Noam Chomsky and Jeffrey Epstein's Relationship Was Deeper Than Officials Previously Thought
Chomsky called Epstein "a highly valued friend."
Published Dec. 19 2025, 4:23 p.m. ET
On Dec. 18, 2025, the House Oversight Committee released new photos from convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein's estate. Among other things in the release, there are photos of high-profile individuals with Epstein, as well as photos of quotes from Lolita, the 1955 book about a man's obsession with and sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl, scrawled on someone's body.
One of the photos shows Jeffrey Epstein and linguist Noam Chomsky together, talking on a plane. This led many to wonder what the nature of their relationship was.
Based on emails also released by the House Oversight Committee in November 2025, it seems Chomsky and Epstein's relationship was deeper than they previously thought. Chomsky and Epstein talked about music tastes and potential vacations, and Chomsky even wrote Epstein what appears to be a recommendation letter.
What do Noam Chomsky and Jeffrey Epstein's emails reveal about their relationship?
In 2023, The Wall Street Journal asked Chomsky about his relationship with Epstein, and Chomsky said, "First response is that it is none of your business. Or anyone's. Second is that I knew him, and we met occasionally."
However, in the emails the House Oversight Committee released, Chomsky said that having "regular contact" with Epstein was a "most valuable experience," according to the Guardian.
Chomsky received about $270,000 from an account linked to Epstein, related to the ends of his marriages, according to The Guardian, but he claimed that not "one penny" came from Epstein himself.
In one email from 2015, Epstein told Chomsky that he could use his properties in New York and New Mexico. In a later email from 2017, Chomsky's wife emailed Epstein to apologize for not wishing him a 'happy birthday' on time, and saying that they wanted to meet with him soon to celebrate.
Chomsky had also previously said that when he met with Epstein, "What was known about Jeffrey Epstein was that he had been convicted of a crime and had served his sentence. According to U.S. laws and norms, that yields a clean slate," per CBS News.
To be clear, the charges that Epstein pleaded guilty to in 2008 and served time for were solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor.
Chomsky called Epstein "a highly valued friend."
Not only did Chomsky associate with and continue to spend time with Epstein after knowing he was a convicted sex offender, but he even wrote him what appears to be a letter of recommendation.
In the letter, Chomsky said, "I met Jeffrey Epstein half a dozen years ago ... We have been in regular contact since, with many long and often in-depth discussions about a very wide range of topics, including our own specialties and professional work, but a host of others where we have shared interests. It has been a most valuable experience for me," per The Guardian.
Chomsky went on to praise Epstein's "limitless curiosity, extensive knowledge, penetrating insights and thoughtful appraisals," and said that he "quickly became a highly valued friend and regular source of intellectual exchange and stimulation."
The letter did not have a date on it, but it listed Chomsky's job as a laureate professor at the University of Arizona, which is a position he started in 2017, long after Epstein's Florida conviction.
CBS reported that the House Oversight Committee also released text messages between Epstein and Steve Bannon, where Epstein revealed that Chomsky had called him with Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who was in prison at the time but is now the president of Brazil.