When a strange email from the archive of correspondence linked to Jeffrey Epstein suddenly became a viral meme, Stephen Colbert — host of The Late Show — couldn’t resist turning it into comedy. But the run of jokes he had prepared was cut short after the sender of the email, Mark Epstein, clarified that the term “Bubba” in his message did not refer to former President Bill Clinton, as many online had assumed.

The story began when a 2018 email from Mark Epstein to his brother Jeff Epstein resurfaced, containing the line: “Ask him if Putin has the photos of Trump blowing Bubba.” The phrasing instantly sparked speculation. Was “Bubba” actually Bill Clinton — who is widely known by that nickname — or was this just an inside joke between the Epstein brothers? The email spread quickly, inspiring memes, commentary, and late-night monologues.

On The Late Show, Colbert shared that he had prepared several jokes based on the assumption that “Bubba” meant Bill Clinton. They were the kind of political wordplay his audience expects from him. One joke suggested: “Now we know how Trump got a taste for politics.” Another hinged on a pun between “Bill” (Clinton) and “bill” (a piece of legislation): “This means the president’s new legislation is technically Trump’s second big beautiful bill.” These jokes framed the whole situation as an absurd political scandal ripe for satire.

But that comedic direction stopped abruptly when Mark Epstein clarified publicly that “Bubba” was not Bill Clinton, but a private individual who isn’t a public figure. The explanation was intended to calm speculation, and it meant Colbert had to shelve his Clinton-related punchlines. Since the context was revealed to be a private joke rather than a reference to a public figure, continuing with those jokes would have crossed into misrepresentation — and Colbert opted not to push it.

Public reaction, however, showed how easily a vague line from an old email can take on a life of its own in the modern media ecosystem. Social media ran wild with humorous interpretations, while some commentators reminded audiences not to jump to conclusions based on ambiguous wording. Mark Epstein’s clarification cooled things down somewhat, but it didn’t stop people from digging deeper into the broader set of Epstein-related documents, many of which contain equally puzzling fragments of conversation.

Colbert still found room for humor by layering in other absurd possibilities. At one point, he joked that if “Bubba” had actually been a horse belonging to Ghislaine Maxwell, then that would “probably be Trump’s most stable relationship.” It was a classic Colbert blend of silliness and sharp political mockery, allowing the monologue to stay funny without relying on the Clinton angle.

From a media-literacy perspective, the episode is a clear example of how news, social platforms, and comedy interact in real time. A single offhanded line from a years-old email can transform from bureaucratic debris into a headline, then into a meme, then into national late-night material. For audiences, it’s a reminder to distinguish between verified facts — like the existence of the email — and the layers of speculation and humor that can grow around it within hours.

In the end, Colbert had his “ammunition” ready to poke fun at the “blowing Bubba” email, but once the central assumption was debunked, he chose to pull back. The saga — from the original email, to the widespread “Bubba = Clinton” theory, to Mark Epstein’s rebuttal — reveals how fragile and easily distorted information becomes once it enters today’s media cycle, and how shows like The Late Show both reflect and parody that process.