Trigger Warning: This article mentions child abuse.
American journalist, attorney, political commentator, and media personality Megyn Kelly is known to be an outspoken figure who has received her fair share of boos and applause over the years. She is currently the host of the show “The Megyn Kelly Show“, a podcast that airs daily on Sirius XM’s Triumph channel and has over a million followers on YouTube.
She faced intense backlash after suggesting that the late Jeffrey Epstein was not an “actual ped–hile,” arguing that he targeted “barely legal” 15-year-olds rather than young children. Kelly claimed that Epstein should not be labeled a ped–hile.
“I know someone very close to the case who is in a position to know virtually everything,” Kelly said on her show Monday. “This person has always said Epstein was not a pe–phile. He was into the barely legal type… like 15-year-old girls. He wasn’t into eight-year-olds.”
.@Timodc torches Megyn Kelly as she spins Epstein’s abuse of 15-year-old girls as “barely legal” types to protect Donald Trump. pic.twitter.com/o9pt9VvcbC
— The Bulwark (@BulwarkOnline) November 14, 2025
Her guest, Batya Ungar-Sargon, remained expressionless and did not challenge the remark. Critics quickly responded, pointing out that the age of consent in Florida is 18 and that 15-year-olds are still children. Activist Shannon Watts wrote, “Megyn Kelly is trying to convince listeners that trafficking children is somehow less horrific if they’ve gone through puberty.”
She claimed that Kelly is trying to portray Epstein and President Trump as “h–rny men” as opposed to sexual predators or pe–philes.
“Kelly, a mother of a 14-year-old girl, later doubled down, saying she only believed Epstein was an “actual pe–phile” after Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the discovery of thousands of child abuse videos earlier this year. Even then, the podcast host said she wasn’t sure she trusted Bondi’s claims. (Bondi already received her fair share of backlash from people after the Epstein Files controversy.)
According to official sources, Pe–philic disorder is characterized by recurring, intense sexually arousing fantasies, urges, or behavior involving children. Hence, adults or older adolescents who are repeatedly attracted to younger people fall under that term. We really don’t know what Megyn Kelly’s definition of the term is.
As the clip of her comments went viral, many took to social media and slammed her for the tone deaf comments, “Megyn Kelly sounds like a groomer,” one user wrote. Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko asked, “So Megyn Kelly is fine with pe–philes now? Is it fine to [sexually assault] 15-year-olds?”
Strategist Ally Sammarco predicted Kelly’s commentary could mark the end of her career: “Fifteen-year-olds are CHILDREN… But disgusting 50-year-old men should be allowed to [sexually assault] them? Goodbye. Forever.”
> be Jeffrey Edward Epstein
> born January 20, 1953, Brooklyn, New York
> grow up in NYC, show talent in math and science
> attend Lafayette High School
> leave Cooper Union and NYU without degrees
> begin career as math teacher at Dalton School, Manhattan
> shift to… pic.twitter.com/dv8jHagubg
— Info Connect (@infoconnectnow) November 7, 2025
Jeffrey Epstein was a wealthy financier who rose from being a college dropout and teacher to running a firm that only managed money for billionaires. The New York native built powerful connections over time, including with Donald Trump and Prince Andrew, who is already on a steady path to downfall.
In 2005, Epstein was accused by several underage girls of sexual abuse, leading to a controversial plea deal in 2008 that let him avoid serious federal charges in exchange for a shorter time in prison. In 2019, he was re-arrested on more charges. A few weeks later, he was found dead in his New York jail cell. Authorities ruled it a suicide, but because of suspicious jail conditions and unusual injuries, many claimed that it could be a planned attack since Epstein had a client list that included the names of high-profile figures involved in the exploitation racket.
