According to The Daily Beast, Colin Jost joked about Donald and Melania Trump during a November 2025 Saturday Night Live Weekend Update segment, tying a clip set to “Thriller” to allegations involving Michael Jackson and Jeffrey Epstein. The outlet reported that the punchline drew laughter as well as shocked groans; it was not a uniformly negative reaction.
What did Colin Jost say?
The Daily Beast reported that Jost showed a clip of President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump walking out of the White House to a cover of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” Jost then said: “The perfect soundtrack to lure kids to a famous mansion.”
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The report, published November 2, 2025, at 1:01 a.m. EDT and updated at 1:22 a.m. EDT, described the joke as happening early in that week’s Weekend Update. It did not separately give the episode’s full broadcast date or time. The exact wording and audience reaction here are attributed to The Daily Beast’s contemporaneous account; no official NBC transcript or primary clip for the 2025 segment was identified.
Why did the joke draw groans?
The joke combined two references, as The Daily Beast interpreted it: “Thriller” and allegations of child molestation against Michael Jackson, alongside the phrase “famous mansion” and Donald Trump’s alleged connections to Jeffrey Epstein. Those are allegations and associations invoked by the joke, not proof that Trump committed a crime.
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The outlet described the audience response as both laughter and shocked groans, and said Jost smiled as he took it in. It did not quantify the reaction, so the account does not establish how many people groaned or suggest a wider public backlash.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the joke does—and does not—establish
The punchline is a piece of political comedy built around a disturbing implication. It is not evidence of criminal conduct. The claims concerning Jackson and Trump should remain framed as allegations, and the details of the 2025 segment should remain attributed to the outlet that reported them.
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For historical context only, a transcript archive’s page for a 2016 Weekend Update segment records Jost discussing accusations against Trump, including the line, “But the truth is, they’re still just allegations.” That earlier segment does not document the 2025 joke. Read the 2016 transcript archive page.
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