SNL brings back MacGruber, with an Epstein files twist
How will MacGruber get out of this ultra sticky situation?
 ByÂ
Belen Edwards
Belen Edwards
Entertainment Reporter
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
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 on November 16, 2025
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Saturday Night Live brought back Will Forte’s long running character MacGruber for its Nov. 15 episode. But this time around, the bomb-defusing man of action is hiding some seriously messed-up secrets about his ties to the Jeffrey Epstein files.
Each of Nov. 15’s three pre-taped MacGruber shorts follow the same formula as prior installments: MacGruber and his assistants Colton (host Glen Powell) and Tawnee (Chloe Fineman) are trapped in control rooms, trying to disarm a bomb that’s about to explode.
However, it’s not long before Colton drops a bomb of his own: He has an uncensored copy of the Epstein files. And based on MacGruber’s reaction — and subsequent shredding of the files — he’s definitely on the list. It’s going to take more than a pencil sharpener and a square of foil to get him out of this mess.
The MacGruber shorts were only the tip of the iceberg of this very Epstein-heavy SNL installment. The cold open saw Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson) react to the release of thousands of Epstein emails this week, and Weekend Update continued to mock Trump over his Epstein connections.
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
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