How old are Megyn Kelly’s children? Epstein comments drag commentator’s teen daughter into online discourse

Conservative online personality Megyn Kelly, the former Fox News host, is no stranger to controversy. She is now under fire after she made a controversial comment on social media.

Her recent comments about Jeffrey Epstein led to a fierce backlash, aimed not just at her, but also at her family, particularly toward her teenage daughter. Many on the internet started to question why Kelly’s children’s ages were relevant and wonder why critics took such a personal sounding offense to her remarks.

Kelly has three children with her husband, writer Douglas Brunt. Their oldest, Edward Yates, was born in September 2009 and is currently 16 years old. They have a daughter, Yardley Evans, the one caught up in the current fray, now 14 and born in April 2011.

Megyn Kelly: "I know somebody very close to this case…Jeffrey Epstein, in this person's view, was not a pedophile…He was into the barely legal type, like he liked 15 year old girls…He wasn't into like 8 year olds…There's a difference between a 15 year old and a 5 year old." pic.twitter.com/a7wmT3BRJU

— Republican Accountability (@AccountableGOP) November 13, 2025

The couple’s youngest child, Thatcher Bray, was born in July 2013 and is now 12. While Kelly and Brunt tend to keep their children out of the spotlight, Kelly has opened up about the hardships of being a mom in the past.

The renewed interest in her family came after Kelly commented on The Megyn Kelly Show about Jeffrey Epstein. Kelly suggested Epstein “was not a pedophile” because, according to reports, he was fascinated by “barely legal” 15-year-old girls, rather than prepubescent children.

Kelly called the claim “disgusting” but said she was “reporting facts” as recounted to her by a source. She juxtaposed that with the rumors she had once heard about Epstein having child pornography, which initially made her believe he must have been targeting younger victims.

"“There’s a difference between a 15-year-old and a five-year-old — but the whole thing is just disgusting," she said.

Online outrage escalated when commentators pointed out that Megyn Kelly herself is the mother of a 14-year-old daughter

Online outrage boiled over when commentators pointed out on social media that Kelly herself is a mother to a 14-year-old daughter, around the same age as some of Epstein’s victims.

Social media users reacted strongly to the comments, with some asking how Kelly could differentiate since her own child was so young. In one viral post, people asked how Kelly would feel if it were her daughter in that situation. Others accused her of advocating or whitewashing sex exploitation.

"Has Megyn Kelly been tasked to ease the way for all those men of wealth or in prominent positions who had sex with 13 & 14 year olds? on Epstein's island," questioned one user.

"Megyn Kelly has a 14-year-old daughter, and she seems to be OK with her daughter being r**ed. The minions will still support her," wrote another.

The backlash grew stronger when psychologist and social media figurehead Dr. Leslie Dobson spoke a scathing critique, saying that Kelly’s remarks betrayed an ignorance of both clinical and legal definitions of pedophilia.

Leslie Dobson said whether the kids were 15 or 8, it didn’t matter, and stated that in God's eyes there is no difference. She also pointed out that those who were victims in Epstein’s network usually had been manipulated and coerced and isolated.

Maybe you [Megyn Kelly] should educate yourself a little bit because a PEDO really goes after kids under the age of 13 years old. But it's not even really about the age. It's the reoccurring desire for a prepubescent child, which these girls were. They looked like they were younger than 13," she added.

Amid mounting pressure to release the entire Epstein files, Megyn Kelly’s comments have revived debates about how society categorizes sexual violence.