'Sick’ question about whether Jeffrey Epstein ‘counts’ as a paedophile sparks outrage

Political commentator Megyn Kelly has sparked outrage online after questioning whether Jeffrey Epstein was even a paedophile - despite the fact he was convicted on child sex offences.

Her comments came about as she discussed the House Oversight Committee's recent release this week of multiple emails sent by Epstein, in which he mentioned US President Donald Trump several times.

On yesterday's episode (13 November) of The Megyn Kelly Show, the Fox News star made the bold claim she knew 'somebody very, very close' with an inside view of the Epstein case 'who is in a position to know virtually everything'.

She claimed the unidentified individual told her 'from the start years and years ago' that the disgraced financier, who died in 2019 by suicide by hanging in his cell while awaiting sex-trafficking charges, was 'not a paedophile'.

"[Epstein] did like them young, and there were several young women who he did this to who were minors, who were underage. There's just no question about that," Kelly stated, before insisting that Trump was not involved, adding: "That is a true fact about Jeffrey Epstein. But that is not a true fact about Donald Trump."

"But that he was into the barely legal type," Kelly continued. "Like, he liked 15-year-old girls. I realise this is disgusting, I'm definitely not trying to make an excuse for this, I’m just giving you facts.

"That he wasn’t into, like, eight-year-olds. But he liked the very young, teen types who could pass for even younger than they were but would look legal to a passerby."

"And that is what I believed, and that is what I reliably was told for many years," she added.

The MAGA supporter's shocking remarks didn't stop there as she continued to claim that Attorney General Pam Bondi had said that Epstein had 'tens of thousands of videos of alleged…child sexual abuse material on his computer'.

She went on to say, 'that for the first time, I thought, 'Oh, no, he was an actual paedophile,' upon hearing Bondi’s claims, but instead took a swipe at Bondi by saying that she does not 'trust' her.

"Only a pedophile gets off on young children abuse videos," Kelly went on. "She's never clarified it, I don't know whether it's true. I have to be honest, I don't really trust Pam Bondi's word on the Epstein matters anymore."

Eventually, Kelly concluded her rant saying: "So I don’t know what’s true about him, but we have yet to see anybody come forward and say, 'I was eight, I was under 10, I was under 14, when I first came within his purview'.

"You can say that’s a distinction without a difference."

Kelly's guest, journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon, replied 'no, it’s not,' to which the Trump supporter insisted: "I think there is a difference.

"There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?"

Her remarks marked a shift from what she said during a 2018 interview in which she appeared to have a very different view.

While interviewing a victim of alleged abuse in 2018 on her show Megyn Kelly TODAY, she went to great lengths to point out that 'the age of consent in California is 18,'" which means that 'there’s no consenting for a 14 or even a 17-year-old in these circumstances'.

Additionally, just a few years ago, in 2023, she criticised Republicans who rallied around British comedian and right-wing commentator Russell Brand after he was accused of raping three adult women and a minor.

Brand was charged earlier this year in with five counts of rape and assault. He pleaded not guilty and denied the allegations.

Referring to the accusation involving the minor, Kelly said at the time: "You’re 31 years old and you allegedly have sex over a three-month period with a 16-year-old? We’re done. I’m unsubscribing. And I’m sick of conservatives online trying to defend that, as though she had any role in it. She was a minor. Just because you can’t be prosecuted for it doesn’t make it right."

People have since flocked to social media to call out Kelly's 'sick' remarks, with one X user pointing out: "It cannot be remembered enough that these were the same people who got worked up about drag brunches."

"To all the weirdos defending @megynkelly: 15 year olds are underage, and that is statutory rape. Pretty simple," penned a second while another outlined: "'He wasn’t a pedophile, he just liked 15-year-olds' is not the defence you think it is, Megyn."

And a final X user added: "This is career-ending for Megyn Kelly. 15-year-olds are CHILDREN. They can’t drive. They can’t see rated R movies."

Tyla has reached out to Megyn Kelly's representatives for comment.

If you’ve been affected by any of these issues and want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, contact the NSPCC on 0808 800 5000, 10am-8pm Monday to Friday. If you are a child seeking advice and support, call Childline for free on 0800 1111, 24/7.

If you have been affected by any of the issues in this article and wish to speak to someone in confidence, contact The Survivors Trust for free on 08088 010 818, available 10am-12.30pm, 1.30pm-3pm and 6pm-8pm Monday to Thursday, 10am-12.30pm and 1.30pm-3pm on Fridays, 10am-12.30pm on Saturdays and 6pm-8pm on Sundays.