Jimmy Kimmel shared a photo of Melania Trump at a party with Jeffrey Epstein as he questioned the first lady’s claim that she was not friends with the pedophile financier.
Melania, 55, shocked the world when, seemingly unprompted, she conducted a White House address, denying all but casual ties to Epstein and his jailed accomplice, Ghislaine Maxwell.
“Numerous fake images and statements about Epstein and me have been circulating on social media for years now,” Melania told reporters at the White House. “Be cautious about what you believe. These images and stories are completely false.”
Kimmel, 58, reacted on his show by sharing a widely circulated photograph of Melania, her husband Donald Trump, and Epstein together.
Kimmel said, “By the way, while you’re explaining how much you didn’t know Epstein, any particular reason you can think of that he had a picture of you guys on display at his house, maybe this is the photo that came with the frame, I don’t know.
“I, for one, when I see this, I think, well, these two don’t know each other at all,” the late-night host continued sarcastically.
The Daily Beast has reached out to the White House for comment.
The framed picture was spotted in photographs of Epstein’s Manhattan mansion, found within a batch of files the Justice Department made public in December. The photograph of the trio, which cropped out Epstein’s conspirator, Ghislaine Maxwell, appears to have been taken at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in February 2000.
The first lady’s unprompted statement, taking place the very week her husband’s war in Iran had been deemed a mess, raised eyebrows.
The surprise press conference began with Melania stating, “I have never had any knowledge of Epstein’s abuse of his victims. I was never involved in any capacity—I was not a participant, was never on Epstein’s plane, and never visited his private island.
“I have never been friends with Epstein. Donald and I were invited to the same parties as Epstein from time to time, since overlapping in social circles is common in New York City and Palm Beach.”
The president and White House officials were also reportedly blindsided by Melania’s address, leading Kimmel to posit that there can only be one explanation for the first lady’s five-minute statement.
“He didn’t know she was going to do it before she did it, which shows you just how smoothly things are running over there,” he said.
“She must really hate him,” Kimmel concluded. “I don’t know how else to explain it.”
