Megyn Kelly downplays Epstein's crimes as she makes controversial comments about victims' ages

WASHINGTON, DC: Megyn Kelly downplayed Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes, claiming he preyed on “barely legal” 15-year-olds instead of elementary-aged children.

She also cited a source for her controversial comments about the victims’ ages. 

What did Megyn Kelly claim about Jeffrey Epstein?

During a recent sit-down with journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon on ‘The Megyn Kelly Show’ on Wednesday, November 12, right-wing host Megyn Kelly made a controversial claim about Jeffrey Epstein after Democrats on the House Oversight Committee released new emails from the estate of the disgraced financier. 

“I do know somebody very, very close to this case who is in a position to know virtually everything,” Kelly said. “And this person has told me from the start, years and years ago, that Jeffrey Epstein, in this person’s view, was not a pedophile.”

She added, “This is this person’s view, who was there for a lot of this, but that he was into the barely legal type. Like, he liked 15-year-old girls. I’m just giving you facts that he wasn’t into, like, eight-year-olds. But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passerby.”

The 54-year-old doubled down on her comments later in the show. She said she only considered Epstein’s behavior truly criminal in terms of minors after Attorney General Pam Bondi revealed earlier this year that he had possessed thousands of videos depicting his crimes.

“For the first time, I thought, oh, no, he was an actual pedophile,” Kelly said. 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,” She added. “You can say that’s a distinction without a difference. I think there is a difference. There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?”

Megyn Kelly's controversial comments about Jeffrey Epstein spark outrage online

Megyn Kelly ignited intense backlash on Thursday after her segment went viral. 

One user wrote, "Megyn Kelly is one tweet away from calling Jeffrey Epstein a minor-attracted person."

Someone else said, "So what's the source on this 'somebody close to the case' saying that?" 

A commenter raged, "Barely legal is barely over the age of 18, not under 18, those are children." 

A person declared, "A 15 year old is a child too."

"This is absolutely disgusting. These people are now trying to downplay Esptein. 'Oh he wasn't that bad, right?" a netizen said.

A worried person wrote, "It's so sad how far people will go to defend the indefensible."

This article contains remarks made on the internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.