Overview
- On her SiriusXM show, Kelly cited an unnamed insider who said Jeffrey Epstein was "not a pedophile" and preferred "15-year-old girls," adding he "wasn't into, like, 8-year-olds" and asserting a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old.
- Kelly referenced Pam Bondi’s past assertion that the DOJ found “tens of thousands” of child sexual abuse videos tied to Epstein, then said she does not trust Bondi’s word on the case.
- The comments triggered widespread criticism across social media and television, with CNN’s Laura Coates and Karen Finney calling the framing ignorant and warning it risked creating a “permission structure.”
- Coverage noted that the episode followed the House Oversight Committee’s release of emails involving Epstein, Ghislaine Maxwell and Michael Wolff that referenced Donald Trump and Epstein’s knowledge of “the girls.”
- Kelly did not address the uproar on her next show as lawmakers pressed for more transparency, with the House preparing a vote next week on whether the Justice Department should release additional Epstein files.