Valeria Chomsky, wife of famous linguist and philosopher Noam Chomsky, released a long statement apologizing for their ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. She called their involvement a “grave mistake” and admitted they were “careless” for not fully looking into Epstein’s background. She said they were completely fooled by him.
The relationship between the 97-year-old linguist and Epstein has been closely examined since the justice department released documents showing their friendship. According to The Guardian, Valeria Chomsky, who married Noam in 2014, said they first met Epstein in 2015. She insists they did not know about his 2008 guilty plea for soliciting prostitution, including with a minor under 18.
Epstein got Noam’s attention by presenting himself as a generous supporter of science. Valeria Chomsky explained that once they let him in, they unknowingly “opened a door to a Trojan horse.” She described how Epstein began to “encircle Noam” by sending gifts and arranging opportunities for high-level academic talks.
Epstein gained extensive access to the Chomsky household
Valeria Chomsky confirmed the couple attended dinners at Epstein’s New York City home, stayed at his apartments in New York and Paris, had dinner at his New Mexico ranch, and attended many academic events with him. However, she stressed they “never went to his island or knew about anything that happened there.”
Valeria Chomsky also clarified two money transactions between her husband and Epstein. She said Epstein once sent Noam a $20,000 check related to a linguistic challenge Noam had created. More importantly, Epstein helped Noam recover $270,000 after he found major “inconsistencies in his retirement resources that threatened his economic independence.”
She believes Epstein offered this help “likely as part of a machination to gain greater access to Noam.” She clarified that Epstein only acted as a financial advisor for that specific matter and never had access to their main bank or investment accounts. They did not have any investments with Epstein’s office. Like Prince Andrew’s bizarre dinner emails with Epstein, these interactions reveal how deeply Epstein embedded himself in influential circles.
The most damaging finding centers on advice Noam Chomsky gave Epstein in 2019, just as the financier faced renewed sex trafficking charges. In a message signed “Noam,” the linguist told Epstein to “ignore” the way the press was treating him. He wrote that the best approach was to ignore it because what the media “vultures dearly want is a public response.”
That message also included a troubling line where Noam Chomsky seemed to criticize the environment around abuse claims, writing that 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.”
Valeria Chomsky defended this advice, saying it must be understood “in context.” She said Epstein had told Noam he was being unfairly targeted, and Noam spoke from his own long experience with political controversies and media attention.
She now recognizes that Epstein “created a manipulative narrative about his case, which Noam, in good faith, believed in.” She added that Epstein took advantage of Noam’s public criticism of “cancelling culture” to present himself as a victim. Despite reading a 2018 story about how Epstein preyed on minors and got a lenient plea deal, Valeria Chomsky said they were not aware of the full extent of his crimes until after his second arrest in July 2019.
Many people close to Epstein missed warning signs, though Trump’s ex-wife raised concerns about him for years. Noam Chomsky suffered a massive stroke in 2023, but Valeria confirmed that before that, he shared the same feelings of regret over the situation.
Published: Feb 9, 2026 12:20 pm