Will Forte’s MacGruber returned to Saturday Night Live in a sketch that riffed on the Trump administration’s attempts to keep the Epstein files unsealed.
Trapped in an FBI black site control room with a ticking time bomb, host Glen Powell’s character reveals that he’s being targeted because he’s in possession of the explosive files — “something so sensitive, something so powerful that people will go to any lengths to stop me” — which MacGruber wants to take a look at before dismantling the bomb.
“For far too long, the rich and powerful have lived by a different set of rules than the rest of us, but it’s time for a reckoning,” MacGruber says before opening the files. “Let’s take a look at these bottom feeders.”
However, MacGruber quickly learns that he too is in the Epstein files, and instead of dealing with the bomb, he starts shredding the papers.
The bomb explodes, but the scene picks up again with another copy of the Epstein files, and once again MacGruber opts to make some redactions instead of diffusing the plasma bomb. “Why don’t we just forget about this list, because it’s just a distraction,” MacGruber says, echoing the White House talking points, before another scene-ending explosion.
The scene begins a third time, with MacGruber finally revealing he’s in the files. “All over it, like every third page, I’m not on,” he admitted. “Look, I worked on the ground crew, servicing the aircraft, I knew nothing about what was going on, but I saw a lot of very important people getting on that plane, sold them a lot of low-grade cocaine, some crystal.”
After some reflection, MacGruber says he’s finally ready to reveal some of the powerful people on the list, but utters only one name — “Deez Nutz” — before the bomb explodes for the final time.
