Rosie O’Donnell has denied that she spent time on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little St. James.
Epstein’s private jet, which was used to transport guests to the island, was derisively called the “Lolita Express” following allegations that it was used to fly underage girls to some of the late billionaire’s properties.
Following Epstein’s death by apparent suicide in jail in 2019, lists have been shared on social media purporting to show the high-profile people who had visited the island, which is located east of Puerto Rico in the United States Virgin Islands.
Several celebrities’ names have been baselessly added to the mix of Epstein’s guests by a faction of social media users who have targeted public figures as part of an apparent campaign to link them to the disgraced financier’s crimes.
A Daily Mail article published in February claimed that soon-to-be-unsealed court documents from Epstein’s case are “expected to include information pertaining to at least one ‘public figure.'”
According to the outlet, court documents refer to “alleged perpetrators” or individuals accused of “serious wrongdoing.” These individuals are not named in the filing.
The report has added fuel to conspiracy theories about a number of celebrities accused of flying to Epstein’s island aboard his jet. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently suggested there was an Epstein “client list.”
Earlier this week, O’Donnell shared two videos on TikTok in which she discussed her decades-long friendship with A League of Their Own co-star Madonna. She also spoke about the dinner parties that Madonna invited her to.
With Madonna being one of the celebrities falsely linked to Epstein, one TikTok user asked O’Donnell in the comments section: “Did you go to Epstein Island? Weren’t you on the flight log?”
O’Donnell responded to the question with a terse “f*** no.”
Another TikTok user questioned O’Donnell on another subject a number of conspiracy theorists have pinned to celebrities, asking: “Are you a part of Illuminati? And how many people do you know that are? Not judging—love you!”
“Noooo there is no Illuminati,” the former co-host of the view wrote back.
O’Donnell joins fellow comedians Kathy Griffin and Chelsea Handler in speaking out against accusations they visited Epstein’s island and flew on his jet.
A list of 124 purported island visitors—many of them celebrities whose politics lean left—was shared on social media back in 2020. Among the other names listed on the purported flight log were Beyoncé, Eminem, Chrissy Teigen, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Hanks and former President Barack Obama.
However, a cross-reference of the screenshot list shared on social media with the actual flight logs released in the court record showed that 36 celebrities were named who had never set foot on the aircraft, including all of the above.
Despite this, erroneous information has continued to circulate. Part of the issue is that some names, such as lawyer Alan Dershowitz and former President Bill Clinton, do show up on real flight logs.
Epstein’s personal pilot gave testimony during the New York City trial of Epstein’s former partner Ghislaine Maxwell. In June 2022, Maxwell received a 20-year jail sentence for trafficking girls for Epstein to abuse.
Lawrence Paul Visoski Jr. testified that he never saw evidence of sexual activity on planes as he flew Epstein and his high-profile passengers aboard the two jets he piloted for roughly 1,000 trips between 1991 and 2019.
He told the court that he recalled Prince Andrew being a passenger on the jet as well as actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker. He also remembered violinist Itzhak Perlman and tech mogul Bill Gates, as well as politician and former astronaut John Glenn.
Former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell was also named by Visoski as being a passenger on the “Lolita Express.”
There is no suggestion that those who flew on the jet were involved in any illegal activity.
Rosie O’Donnell has denied that she spent time on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s private Caribbean island, Little St. James.
