Melissa Gilbert responded to Megyn Kelly’s November 12, 2025 comments about Jeffrey Epstein and 15-year-old girls by recalling her own experience filming Little House on the Prairie at that age. In an Instagram post dated November 15, Gilbert wrote, “I WAS A CHILD” and “I WAS FIFTEEN,” and warned Kelly to be careful with her words.
What Megyn Kelly said about Epstein and 15-year-old girls
On the November 12, 2025 episode of The Megyn Kelly Show, with journalist Batya Ungar-Sargon as a guest, Kelly described what she said was the view of an unnamed person close to the Epstein case. According to the Media Matters transcript, Kelly said that person had told her Epstein was not a pedophile, but was interested in “the barely legal type. Like, he liked 15-year-old girls.” Kelly added, “I’m definitely not trying to make an excuse for this.” Media Matters’ transcript
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That characterization was Kelly’s account of another person’s view, not an established finding about Epstein. Kelly also said her understanding changed after hearing Pam Bondi discuss alleged child sexual abuse material on Epstein’s computer. She said she did not know whether the claim was true; the transcript records her statement, not independent confirmation of the material’s quantity or contents.
In the same exchange, Kelly contrasted 15-year-olds with younger children, saying, “There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a 5-year-old, you know?”
#1 Best Overall
Why Melissa Gilbert posted “I was fifteen”
Gilbert said she saw social media posts using the #iWasFifteen hashtag, searched for images of herself at 15, and reflected on photos from her time filming Little House on the Prairie. TheWrap reported on her Instagram post; AOL’s report also describes the hashtag and images.
Gilbert wrote: “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.” She said the experience felt shocking through a contemporary lens and wrote, “I WAS A CHILD.” “I WAS FIFTEEN.”
Rank #2
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She also qualified her account: Gilbert said her mother, Michael Landon, and others helped ensure she was safe, and that she felt fortunate. She concluded, “Many other young women aren’t. @megynkelly you need to be careful with your words.”
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.How old were Melissa Gilbert and Dean Butler on Little House on the Prairie?
Gilbert played Laura Ingalls and Dean Butler played Almanzo Wilder. AOL reported that Gilbert was 15 and Butler was 23 when their characters met in the show’s sixth season; the characters later shared their first on-screen kiss. These are the actors’ reported ages during the storyline, distinct from the ages of the characters themselves.
Rank #3
In a 2024 People interview quoted by TheWrap, Butler said, “I’ve often said to Melissa, ‘I wish we could have been a little closer in age when we were doing this.’” His comment concerns the actors’ age difference while filming; Gilbert’s Instagram post describes her own retrospective response to portraying that romance as a teenager.
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Rank #4
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