Melissa Gilbert responded to Megyn Kelly’s November 12, 2025 remarks about Jeffrey Epstein and 15-year-old girls by recalling that she was 15 when she filmed a kissing scene with 23-year-old Little House on the Prairie co-star Dean Butler. Gilbert said the experience looks shocking through today’s lens, called herself a child, and warned Kelly to be careful with her words.
What Megyn Kelly said about Epstein
On the November 12, 2025 episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, Kelly discussed Epstein and said, as reported by Yahoo News, that someone close to the case viewed him as “not a pedophile” because he was “into the barely legal type,” including 15-year-old girls. The report quoted Kelly saying: “He liked 15-year-old girls. And 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.”
![Little House On The Prairie Season 1 Deluxe Remastered Edition [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51NT6xC4N4L._SL160_.jpg)
![Little House On The Prairie: Legacy Movie Collection [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51qRtL5seIL._SL160_.jpg)
![Little House On The Prairie: A Merry Ingalls Christmas [DVD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/510sbndZ7FL._SL160_.jpg)
Yahoo News also reported Kelly saying Epstein liked “the very young teen types that could pass for even younger than they were, but would look legal to a passerby,” and adding, “There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?” These are remarks reproduced in the news report; the quotations have not been checked against a full episode recording or transcript.
How Melissa Gilbert responded
Gilbert joined the #IWasFifteen social-media trend, in which women shared images of themselves at 15. In the post as quoted by The Daily Beast, Gilbert said she had seen posts using hashtags including #iwasfifteen, #imfifteen and #iwasachild, then searched online for photographs of herself at that age.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →#1 Best Overall
Her Little House memory
Gilbert recalled that she was 15 when she filmed a kissing scene with Butler, who was 23 and played her character’s on-screen love interest. She contrasted photographs of herself vacationing in Hawaii with the expectation that she would “fall in love with” and kiss an adult co-star on camera. The Daily Beast quoted Gilbert writing: “Through the lens of today, this is shocking. I have no words other than to say, ‘I WAS A CHILD.’ ‘I WAS FIFTEEN.’ And I was the good news.”
Gilbert credited her mother, co-star and director Michael Landon, and others with helping keep her safe during production. She ended the post by addressing Kelly directly: “@megynkelly you need to be careful with your words.” The wording is reported by The Daily Beast from Gilbert’s Instagram post; the original post was not independently reviewed.
Rank #2
- COMPLETE SERIES: Includes all 9 seasons of Little House on the Prairie in one comprehensive collection.
- DELUXE REMASTERED EDITION: Enjoy the beloved classic series in enhanced picture and sound quality with remastered video.
- BONUS CONTENT: Features over 8 hours of special features, offering behind-the-scenes insights and exclusive extras.
- TIMELESS FAMILY DRAMA: Follows the Ingalls family and their heartwarming pioneer life stories set on the American frontier.
- PERFECT COLLECTION: All 9 individual season sets are included, making this an ideal gift for fans of the classic series.
Why the earlier Little House dispute is separate
The Epstein remarks were not the first public disagreement between Kelly and Gilbert involving Little House on the Prairie. In January 2025, after Netflix announced plans for a reboot, Kelly said she would make it her “singular mission” to ruin the project if Netflix “woke-ify[ied]” it. Gilbert urged Kelly to watch the original series again. The Independent and TVLine reported that Gilbert pointed to the original show’s treatment of racism, addiction, nativism, antisemitism, misogyny, rape and spousal abuse, among other subjects.
That January exchange concerned the reboot and the meaning of the original series. Gilbert’s November response was different: she connected Kelly’s reported comments about 15-year-old girls to her own experience as a teenage performer.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
Rank #3
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
