The Next Level — Episode 1013: "They All Forking KNEW About Epstein"

Hosts: Jonathan V. Last (JVL) & Sarah Longwell
Date: September 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this candid and explicit bonus episode, JVL and Sarah break down the disturbing revelations from Jeffrey Epstein’s "birthday book"—a newly released collection of celebratory notes, drawings, and photos from Epstein’s circle of friends. They analyze the culture of knowing complicity and normalization of predatory behavior demonstrated in the book, discuss notable entries (including those involving Donald Trump), and explore why and how prominent figures are now denying their involvement. The hosts go beyond mere outrage to examine the broader societal and political implications, especially the phenomenon of unaccountability among powerful individuals.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Disturbing Content and Message of Epstein’s Birthday Book

• Hosts note the book, recently released by Epstein’s estate, isn’t just a collection of tasteless jokes—it is a window into a network where everyone “knew” about Epstein’s predatory behavior and, at best, laughed it off.
• [01:27] JVL: “It's not just like disgusting in a gross out comedy way. It's disgusting in a this guy was obviously a psychopath way, and everybody around him in this book understands that he's a psychopath, and they are also... psychopaths or they were just playing along as they thought it was fun.”

Notable and Explicit Entries

• Numerous birthday wishes include inside jokes and art clearly referencing Epstein’s obsession with young girls.
• Multiple depictions of young girls, some obviously sexualized, are found throughout the book.
• [02:11] Sarah: “...there are a number of things that are very consistent across the birthday wishes... A great many people made jokes about women and girls... you see that it was an entire culture in which everyone knew that Epstein was sleeping with underage girls, that he was obsessed with it. And that they too took it as a joke.”

Graphic Example: The Balloon Cartoon

• An explicit cartoon shows Epstein handing balloons to small female children in 1983, then in 2003 (for his 50th birthday) surrounded by scantily clad girls—one appears to be performing oral sex, another massaging his feet.
• The caption: “What a great country!”
• [04:14] JVL/Sarah: “What a great country. With an exclamation mark. Meaning what a great place where you can become so rich that the girls that you once gave balloons to are now doing sexual favors for you.”

The “Depreciated Woman” Joke Check

• One “joke” entry is a novelty check “selling” a woman to Donald Trump, labeled as a “fully depreciated woman.”
• [05:08] Sarah: “...what he means by depreciated woman is a woman who's had sex with many people. Like, we are adults. We know that is the implication of what they're writing…”

2. Cultural Normalization and Denial

• The book’s jokes and language point to mutual understanding and normalization of Epstein’s behavior among his circle.
• [07:56] Sarah: “It just—the way that they all knew the way that it was, and then the way that they're all lying about it..."

3. Who Was in the Book? The Network of the Complicit

• Celebrity and political elites featured, with several referenced directly or by implication:
  • Donald Trump (“His name, his signature, and multiple in-jokes and references” — [10:19])
  • Bill Clinton (note had “childlike curiosity” line: unsettling in hindsight — [08:37])
  • Alan Dershowitz (“has subsequently tried to really downplay his relationship with Epstein, but he is clearly among the close friends” — [08:15])
  • Prince Andrew, Kevin Spacey, Sultan of Brunei, Michael Jackson, Naomi Campbell, Stephanie Seymour, Peter Brandt (“a whole bunch of people who we now know are slime bags”—[10:54])

4. The Forgery Defense and its Implausibility

• Discussion on claims that the Trump contribution is fake. The hosts systematically debunk this idea, pointing out the logistical and logical absurdities.
• [09:41] JVL: “Because what that means is that this was forged in 2003, right? When Donald Trump was a Democrat, and somebody planted it there either for the long game to ruin him eventually, or…”
• Extensive discussion of the Trump team's denial strategy and the unwillingness of MAGA acolytes like JD Vance to retract their denials, even after undeniable evidence surfaces.

5. “Owning the Cult” & The Modern Politics of Denial

• Exploring why Republicans won't simply admit the truth, contrasting standard crisis communication (tell the truth, tell it fast, all at once) with the reality that “they own a cult” and simply “brazen it out.”
• [13:28] JVL: “...they own a cult, and that cult is a very large percentage of the general public... For maintaining the base of support... they can just brazen it out, and it becomes a loyalty test like everything else.”
• Sarah argues that even if it doesn’t fool everyone, just enough will go along—and it’s all about loyalty over truth.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [01:27] JVL: “It's disgusting in a this guy was obviously a psychopath way and everybody around him in this book understands that he's a psychopath...”
• [02:11] Sarah: “...you see that it was an entire culture in which everyone knew that Epstein was sleeping with underage girls, that he was obsessed with it... And that they too took it as a joke.”
• [04:14] Sarah: “What a great country. With an exclamation mark.”
• [07:56] Sarah: “It just—the way that they all knew the way that it was, and then the way that they're all lying about it...”
• [09:41] JVL: “...this was forged in 2003, right? When Donald Trump was a Democrat, and somebody planted it there either for the long game...”
• [13:28] JVL: “...they own a cult... For maintaining the base of support... they can just brazen it out, and it becomes a loyalty test like everything else.”
• [13:25] Sarah: “Tell it fast, tell the truth. That is my crisis comms training.”

Key Timestamps

• 00:51 — Episode launches into the Epstein birthday book revelations
• 02:11 — Sarah details the book’s consistent, disturbing themes
• 03:12 — Description of explicit cartoon images
• 04:14 — “What a great country!” cartoon analysis
• 05:08 — "Depreciated woman" joke with references to Trump
• 07:56 — Direct confrontation with the reality of the “everyone knew” dynamic
• 08:15 — Alan Dershowitz and other network members
• 09:41 — Debunking the forgery/hoax narrative
• 13:28 — Modern politics: why denial works and “loyalty tests”
• 14:23 — (Segment ends/paywall notice)

Summary Takeaway

This episode exposes the chilling complicity in Jeffrey Epstein’s world, demonstrated by the newly published birthday book—a deeply unfunny record of knowing, joking, and enabling among the rich and powerful. JVL and Sarah underscore that the book serves as damning evidence of a wider, normalized ecosystem of predatory behavior, one where denial and loyalty now outweigh any expectation of accountability or truth, especially in current American right-wing politics.

Content Warning: This episode is explicit and not suited for young audiences.