Melania Trump’s Epstein Statement Gets a Comedic Twist on SNL UK
The latest episode of Saturday Night Live UK opened with comedian Emma Sidi portraying Melania Trump in a comedic sketch set at a barbecue in Croydon, south London. The sketch humorously addressed rumors about her connections with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein.
In a nod to Trump’s recent press statement, Sidi’s Melania declared, “Never have I ever been friends with billionaire pedophile Jeffrey Epstein,” seeking to reassure the puzzled barbecue attendees, played by Al Nash, Annabel Marlow, and Jack Shep.
“But what are you doing in a garden in Croydon?” one of the barbecue-goers asked, highlighting the absurdity of the situation.
Melania, pouting, responded, “I’m here to stop you nasty people spreading rumors about me.” The barbecue attendees quickly retorted, “We weren’t doing that; we weren’t even talking about you.”
When the conversation turned to a game of truth or dare, Sidi’s portrayal of Melania did not shy away from the topic of Epstein, responding, “How dare you accuse me of female friendship with short-haired sex-trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell…”
The humor continued as the BBQers questioned her obsession with Epstein, stating, “Why do you keep bringing up all the Epstein stuff? Your husband literally started a war to distract us from it. It was kinda working, to be fair to the lad.”
Eventually, Melania admitted her intention was to make friends, stating, “I have no friends, since they all randomly died in a maximum security prison…”
The episode did not shy away from political commentary, taking jabs at figures such as Keir Starmer, Peter Mandelson, Donald Trump, Rishi Sunak, and Scott Mills, alongside references to the Grand National. The musical guest for the night was Jorja Smith.
Hosted by British comedian Jack Whitehall, this was the fourth live episode of the UK version of NBC’s iconic sketch show, airing on Sky One. Whitehall’s opening monologue included jokes about wedding planning, humorously lamenting the challenges of socializing with too many guests: “It’s like planning a royal wedding. The whole thing could be ruined if my uncle turned up.”
Saturday Night Live UK is aiming to regain viewership after experiencing a decline of nearly 100,000 viewers since its premiere. The third episode, hosted by Riz Ahmed, drew an audience of 130,100 at 10 PM on Sky, according to BARB figures.
The latest episode garnered a 1.8% viewing share, down 36% from the previous week’s 205,000 viewers and 42% from the debut episode, which was hosted by Tina Fey and attracted 226,000 viewers.
SNL UK continues to perform above the average ratings for Sky shows in the late Saturday time slot and surpasses the viewership of the UK airing of the U.S. version of the sketch series, which is broadcast on Sky Comedy.
