Adam Driver was instantly memorable as the host of "Saturday Night Live," opening the show by portraying Jeffrey Epstein in hell during the cold open.
The sketch began with another notable appearance, as legacy "SNL" cast member Jon Lovitz returned to play Alan Dershowitz preparing his impeachment defense alongisde Cecily Strong's Senator Susan Collins and Beck Bennett's Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Lovitz as Dershowitz joked about the lawyer's controversial past clientele, which includes Epstein and O. J. Simpson, then started to feign a heart attack before appearing in hell, where Kate McKinnon played the devil.
Driver as Epstein then entered to greet Lovitz's Dershowitz, responding that he was "just hanging" in hell – referencing the real Epstein's death by suicide in prison, eliciting a mix of laughter and shock from the audience.
"I wish you could have been there in person," Lovitz said, after Driver complimented Dershowitz's impeachment defense. Driver responded, "Yeah, it's too bad I was murdered."
"Trust me, I know," Lovitz replied. The two characters were joined by other famous figures who had either gone to hell or were stopping by, including Bennett's McConnell, who said he used it as a sauna, Bowen Yang as the guy who wrote the song "Baby Shark," and Heidi Gardner as Flo from Progressive – who struck a deal with the devil to stay on TV.
Mikey Day also appeared in costume as the recently deceased Mr. Peanut, who said he'd gone to hell because of all the "first graders with peanut allergies" he took out, along with never wearing pants.
Before the cold open wrapped up, Lovitz told McKinnon he always imagined the devil as a woman, and she responded that the devil appears in different forms to different people.
"Yeah, to me the devil is a woman my own age," Driver as Epstein replied.
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