Will Ferrell Brings Epstein Ghost Sketch to SNL Finale as Paul McCartney Closes Season 51

Saturday Night Live ended its 51st season with a heavyweight combination: Will Ferrell back on the Studio 8H stage and Paul McCartney as musical guest.

The May 16 finale leaned into old-school SNL power. Ferrell, one of the show’s most famous alumni, returned to host. McCartney, already tied deeply to the show’s history, handled the music. The night opened with a political cold open that mixed President Trump, Charles Dickens, and the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein into one sharp sketch.

It was strange. It was direct. It was very SNL.

Ferrell appeared before his monologue in the cold open as a ghostly version of Epstein. James Austin Johnson played President Trump, continuing his long-running impression. The scene used A Christmas Carol as the structure, with Trump receiving a supernatural visit while resting in the Oval Office.

The result was a dark political parody with a familiar setup: a leader, a nap, a ghost, and a warning.

Ferrell Returns as a Ghostly Epstein

The cold open began with Johnson’s Trump returning from a trip to China. He spoke with Jeremy Culhane’s Vice President JD Vance and joked about why Vance had not been included in the trip.

In the sketch, Trump offered Vance a gift from Chinese President Xi Jinping: a Chinese finger trap. When Vance asked what Trump gave in return, Johnson’s Trump answered: “Taiwan.”

That set the tone. Fast. Blunt. No slow build.

Trump then settled in for a nap in the Oval Office. He rested his head on a gold bar that he said Switzerland had given him as a “straight-up bribe.” As he drifted off, the sketch shifted into its Dickens-style turn.

Ferrell appeared as the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein, dressed in chains and torn clothing. It was not subtle. It was not meant to be.

The sketch played like a twisted holiday visitation, only far from Christmas and built around current political satire instead of redemption. The visual reference was clear: Epstein as the Marley-like ghost, visiting Trump with visions and consequences.

Ferrell’s presence gave the sketch extra weight. He is not a random guest. He is part of SNL history. When he appears in a cold open, the room knows it is a big swing.

A Dickens Parody, But Built for 2026

The choice to parody A Christmas Carol in May was odd on purpose. That made it work.

The sketch used a well-known story structure that viewers could understand fast. A powerful man falls asleep. A ghost appears. The past, present, or future comes knocking. In this version, the ghost was Epstein, and the target was Trump.

The joke was not gentle. It was built around discomfort.

That is often where SNL tries to land during election-era or high-pressure political weeks. Sometimes it misses. Sometimes it finds the exact image people remember the next day.

This one had a simple headline image: Will Ferrell, in chains, playing the ghost of Epstein opposite James Austin Johnson’s Trump.

That is the kind of sketch people clip, post, argue about, and replay.

Ferrell’s Role in the Finale

Ferrell’s return as host gave the finale a built-in sense of occasion. He remains one of the strongest performers to come out of Saturday Night Live, and his hosting appearances usually carry a “class reunion” feel.

The finale did not wait to bring him out. Instead of saving him for the monologue, the show put him straight into the cold open. That told viewers the episode planned to use him early and loudly.

Ferrell has always been good at playing characters who are confident, strange, and slightly broken. A ghostly Epstein in a political nightmare sketch fits that lane. It requires absurdity without losing the edge.

That is the line SNL often walks.

Make it funny. Make it uncomfortable. Do not explain too much.

Paul McCartney Brings New Music and a Wings Classic

While Ferrell handled the comedy, Paul McCartney brought the music.

The former Beatle returned to SNL about 15 months after closing the show’s 50th anniversary special with an Abbey Road medley. For the Season 51 finale, McCartney performed a new song, a Wings classic, and then surprised viewers with an encore during the closing credits.

His first performance was “Days We Left Behind,” the lead single from his upcoming album The Boys of Dungeon Lane. The song is tied to McCartney’s childhood memories in and around Liverpool.

McCartney has said the song looks back at the days he left behind. He has also explained that the track includes memories of John Lennon and Forthlin Road, the street where McCartney lived. He described the area around Speke, where he grew up, as working class, saying his family did not have much, but that it did not matter because the people around him were great.

That context gave the performance a personal feel.

The song was not just new music. It was memory turned into melody.

The New Album

The Boys of Dungeon Lane is McCartney’s 18th solo album and his first since McCartney III in 2020. He worked on the record with producer Andrew Watt while also touring as part of his Got Back tour.

The album reportedly includes tracks such as:

• “Days We Left Behind”
• “Salesman Saint”
• “Home to Us”

One detail stands out: “Home to Us” is McCartney’s first duet with Ringo Starr. That gives the album extra attention before release. Any new collaboration between the two surviving Beatles is going to matter to fans.

McCartney’s second performance on SNL was “Band on the Run,” the Grammy-winning title track from Wings’ 1973 album. Chad Smith of the Red Hot Chili Peppers played drums for both “Days We Left Behind” and “Band on the Run.”

That pairing worked. One song looked forward. One song reached back.

A Surprise Encore to End the Season

The episode seemed ready to close after the standard goodnights. Then McCartney stepped back in.

As the credits rolled on SNL’s 51st season, he performed “Coming Up,” from his 1980 album McCartney II.

That surprise encore gave the finale a looser, more live feeling. It also showed why McCartney remains a strong fit for SNL. He can bring history without making the room feel frozen in the past. He moves between eras easily.

That matters for a season finale. The show needed to end with energy.

McCartney gave it that.

McCartney’s Long SNL History

McCartney first appeared on Saturday Night Live in 1980, one year before Wings disbanded. Since then, he has become one of the show’s major musical figures.

At the SNL 40th anniversary special in 2015, he performed “Maybe I’m Amazed” from his first solo album. He also sang a shortened version of the Beatles’ “I’ve Just Seen a Face” with Paul Simon.

Then, during the show’s 50th anniversary special, he closed the night with a memorable Abbey Road medley.

So his Season 51 finale appearance was not random. It was another chapter in a long relationship with the show.

Why This Finale Worked

A finale needs two things: a reason to watch and a reason to remember it.

This episode had both.

Ferrell gave the comedy side a recognizable anchor. McCartney gave the music side real legacy. The cold open gave the internet a political image to react to. The musical performances gave older and younger fans something to talk about.

The key moments were clear:

• Will Ferrell returned to host the Season 51 finale.
• Ferrell played the ghost of Jeffrey Epstein in the cold open.
• James Austin Johnson played President Trump.
• The sketch parodied A Christmas Carol.
• Paul McCartney performed “Days We Left Behind.”
• He followed it with “Band on the Run.”
• He returned during the credits for a surprise encore of “Coming Up.”

That is a full night.

No filler needed.

The Bottom Line

SNL closed Season 51 by leaning on two icons: Will Ferrell and Paul McCartney.

Ferrell helped deliver a dark, headline-ready political sketch built around Trump and the ghost of Epstein. McCartney gave the night emotional range, moving from new Liverpool memories to Wings nostalgia and a closing-credit surprise.

The finale did what a finale should do. It made noise. It brought back history. It ended with a moment.

Comedy opened the night. Music carried it out.

Adam Chitayat, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons