Jimmy Kimmel on Monday night reacted with alarm and derision after a birthday note purportedly written by President Donald Trump to Jeffrey Epstein in 2003 was released to the House Oversight Committee, calling the message “creepy” and saying it read like a confession.
The note, which Epstein’s estate turned over to the committee, includes a small drawing of a woman’s torso and a passage that addresses “certain things in common” between the two men and wishes Epstein that “every day be another wonderful secret.” The letter is signed with Trump’s name; Trump has denied writing or drawing the note and sued the Wall Street Journal this summer after the paper reported on it, saying the item is a fake.
On his ABC late-night show, Kimmel repeatedly cited passages from the note and mocked Trump’s denial. “Trump claims he didn’t write this or draw this,” Kimmel said, then added, “Which would mean someone went back in time to frame him for it.” He described the note as “not a birthday note” and said, “That is a signed confession. That letter is so creepy it should have its own documentary series on Netflix.”
The disputed item emerged publicly this year after the Wall Street Journal’s reporting and became a focal point in partisan exchanges over Epstein’s circle and records related to his conduct. Democrats on the House Oversight Committee posted the document and excerpts on social media after the estate’s production, drawing renewed attention and calls from some lawmakers for broader disclosure of Epstein-related materials.
Trump and Epstein were once socially close but had a falling out around 2004. Accounts of the split vary: news reports have attributed it in part to real estate disagreements, while Trump told reporters in July that the break followed allegations that Epstein had “stole[n]” Mar-a-Lago staff. Epstein was first arrested in 2006 in a case that ended with a state plea deal and a widely criticized nonprosecution agreement that allowed him to avoid federal charges; Alex Acosta, the prosecutor who negotiated that arrangement, later served in the Trump administration. Epstein was arrested again in 2019 on federal sex-trafficking charges and died in custody while awaiting trial.
Legal and congressional actors have treated the letter differently. Trump’s lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal, filed this summer, argued the paper’s reporting was defamatory and that the letter was forged; the Journal has stood by its reporting. Oversight committee Democrats, citing the estate’s release of materials, posted images and called for additional files to be made public. The committee has been among several entities seeking documents and testimony related to Epstein’s activities and associates.
Late-night reactions to politically charged documents are a familiar part of the cultural conversation, and Kimmel’s segment typified how entertainers and commentators interpret new disclosures for mass audiences. Kimmel’s on-air remarks prompted sharing and discussion on social media, where supporters of congressional transparency and critics of the president amplified the image and excerpts of the note.
Representatives for Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment Monday night reiterating the former president’s denial. The House Oversight Committee did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the estate’s production of the materials.
The release of the note adds another element to ongoing inquiries and litigation surrounding Epstein’s network, past prosecutorial decisions and the public record of relationships between Epstein and prominent figures. Lawmakers and legal analysts have said additional documents and testimony will be necessary to resolve questions about the provenance of the note and the facts it references, and those processes are likely to play out in court filings and congressional oversight sessions in the weeks and months ahead.