No Jimmy Kimmel reference in Epstein documents. Those images are fabricated | Fact check

The claim: Image shows Jimmy Kimmel is mentioned in the Epstein documents

A Jan. 3 post on Instagram (direct link, archive link) includes a supposed screenshot of a document stemming from Jeffrey Epstein's sex trafficking operation that implicates a well-known talk show host.

“Jimmy Kimmel Apparently Named In Epstein Documents After Denying Ever Meeting Him,” reads the post.

The screenshot shows a supposed exchange in which an unnamed person describes meeting Kimmel at Epstein's house and later having sex with Kimmel at his suggestion.

It received more than 300 likes in less than a day. Other versions of the claim circulated widely on X, formerly Twitter, and on Facebook.

Fact check roundup: What's true and false about Jeffrey Epstein and the individuals on his list

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The image is fabricated. Kimmel’s name does not appear anywhere in the documents released on Jan. 3. Kimmel has said he has never had an association with Epstein.

False claim follows Aaron Rodgers' comments tying Kimmel to Epstein

A New York judge ordered the documents, part of a lawsuit against Epstein's co-conspirator Ghislaine Maxwell, to be unsealed in December 2023.

Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison for her role in Epstein's sexual abuse of multiple underage girls. Epstein killed himself in his prison cell in 2019.

Kimmel’s name does not appear in the documents that were released on Jan. 3. Additionally, while the image in the X post has a page number of 1,375, the document has only 943 pages.

Among the names that were included were former presidents Donald Trump and Bill Clinton, though neither was accused of wrongdoing, USA TODAY reported.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers falsely accused Kimmel of being on Epstein’s list the day before the document’s release during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

“There’s a lot of people, including Jimmy Kimmel, that are really hoping that doesn’t come out,” Rodgers said.

Fact check: Photo altered to make it seem Obama family vacation was on Epstein Island

Kimmel denied ever meeting or having contact with Epstein in an X post and threatened Rodgers with legal action.

“Your reckless words put my family in danger," he said in part. "Keep it up and we will debate the facts further in court.”

Rodgers' former Green Bay Packers teammate David Bakhtiari circulated an altered Epstein image in a since-deleted X post showing Kimmel's name on Epstein's flight log on Jan. 1, according to a screenshot later posted by @_MLFootball, a verified account for sports news. Kimmel's name does not appear in the original document.

USA TODAY has debunked an array of false claims surrounding Epstein, including that an image shows him alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, that an image shows former President Donald Trump dancing with a young girl at Epstein's island in 1989 and that Matthew Perry was killed because he was on the list for Epstein Island.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• Boies Schiller Flexner, Jan. 3, Giuffre v. Maxwell, Case No. 15-cv-7433-LAP

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Document fabricated to tie Jimmy Kimmel to Epstein | Fact check