Recently unsealed court documents have revealed extensive correspondence between the academic Noam Chomsky and the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, showing that Chomsky advised the latter to ignore press coverage of the sex trafficking allegations against him and describing a “hysteria” around the abuse of women.
The emails, part of a release from the US Justice Department, depict a relationship that was both socially familiar and advisory. They show Epstein deeply involved in Chomsky’s financial family disputes and the Chomskys making social plans, including to visit Epstein’s Caribbean island.
The most damaging revelation centres on an exchange from February 2019. As the Miami Herald published fresh investigations into Epstein’s crimes and a controversial plea deal, Epstein emailed Chomsky seeking advice on handling the “putrid press.”
A reply, signed “Noam” and forwarded by Epstein to his lawyer and publicist, offered clear strategy. “I’ve watched the horrible way you are being treated in the press and public. It’s painful to say but I think the best way to proceed is to ignore it,” the email stated.
It further criticised the climate around abuse allegations: “That’s particularly true now with the hysteria that has developed about abuse of women, which has reached the point that even questioning a charge is a crime worse than murder.” This advice was given 11 years after Epstein’s first conviction for soliciting a minor.
Financial and social entanglement
Noam Chomsky inside Epstein’s private jet. (Photo: House Oversight Committee)
The documents, reported by the BBC and The Guardian, indicate a multifaceted relationship. Valeria Chomsky, the scholar’s wife and spokesperson, is shown emailing Epstein’s associates, including to arrange for a $20,000 cheque to fund a “Chomsky challenge” in linguistics.
Epstein also advised Chomsky during a complex financial dispute with his children over a flat purchase. Chomsky’s estate attorney drafted a pointed email about a $187,000 payment discrepancy, but Chomsky sought Epstein’s approval before sending it. “You should OK her sending but admonish [her] for being unwilling to ask tough questions. NONSENSE,” Epstein replied.
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Socially, the emails show familiar banter and planning. In 2016, after a meeting, Epstein wrote, “Come to New York or Caribbean?” Chomsky replied: “Valeria’s always keen on New York. I’m really fantasising about the Caribbean island.” Other emails discuss arranging a dinner with Epstein and the “Allens,” likely referring to Woody Allen and Soon-Yi Previn.
The files also reveal Chomsky used an Epstein-provided contact to email Steve Bannon in 2018, writing, “Lots to talk about.” Bannon replied, “Agree. Would love to connect.”
Public reaction and reckoning
The disclosures have provoked a sharp backlash online, particularly among left-leaning audiences who have long revered Chomsky’s political critiques. Social media commentary reflects widespread disillusionment, with users describing a “moral question” in reconciling his work with his associations.
Other online critics have seized on the emails to revisit past controversies surrounding Chomsky’s comments on regimes such as the Khmer Rouge, weaving the Epstein revelations into a broader narrative of alleged ethical failings.
Chomsky, now 97 and a professor emeritus, is on unpaid medical leave from the University of Arizona. He and his wife did not immediately respond to specific requests for comment on the latest email disclosures.
A complicated legacy
The documents do not allege criminal wrongdoing by Chomsky. Instead, they present a contradiction between his public intellectual stance, rigorously dissecting power and propaganda, and his private counsel to a man convicted of serious sex crimes.
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The image that emerges is of a figure who, while critiquing systemic failings, appears to have dismissed the specific allegations against a powerful friend as media-driven “hysteria.” For many followers, the personal loyalty demonstrated in these emails has irrevocably complicated, if not tarnished, a once-untouchable legacy.
Noam Chomsky inside Epstein’s private jet. (Photo: House Oversight Committee)
