On October 7, 2025, Comedy Central’s The Daily Show turned its satirical spotlight on President Donald Trump, dissecting his awkward response to a question about possibly pardoning Ghislaine Maxwell, the convicted sex trafficker and longtime associate of Jeffrey Epstein. Host Josh Johnson, known for his sharp wit, didn’t hold back as he broke down Trump’s comments and the curious detour the president took by name-dropping Sean “Diddy” Combs—formerly known as Puff Daddy—while avoiding a direct answer.
The episode, which aired during the show’s regular weeknight slot at 11 p.m. ET, opened with Johnson recapping a now-infamous Oval Office exchange. Trump, when pressed by reporters about whether he would consider a pardon for Maxwell, replied, “I haven’t heard the name in so long.” He then added, somewhat evasively, “I’ll have to look into it.” According to TheWrap, Johnson was quick to pounce on the president’s apparent memory lapse, repeating Trump’s words with disbelief: “She’s not asking you about the Baha Men. You’re over here being like, ‘Who? Who? Who? Who?’”
Johnson’s incredulity was palpable, especially given the high-profile nature of Maxwell’s conviction and the ongoing public interest in the Epstein case. Maxwell, currently serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking, had recently been transferred to a different prison after meetings with Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche. These meetings reportedly focused on her long relationship with Epstein, whose own death and alleged connections to powerful individuals have remained a subject of controversy and speculation.
The Daily Show segment didn’t just spotlight Trump’s dodge; it also highlighted the president’s odd pivot to Sean “Diddy” Combs. Trump, in the midst of the exchange, noted that Combs had also requested a pardon. The rapper and music mogul was recently sentenced to just over four years on two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Trump’s use of Combs’s old stage name, “Puff Daddy,” prompted another round of ridicule from Johnson. “Wait, so you don’t remember Ghislaine, but you remember that we used to call Diddy ‘Puff Daddy’? That was nine names ago!” Johnson quipped, according to TheWrap.
For Johnson, the incongruity was clear: “All you had to do was mention someone else who was not convicted of sex crimes—which is most people—and you chose Diddy.” The host underscored the absurdity by reminding viewers that the original press event was supposed to be about a road project in Alaska, not high-profile pardons or celebrity scandals. Yet, as Johnson put it, the real “song of the summer” wasn’t a chart-topping hit but rather, “reporters asking Donald Trump about Ghislaine Maxwell. If it was eligible, it would’ve been number one on Billboard.”
The segment drew further attention to the fact that Trump’s claim of unfamiliarity with Maxwell’s name didn’t hold up under scrutiny. Johnson and his team played clips showing Trump discussing Maxwell as recently as July and August of the same year, casting doubt on the president’s assertion that he hadn’t “heard the name in so long.” According to The Daily Show and TheWrap, this wasn’t the first time Trump had been pressed about the possibility of a Maxwell pardon, making his evasive answers all the more conspicuous.
Underlying the satire was a serious set of facts. Maxwell’s conviction and ongoing imprisonment are part of a broader narrative involving her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, whose death in federal custody was officially ruled a suicide by the FBI and DOJ. This finding, outlined in a recent memo, has been challenged by victim reports and continues to fuel public skepticism. The memo also asserted that Epstein did not sex traffic for high-profile friends, a claim that has drawn criticism and suspicion from various quarters.
Trump, for his part, has made repeated efforts to distance himself from the Epstein-Maxwell saga. Earlier in 2025, he dismissed related files as fake, calling them a “hoax” orchestrated by Democrats, as reported by TheWrap. This strategy of deflection was on full display during the press conference in question, with Trump’s responses prompting both ridicule and renewed scrutiny from the media.
The president’s mention of Sean “Diddy” Combs added another layer of complexity to the story. Combs, a prominent figure in the music industry, was recently sentenced to over four years for his involvement in transporting individuals to engage in prostitution. His request for a presidential pardon, though notable, seemed an odd point of comparison in the context of Maxwell’s far more serious and widely publicized crimes. Johnson’s comedic framing—“That was nine names ago!”—underscored the disconnect between Trump’s selective memory and the gravity of the issues at hand.
As the episode aired, social media lit up with reactions. Viewers and commentators debated not only the president’s handling of the Maxwell question but also the broader implications of his approach to controversial figures seeking clemency. The juxtaposition of Maxwell and Combs, both facing criminal sentences but for very different offenses, raised questions about the criteria and motivations behind presidential pardons.
Meanwhile, the segment’s humor didn’t overshadow the ongoing legal and political drama surrounding the Epstein case. The FBI and DOJ’s memo, which attempted to quell speculation by reiterating the official line on Epstein’s death and downplaying alleged connections to powerful individuals, did little to silence critics. Victims and their advocates continue to dispute the official narrative, pointing to inconsistencies and demanding further investigation.
For The Daily Show and its viewers, the episode was a microcosm of the larger national conversation—a blend of satire, skepticism, and genuine concern over issues of justice and accountability at the highest levels. Johnson’s ability to weave humor into a story fraught with legal and ethical complexities provided a moment of levity, but also a sharp reminder of the stakes involved.
As the 2025 political season heats up, moments like these—where comedy and current events collide—serve both to entertain and to provoke thought. Whether Trump’s strategy of deflection will prove effective in the long run remains to be seen, but for one night at least, The Daily Show ensured that the president’s answers, and the questions behind them, were front and center in the national conversation.