15 Times Jeffrey Epstein and His Many, Many Files Were Mentioned Throughout Pop Culture History
TV, movies, and even musicals weigh in on what's his name and his sleazy list
Pop culture just loves getting in on the hot trends and current goings-on. Take this article, for example. It's throwing its hat in the ring of sleaze-ball Jeffrey Epstein mentions just like these 15 other movies, TV shows, podcasts, and even musicals did before it. Heck, if we wanted to get meta as all heck, we could add this bad boy as a 16th entry.
Don’t worry, we won’t. Our take on the matter would be nowhere near as funny as some of these gems. Asdark and as yeesh-inducingas they can be, they’re definitely the most original pop culture takes on what is possibly the biggest news story in recent memory.
The Idol on HBO
Shutterstock
In Season 1, Episode 3, Eli Roth’s character Andrew Finkelstein states: “I’m f***ing shitting more blood than a kid at Epstein’s island.”Viewers were outraged, calling it “Absolutely sickening.”
Prince Andrew: The Musical
Wikipedia
On December 29, 2022, Channel 4 in The UK aired this made-for-TV biographical musical comedy written by and starring Kieran Hodgson. It’s a "satirical send-up" of the life of Prince Andrew, and covers key life events including his infamous 2019 interview with journalist Emily Maitlis where he said that he did not regret his friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
Nikki Glaser on SNL
NBC
As the guest host on November 8th, Glaser opened her monologue by calling New York City “Epstein’s original island.” She then said that her Gen Z friends tell her she has a “resting Ghislaine face,” and that her friends feel safer when they’re with her, because traffickers might assume she’s the “madame.”
Pete Davidson on the Netflix Is A Daily Joke Podcast
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The podcast has an episode titled “Pete Davidson Tries A Joke About Jeffrey Epstein.” In it, he jokes about Epstein offering “free plane rides” and not understanding why he shouldn’t take one.
South Park
Comedy Central
In Season 27’s premiere, “Sermon on the ‘Mount,’” while Satan is in bed with Trump, he asks Trump, “Are you on the list or not? It’s weird that whenever it comes up, you just tell everyone to relax.”
The Boys
The Amazon show made a meta-joke via its Vought International social media account where they deny the existence of the “Herogasm Files,” clearly mirroring real-life demands to release Epstein files.
Saturday Night Live
NBC
On November 15th, the cold open was titled “Epstein White House Briefing,” and on “Weekend Update,” Colin Jost quipped that Trump “is like the Forrest Gump of meeting famous pedophiles.”
Law & Order: SVU
Airing way back in 2011, the season 12 episode “Flight” was eerily Epstein-like. A 12-year-old is recruited for a “modeling job,” brought to a birthday party, and gives a naked massage to a billionaire pervert named Jordan Hayes. Hayes is portrayed as wealthy, politically connected, and uses his influence to avoid real accountability. Vanity Fair explicitly draws the parallel.
Scoop
Wikipedia
This 2024 British biographical film directed by Philip Martin and starring Gillian Anderson is a dramatic retelling of the process of securing and filming the infamous 2019 BBC interview of Prince Andrew. In it, a paparazzo stakes out Epstein’s Manhattan home.
The Onion
Their 2025 mockumentary, Jeffrey Epstein: Bad Pedophile lampoons the Epstein case, his connections to Trump, and true-crime tropes overall. In pure absurdist satire, they invent fake voicemails and feature some pretty weird “pedophile expert” priests.
The TrueAnon Podcast
The very first episode of the podcast aired shortly after Epstein's arrest in July 2019. The creators noted how many of the details of the Epstein case were not covered in the mainstream press, and created the podcast to explore how "the fascination with Epstein is part of a larger story about the rot at the heart of the global elite.”
Ricky Gervais at the 2020 Golden Globes
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During his Golden Globes monologue, Gervais joked, “There’s a show… Afterlife… where he didn’t kill himself … just like Jeffrey Epstein.” And like everything Gervais has said at the Golden Globes, it got a mixed response.
Joko Jokes
This humor site has an “Epstein Jokes Page” with over 30 Epstein jokes and puns. It features gems like, “Q: What do Jeffrey Epstein and Halloween decorations have in common? A: They don't hang themselves.”
Jim Gaffigan at the 2024 Golden Globes
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While presenting, he stated, “This is so exciting for me. I’m from a small town in Indiana. I’m not a pedophile. I don’t know if that’s a new category here, but…” As of today, “Best Pedophile” is not a category at the Golden Globes, but who knows? Maybe someday soon!
Shane Gillis at the 2025 ESPY Awards
ESPN
Dipping away from sports-related jokes (and saying “Go Birds” about 100 times), Gillis wedged in the joke, “Actually, there was supposed to be an Epstein joke here … but I guess it got deleted … Probably never existed, actually … Let’s move on.” As you’d expect, it got a mixture of laughs and uncomfortable groans.