What did Melissa Gilbert say about Megyn Kelly’s Epstein comments? Star joins viral #iWas15 movement to defend abuse survivors

The Paley Center For Media Hosts "The Beauty That Remains: The Legacy Of Anne FranK" - Source: Getty
The Paley Center For Media Hosts "The Beauty That Remains: The Legacy Of Anne FranK" - Source: Getty

Melissa Gilbert has joined the many who disagree with Megyn Kelly’s controversial comment on Jeffrey Epstein’s pedophilic activities. The 61-year-old took to her official Instagram to participate in the trending #iwasfifteen, #imfifteen, and #iwasachild movements.

On Sunday, November 16, 2025, the actress shared a carousel of pictures showing herself on Little House on the Prairie. In the last slide, Melissa Gilbert posted a still from a scene in the series, showing the actress, who was only fifteen at the time, sharing an intimate moment with her older love interest, played by Dean Butler, now 69.

She captioned the post:

“So, I debated posting this but, I feel compelled to share. After seeing many women's posts with the hashtags #iwasfifteen #imfifteen #wasachild, I decided to google search myself at that age and see what came up. And this is some of what I found...and now, at this age, at this time, l am actually nauseated.”

She continued:

“The girl on vacation in Hawaii with her family, is the same girl who was expected to "fall in love with" and kiss a man on film who was several years older than she was. Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say, "I WAS A CHILD.”

Melissa Gilbert added:

"I WAS FIFTEEN." And I was the good news. Thank God my mom and Michael 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.”

More details on Melissa Gilbert’s reaction to Megyn Kelly’s statement on the Jeffrey Epstein case

Melissa Gilbert reacted to Megyn Kelly’s statement made on the November 12 episode of her SiriusXM program, The Megyn Kelly Show. In that episode, Megyn seemingly tried to justify Epstein’s pedophilic actions, claiming he wasn’t into young girls, just teenage ones. Kelly, who is known for being a staunch Trump supporter, said:

“He liked 15-year-old girls. And I realise 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.”

She continued:

“But he liked the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passerby.”

She added the familiar phrase that has gone viral over social media:

“There's a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?”

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Edited by Ritika Pal