Melissa Gilbert tells Megyn Kelly to watch her words after ‘barely legal’ remark in Epstein defense

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Actress Melissa Gilbert is not keeping quiet about what podcaster Megyn Kelly said while defending Epstein. Kelly called 15-year-olds “barely legal,” and this boiled Gilbert’s blood.

Sharing a few photos of herself at 15 on Instagram, Gilbert said she noticed the hashtags #iwasfifteen and #imfifteen gaining traction online. She followed up with a post calling out the podcaster and urging her to be “careful with” her words.

Gilbert added that Kelly needs to be more mindful of what she says, especially when so many young girls already feel unsafe. 

Melissa Gilbert slams Megyn Kelly for 'barely legal' Epstein comments

Gilbert, who was only 15 when she worked on the show, has joined the growing online backlash against Megyn Kelly. The actress added her voice to the trending hashtags and called out Kelly after the conservative pundit defended the late financier Jeffrey Epstein and his actions.

Kelly sparked major backlash when she cited a source about Epstein and claimed he was into “barely legal type,” suggesting he targeted 15-year-old girls. “I’m just giving you facts that he wasn’t into, like, eight-year-olds,” she said. “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 remark went viral, and Gilbert has now joined the wave of criticism.

The actress shared a post featuring photos of herself as a teen. She recalled filming a kissing scene with her 23-year-old co-star, Dean Butler, while playing Laura Ingalls Wilder on 'Little House on the Prairie.'

She wrote, “After seeing many women’s posts with the hashtags #iwasfifteen #imfifteen #iwasachild, I decided to Google search myself at that age and see what came up. Now, at this age, at this time, I am actually nauseated.” She used her own experience to highlight how damaging and hideous Kelly’s words could feel to girls who are “barely” 15 years old. Sharing three images, the Golden Globe–nominated actress explained that “through the lens of today, this is shocking.”

She concluded her post by saying, “Thank God my mom and Michael [Landon] and so many others were there to make sure I was safe. Can you imagine if I hadn’t had them all? I am so fortunate (Sort of). Many other young women aren’t. @megynkelly you need to be careful with your words.”

Megyn Kelly under fire for Epstein comments as Hollywood voices outrage

Kelly, 54, who is the mother of a 14-year-old girl, said on her podcast last week, “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?” It wasn’t just Gilbert who slammed Kelly. Christina Ricci also called her out. The 'Addams Family' actress said, “This woman is a danger to children.”