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Manhattan Smoke Cloud Satire: Epstein & JP Morgan Joke

This meme is a screenshot of an Instagram Threads exchange. The top post, shared via NYC Threads by user `laptop_lasane`, shows a photo of a tall, ominous smoke cloud rising from Manhattan's skyline, with the caption: *"Um.... what's happening in Manhattan?"*. Below it, user `micah_walsh` replies with a darkly satirical joke: *"JP Morgan selected a new Epstein"*, referencing the widely publicized Jeffrey Epstein scandal and his documented ties to JP Morgan. The humor comes from the implication that the smoke cloud is linked to a suspicious, Epstein-adjacent incident involving the bank, leaning into dark, conspiracy-adjacent satire about high-profile scandals.
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@micah_walsh Threads

JP Morgan selected a new Epstein

Dialogue

laptop_lasane
Um.... what's happening in Manhattan?
micah_walsh
JP Morgan selected a new Epstein

Text content

A photo of a tall smoke cloud rising from Manhattan skyscrapers, paired with a satirical comment referencing the Jeffrey Epstein scandal

Overview

This meme is a screenshot of an Instagram Threads exchange. The top post, shared via NYC Threads by user laptop_lasane, shows a photo of a tall, ominous smoke cloud rising from Manhattan's skyline, with the caption: "Um.... what's happening in Manhattan?". Below it, user micah_walsh replies with a darkly satirical joke: "JP Morgan selected a new Epstein", referencing the widely publicized Jeffrey Epstein scandal and his documented ties to JP Morgan. The humor comes from the implication that the smoke cloud is linked to a suspicious, Epstein-adjacent incident involving the bank, leaning into dark, conspiracy-adjacent satire about high-profile scandals.

Origin notes

The image was originally shared on Instagram Threads, then reposted to 9Gag (as noted in the provided source info). It is a screenshot of a real social media exchange, with no obvious editing beyond the screenshot capture itself. The meme circulates as a dark humor take on urban oddities and high-profile financial/legal scandals.

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This meme is a screenshot of a social media thread. The top post, from user `laptop_lasane`, shares a photograph of a thick smoke plume rising from skyscrapers in Manhattan, accompanied by the confused caption: *Um... what's happening in Manhattan?*. Below this post, a highly upvoted comment from user `micah_walsh` delivers a dark, satirical joke: *JP Morgan selected a new Epstein*. This comment references the late Jeffrey Epstein, a convicted sex offender with well-documented ties to JP Morgan, implying the smoke is linked to a suspicious or scandalous event mirroring Epstein's controversial death. The meme plays on public conspiracy theories and skepticism toward powerful institutions, using dark humor to comment on ongoing cultural conversations about elite scandals.

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