Political commentator, attorney and “journalist” Megyn Kelly ignited a controversy on November 13 when, during her SiriusXM show, she suggested that convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein may not meet the technical definition of a pedophile.
She presented another person's views, saying his victims were “barely legal” rather than very young children. “He was into the barely‐legal type… like, he liked 15-year-old girls," Kelly said, adding, “I realize this is disgusting. I’m definitely not trying to make an excuse for this. I’m just giving you facts, that he wasn’t into, like, 8-year-olds.”
According to the National Library of Medicine, most research “accepted a legal definition of pedophilia, treating all offenders convicted of 'child molestation' as pedophiles, regardless of the age or appearance of the victim.”
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Kelly defends Trump?
After being churned in the controversy, Kelly accused the mainstream media of turning the Epstein story into a “Trump Story.”
{{/usCountry}}After being churned in the controversy, Kelly accused the mainstream media of turning the Epstein story into a “Trump Story.”
{{/usCountry}}She said, “Now every media outlet known to man is reporting on every word Epstein penned related to Donald Trump…So far, it hasn't worked,” Vanity Fair reported.
She argues that the media's focus on Donald Trump's alleged links to Epstein distracts from a victim-centered investigation.
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Kelly claims to know everything about the case
Kelly claimed that she based her comments on a source she described as “very, very close to this case who is in a position to know virtually everything”.
According to her, “That person’s view … was that Jeffrey Epstein was not a pedophile… He was into the barely legal type.” She emphasized her statement as fact reporting, not defense. “I’m just giving you facts.”
Her remarks triggered widespread backlash across social and broadcast media, including criticism on shows like The Daily Show. Josh Johnson, the Daily Show host, told Kelly, “Ma’am, everyone knows there’s a big difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old. But everyone also knows there is never a good reason to be talking about that difference.”