Former Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly ignited widespread outrage on the November 13, 2025, episode of her podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, by asserting that Jeffrey Epstein was “not a paedophile” because he preferred 15-year-old girls over prepubescent children, a distinction that critics condemned as morally indefensible and legally inaccurate. Speaking with NewsNation host Batya Ungar-Sargon, Kelly cited an unnamed source “very, very close to this case” who claimed Epstein targeted “the barely legal type”, emphasising that he “liked 15-year-old girls… not into like 8-year-olds.” She added, “There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old,” framing the financier’s documented abuse of minors as young as 14—per federal indictments—as less severe than true paedophilia. The remarks, which surfaced amid renewed scrutiny of Epstein’s network following a 2025 DOJ memo on unsealed files, swiftly drew accusations of victim-blaming and minimising statutory rape.

Kelly’s comments misalign with clinical and legal definitions: paedophilia involves primary attraction to prepubescent children (typically under 13), but Epstein was federally charged with sex trafficking minors aged 14–17, acts classified as child sexual abuse regardless of the victims’ proximity to the age of consent. Court documents from his 2008 Florida plea deal and 2019 New York indictment detail a pyramid scheme recruiting dozens of girls as young as 14 for paid “massages” that escalated to molestation and rape, with Epstein paying victims to bring in others. Virginia Giuffre, one of the most prominent survivors, was 17 when recruited; others testified to being 14. Kelly’s phrasing—“barely legal type” and “would look legal to a passerby”—echoed Epstein’s own defence tactics and ignored the power imbalance inherent in a 50-something billionaire exploiting impoverished teens.

The backlash was immediate and cross-partisan. On X, journalist Ally Sammarco wrote, “This is career-ending for Megyn Kelly. 15-year-olds are CHILDREN. They can’t drive. They can’t see rated R movies. But disgusting 50-year-old men should be allowed to rape them? Goodbye. Forever.” Survivor advocate Mike demanded Kelly repeat her claim “to a 15-year-old victim’s face.” Critics also tied the remarks to Kelly’s vocal support for President Donald Trump, suggesting she was preemptively softening Epstein’s crimes to shield figures named in unsealed files, including Trump, who once called Epstein a “terrific guy” but later distanced himself. Trump’s team has denied wrongdoing, noting his 2002 comment predated Epstein’s convictions. Kelly did not address the political angle on air.

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As of November 14, 2025, Kelly has not apologised or clarified her stance, and SiriusXM—distributor of her show—declined comment. The controversy coincides with a DOJ push to release additional Epstein flight logs and a federal judge’s order to unseal remaining grand jury materials by December 2025, keeping the late financier’s crimes in the spotlight. Survivors’ attorneys, including those representing Giuffre and a dozen Jane Does, condemned Kelly’s rhetoric as “retraumatising” and vowed renewed focus on institutional enablers. The episode has reignited debates over media accountability, consent, and the normalisation of predatory behaviour under the guise of technical distinctions.

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