Saturday Night Live launched a scathing attack on conservative commentator Megyn Kelly during its latest cold open, mocking her controversial comments about convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
White House Press Conference Skit Takes Aim
The sketch featured an SNL cast member portraying White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt fielding questions about President Donald Trump's connections to Epstein. As the segment progressed, the impersonated Trump eventually took over the podium to address reporters directly.
The spoof president specifically referenced Kelly's remarks from her November 12 podcast episode, where she suggested Epstein wasn't a paedophile but rather preferred the "barely legal type." The Trump character sarcastically praised Kelly, stating: "I thought Megyn Kelly made a terrific point this week, she said Epstein's not a pedophile. Terrific thing to just say out of nowhere."
The studio audience erupted with laughter at the biting satire, which concluded after several additional jokes about the president's relationships and controversies.
Kelly's Controversial Podcast Comments
The SNL segment came after Kelly faced significant backlash for comments made on her eponymous podcast. The former Fox and NBC host claimed she had information from "somebody very, very close to this case" who asserted that Epstein "was not a pedophile" but was "into the 'barely legal' type."
Kelly attempted to clarify her position during the podcast, acknowledging that Epstein's actions were "disgusting" while maintaining there was a distinction between his preferences and those of someone attracted to much younger children. "He liked 15-year-old girls," she stated. "I'm definitely not trying to make an excuse for this - I'm just giving you facts - that he wasn't into, like, eight-year-olds."
Legal Definitions and Public Backlash
Kelly's comments sparked immediate controversy, particularly given that federal prosecutors had alleged Epstein's victims were as young as 14 years old when he was charged with sex trafficking of minors in July 2019.
The commentator later expressed doubts about her original position after Attorney General Pam Bondi stated the FBI was reviewing "tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn." Kelly admitted this was the first time she thought: "Oh, no, he was an actual pedophile."
However, Kelly maintained skepticism about Bondi's claims, stating she didn't "really trust Pam Bondi's word on the Epstein matters anymore" and noting that the attorney general had "never clarified" her comments about the videos.
The controversy emerged as the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform released 20,000 pages of documents obtained from Epstein's estate, keeping the case in public discussion nearly five years after his death.
