Epstein didn't kill himself

Graffiti featuring the phrase on an overpass on Interstate 71 in Cincinnati
Interstate 71 in Cincinnati

"Epstein didn't kill himself" is a meme referring to multiple conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein that dispute the official ruling of suicide by hanging. Jeffrey Epstein was an American financier and convicted sex offender with connections to powerful and wealthy people, and his reported suicide led to numerous hypotheses about the nature and cause of his death. The phrase became a colloquialism as well as an internet meme, gaining traction in November 2019 as more of the circumstances around his death became public. The most common theory asserts that the true cause of his death was homicide, via strangulation, arranged by one or more co-conspirators to prevent him from revealing any compromising information.

The phrase "Epstein didn't kill himself" is often inserted into unexpected contexts like a photo caption of the painter Bob Ross[1] or at the end of a social media post as a non sequitur.[2][3] The meme has appeared at multiple televised sports games in the form of signs and painted bodies.[4][5][6] Several people have also randomly interjected the phrase at the end of interviews.[1][7] It is used by individuals of all sides of the political spectrum without agreement on the specific details of Epstein's death.[6][8][9]

  1. ^ a b Poisson, Jayme; Merlan, Anna (November 20, 2019). "Understanding the 'Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself' meme" (Audio). CBC News. Front Burner. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2019.
  2. ^ Khawaja, Jemayel (December 10, 2019). "'Jeffrey Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' Is Peak Meme After Art Basel Prank". Variety. Penske Business Media. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  3. ^ Poulos, James (November 15, 2019). "'Epstein didn't kill himself' and the decline of the elite". Orange County Register. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  4. ^ Raymond, Adam K. (November 11, 2019). "The 'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' Meme Has Gone Mainstream". Intelligencer. Vox Media. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  5. ^ Goggin, Benjamin; Tenbarge, Kat (November 19, 2019). "Why you're seeing Jeffrey Epstein murder memes everywhere". Insider. Archived from the original on November 10, 2019. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  6. ^ a b Ellis, Emma Grey (November 15, 2019). "'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' and the Meme-ing of Conspiracy". Wired. Archived from the original on November 29, 2019. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  7. ^ Flood, Brian (November 12, 2019). "'Jeffrey Epstein didn't kill himself' meme pops up on MSNBC". Fox News. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  8. ^ Simon, Scott (November 16, 2019). "Epstein's Death Becomes A Meme". NPR. Weekend Edition Saturday. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2019.
  9. ^ Rothschild, Mike (November 7, 2019). "Epstein died, but 'Epstein didn't kill himself' memes are alive and well". The Daily Dot. Archived from the original on November 30, 2020. Retrieved November 25, 2019.