Saturday Night Live's Colin Jost Faces Backlash Over 'Distasteful' Trump Halloween Gag, MAGA Calls It 'Lazy Shock Humor' and 'Cringe'
Colin Jost mocked Trump and Melania's White House Halloween event on SNL..
Nov. 2 2025, Published 5:45 p.m. ET
Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update co-host Colin Jost is facing backlash after making what many viewers called a "sinister" joke about Donald Trump and Melania Trump's White House Halloween celebration, RadarOnline.com can report.
Halloween at the White House
Jost joked about them entering to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller'.
The president and first lady handed out candy to children at the White House on Thursday, October 30, reviving Trump's viral 2019 prank where he placed a chocolate bar on a trick-or-treater's head. But Jost's comments about the event sparked controversy.
"My favorite part, though, was when Trump and Melania made a grand entrance to this song, Michael Jackson's 'Thriller,'" Jost said during Weekend Update. "Just the perfect soundtrack to lure kids to a famous mansion," he added, referencing Jackson's Neverland Ranch, where the pop star faced long-standing accusations of child sexual abuse.
Jackson, who died in 2009, always maintained his innocence and was acquitted of all charges in 2005.
Jost continued to mock Trump's interactions with children at the event. "President Trump and the first lady hosted a trick-or-treat event at what's left of the White House," he joked, echoing earlier SNL skits about Trump's supposed remodeling projects. "This is one of my favorite things that the president does because it is so clear that he never trick-or-treated once in his life."
SNL Segment
Jost revisited Trump's viral 2019 candy-on-the-head prank.
The comedian aired a clip showing Trump playfully greeting a child dressed as DJ Marshmello before once again placing a candy bar on their head — a callback to his identical 2019 stunt involving a kid dressed as a Minion from Despicable Me.
"Just put it in the bag! Why is he so weird? Even the kid is like, 'This is not right,'" Jost quipped. "It's kind of an embodiment of his entire presidency — just a violation of norms that no other president or person has ever conceived of. Like whoever thought, 'I should just put the candy on the kid's head?'"
The Backlash
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Viewers called the joke "sinister", "lazy" and "cringe".
The remarks drew sharp criticism online, with many accusing Jost of using "lazy shock humor".
"Only #ColinJost would spend close to three minutes on #WeekendUpdate critiquing Trump's trick-or-treating technique," one viewer wrote on X. "No offense to my homeboy, but I think I've been more savage on Twitter than he is with his platform on NBC."
Another said, "Colin Jost proving once again that lazy shock humor is the only thing keeping SNL alive. The joke wasn't edgy, just awkward and cringe."
Others were equally dismissive: "If even the SNL crowd that wants to see Trump hanged and burned groaned to a joke, it wouldn't have been a very good joke."
Still, some defended Jost, arguing the joke landed as intended. "Colin showed the White House trick-or-treat, observing that playing a Michael Jackson song for children coming to a mansion may not be the best look. It actually was funny, as was the audience groan," one viewer said.
