.

The SNL Season 51 cast includes Michael Che, Mikey Day, Andrew Dismukes, Chloe Fineman, Marcello Hernandez, James Austin Johnson, Colin Jost, Sarah Sherman, Kenan Thompson, and Bowen Yang, along with current featured players Ashley Padilla and Jane Wickline. Joining them are newcomers Ben Marshall, Tommy Brennan, Jeremy Culhane, Kam Patterson, and Veronika Slowikowska.

New writers for this season include actor-writer Jack Bensinger (Rap World), stand-up comedian Jo Sunday (Just for Laughs), comic Maddie Wiener (The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon), actor and writer Rachel Pegram (Harley Quinn), writer-comedian Claire McFadden (Second City), Maxwell Gay (The Harvard Lampoon), and Tucker Flodman (The Harvard Lampoon). NBC's Saturday Night Live premiered on Oct. 11, 1975, and broadcasts live from NBC's famed Studio 8H in New York City's Rockefeller Center. The program is a production of Broadway Video in association with SNL Studios. Lorne Michaels is the executive producer.

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