On Thursday night, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert aired a satirical segment that reimagined Pope Leo XIV delivering a Kendrick Lamar-style diss track aimed at former President Donald Trump. The parody, styled after Lamar’s “Not Like Us,” featured the fictional pontiff trading barbs with Trump over a range of topics, including a pointed reference to the Jeffrey Epstein case.
The sketch quickly gained attention online for its sharp lyrics and timely commentary, particularly the line in which the faux-Pope asks: “How many mentions of you in the Epstein files?” followed by the accusation: “Certified bestie with that certified pedophile.” The verse echoed Lamar’s original track while inserting politically charged allegations directly tied to ongoing public discourse about Trump’s alleged connections to Epstein.
The segment was framed as part of an ongoing mock “feud” between the satirical Pope Leo and the Trump administration, a narrative that has played out across multiple episodes of The Late Show in recent weeks. In the parody, the Pope-alternate character boasts divine alignment — “I got J.C.” — while accusing Trump of surrounding himself with morally compromised allies, naming figures like J.D. Vance and Marco Rubio as part of a “holy senile” contingent.
Beyond the Epstein reference, the sketch included several other layered jokes. One verse claimed Trump had called Jesus a doctor, suggesting cognitive decline, and was paired with a visual gag showing an AI-generated image of Christ alongside Trump. The segment concluded with the refrain “They not pious” as the fictional Vance crossed himself and Trump, holding a Bible, stood beside a person in an Easter Bunny costume while declaring, “We’re honoring Jesus Christ.”
The parody drew immediate reactions on social media, with supporters praising its comedic timing and critics accusing it of disrespect toward religious figures. Trump himself responded the following day on Truth Social, calling Pope Leo “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” and urging the pontiff to “get his act together” and focus on being “a Great Pope, not a Politician.”
While the segment was clearly marked as satire, it reignited public conversation about the Epstein case and the enduring fascination with the so-called “Epstein files” — a trove of documents, flight logs, contact lists, and emails tied to the late financier Jeffrey Epstein, who died in jail in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. These materials have been gradually released through legal proceedings and Freedom of Information Act requests, revealing associations between Epstein and numerous high-profile individuals across politics, entertainment, royalty, and academia.
To date, no official legal finding has established that Donald Trump participated in or knew of Epstein’s criminal activities. However, Trump has acknowledged knowing Epstein socially for years, stating in a 2002 New York Magazine interview that he considered Epstein a “terrific guy” and noting their shared social circles in New York and Palm Beach. Trump later said he had a falling out with Epstein around 2004 and barred him from Mar-a-Lago, though the exact timing and nature of their estrangement remain subjects of public speculation.
The Late Show sketch is not the first time the program has used musical parody to comment on political figures. Previous segments have lampooned figures ranging from Ron DeSantis to Kari Lake using adapted hip-hop and pop tracks, often blending humor with pointed critiques of policy or behavior. The Kendrick Lamar parody followed a broader trend in late-night television of using rap formats to deliver political satire, a style pioneered in part by shows like Saturday Night Live and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee.
As of now, there are no announced legal proceedings or official updates directly tied to the claims made in the satire. The Epstein case remains legally closed following Epstein’s death, though civil litigation involving his estate and associates, including Ghislaine Maxwell — who was convicted in 2022 of sex trafficking-related charges — continues to unfold in various jurisdictions. Maxwell is currently serving a 20-year sentence.
For those seeking verified updates on related legal developments, the U.S. Department of Justice maintains public records of closed cases, while court dockets from the Southern District of New York — where many Epstein-related filings occurred — are accessible via PACER. Investigative outlets such as the Miami Herald and Virgin Islands Daily News have maintained long-term reporting on the case’s fallout.
The satire ultimately served less as a factual assertion and more as a cultural barometer — reflecting how deeply the Epstein case has entered the public imagination as a symbol of impunity, elite misconduct, and the blurred lines between power and accountability. Whether viewed as sharp commentary or overreach, the segment succeeded in sparking conversation, which, in the realm of late-night satire, is often the intended outcome.
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