Noam Chomsky

Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, and political commentator widely regarded as the founder of modern generative linguistics. He spent more than 50 years as a professor at MIT before joining the University of Arizona in 2017. In June 2023, Chomsky suffered a severe stroke that left him unable to speak or communicate publicly. He is 97 years old.

Emails and financial records released under the Epstein Transparency Act reveal that Chomsky maintained a closer relationship with Jeffrey Epstein than his initial public statements suggested.

The Relationship

Chomsky and Epstein first met in 2015, according to Chomsky’s wife Valeria. Epstein’s schedules show multiple planned meetings between 2015 and 2016. One meeting took place in Martin Nowak’s office at Harvard, where Chomsky met with Epstein and former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak.

The relationship extended beyond academic discussions. Epstein organized a dinner with Chomsky, filmmaker Woody Allen, and Allen’s wife Soon-Yi Previn. Epstein also sent 23andMe genetic testing kits to Chomsky and Valeria between 2016 and 2017.

When the Wall Street Journal asked Chomsky about the relationship in 2023, he replied: “First response is that it is none of your business. Or anyone’s. Second is that I knew him and we met occasionally.”

When asked by the Harvard Crimson about meeting a convicted sex offender, Chomsky wrote: “Like all of those in Cambridge who met and knew him, we knew that he had been convicted and served his time, which means that he re-enters society under prevailing norms.”

Financial Transfers

The Wall Street Journal reported that $270,000 was transferred to Chomsky from Epstein-linked accounts. Chomsky said he had approached Epstein for help disbursing funds from the bank account of his first wife, Carol, following her death in 2008. He insisted none of the money belonged to Epstein.

A separate $20,000 check was arranged through Epstein’s associates to fund the administration of the “Chomsky Challenge in Linguistics.”

The 2019 Emails

The January 2026 document release revealed that Chomsky was not merely one of many intellectuals whom Epstein invited to salons. In a February 2019 email — six months before Epstein’s death — Chomsky advised Epstein on handling the press scrutiny that followed the Miami Herald’s 2018 investigation into his plea deal.

“It’s painful to say, but I think the best way to proceed is to ignore it,” Chomsky wrote to Epstein.

In that same period, Chomsky wrote to Epstein about “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.” The email was written while Epstein faced renewed federal investigation for sex trafficking.

”Fantasizing About the Caribbean Island”

Emails show Chomsky expressed eagerness to visit Epstein’s private island in the U.S. Virgin Islands. In response to an invitation, Chomsky wrote: “I’m really fantasizing about the Caribbean island.” There is no evidence in the released documents that Chomsky actually visited Little St. James.

Photos and Documents

Released documents include a photograph of Chomsky seated next to Epstein on a plane. The House Oversight Committee released an apparent letter of recommendation from Chomsky for Epstein, calling him a “highly valued friend” and recounting how Epstein connected him with Ehud Barak. Additional photos released in December 2025 showed Chomsky alongside Epstein and Bill Gates.

Wife’s Apology

Valeria Chomsky, who had called Epstein a “very dear friend” and at one point a “hero,” issued a public apology in February 2026. She acknowledged the couple’s extensive joint relationship with Epstein and said they had unknowingly “opened a door to a Trojan horse.”

Valeria wrote that “Epstein created a manipulative narrative about his case, which Noam, in good faith, believed in.” She said the couple became aware of Epstein’s 2008 conviction only in 2018, and that “only after Epstein’s second arrest in July 2019 did we learn the full extent and gravity of what were then accusations.”

No Criminal Allegations

Chomsky has not been accused of involvement in any of Epstein’s crimes. The released documents show a personal and financial relationship between the two men, but contain no allegations of criminal conduct by Chomsky.

Evidence

These passages come from the emails, letter, and financial records released by the House Oversight Committee and the DOJ; the annotations connect each to what this profile states.

Read the originals: House Oversight Committee release ↗ · DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA portal) ↗ · Zeteo searchable copy ↗

Documents

Primary-source records that name or reference Noam Chomsky. Inclusion in these documents is not, by itself, evidence of wrongdoing; Chomsky has not been accused of involvement in any of Epstein’s crimes.

• House Oversight Committee (Democrats) — Epstein email correspondence release (Nov. 2025) — The released correspondence documents Chomsky’s contact with Epstein, including the February 2019 email advising Epstein to “ignore” the press scrutiny following the Miami Herald investigation, and a letter in which Chomsky described Epstein as a “highly valued friend.”
• DOJ Epstein Files (EFTA release portal) — The broader Justice Department release under the Epstein Files Transparency Act includes scheduling records of planned 2015–2016 meetings and a photograph of Chomsky seated next to Epstein on a plane.