Real New York politician Harvey Epstein responded with a joke of his own after John Mulaney portrayed him in a Saturday Night Live sketch on November 2, 2024. Epstein said the sketch went over well—but also used the attention to point back to the serious issues of domestic violence and sexual abuse behind its name-based premise.
What was the SNL sketch about?
The satirical campaign-ad sketch aired during John Mulaney’s November 2, 2024, episode of Saturday Night Live. Mulaney played the real Harvey Epstein, then a New York State Assembly member running for New York City Council. Its joke was that voters might mistake Epstein for either Harvey Weinstein or Jeffrey Epstein because of their names. The fictional campaign pitch repeatedly stressed that the candidate was not either notorious figure. City & State New York reported on the sketch and the real candidate.
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How did Harvey Epstein respond?
He echoed the sketch’s joke
The morning after the broadcast, Epstein posted: “I agree with John @mulaney… let’s not call it Epstein’s Island.” City & State reproduced the social-media post in its November 3 report. The line played along with the sketch’s premise rather than treating the name confusion as a serious campaign claim.
He said the portrayal felt strange, but the sketch worked
In his November 3 interview with City & State, Epstein said, “I think it went over very well, and I’m glad we can all make fun of ourselves in a way that – to bring joy to the world.” Seeing himself portrayed, he added, was “a little freaky.” He also said he would be open to appearing on SNL.
Why did Epstein connect the joke to serious issues?
Epstein said people on the campaign trail had sometimes asked whether he was related to either namesake. He welcomed the unexpected attention from the sketch, but distinguished the humor from the real harm associated with the people invoked. City & State quoted him saying, “It’s really critical that I take the joy out of the joke and also be serious about issues of domestic violence,” and reported that he called Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein “two horrible human beings.”
That distinction matters: the sketch’s target was the absurdity of name confusion in a campaign, not the abuse and sexual violence associated with Weinstein and Jeffrey Epstein.
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What happened in Epstein’s later council race?
In June 2025, the Associated Press reported that Epstein won the Democratic primary for New York City Council District 2, defeating Anthony Weiner. That report establishes the primary result; it does not establish the general-election outcome or Epstein’s current office status. The Associated Press covered the primary.
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