Is Ellen DeGeneres Hollywood's 'Most Prolific Cannibal'? Fact-Checking Viral Epstein Files Claim

Last Updated:February 17, 2026, 15:00 IST

The American TV host is among the numerous well-known names that appear in the material. However, her mentions are largely contained in third-party correspondence and media recaps

Did the Epstein Files list Ellen DeGeneres the “most prolific cannibal in Hollywood"? A viral claim circulating on social media asserts that leaked documents and reporting about the late financier Jeffrey Epstein reveal the American TV host “ate children’s flesh".

The allegation appears to have originated from fringe online sources, with Instagram posts proclaiming DeGeneres as Hollywood’s ‘most prolific cannibal’ and linking her to Epstein’s ‘depraved circles’. Soon, more posts from other channels followed but none of them had any substantiating proof. Stories alleged that DeGeneres not only exposed Epstein and his Hollywood associates to cannibalism but also reportedly forced others to consume human flesh. The article claimed to rely on unredacted files as proof, yet failed to reference any specific documents or verifiable sources.

As the news spread, major outlets were quick to debunk the claim, saying the Epstein files—including emails, flight logs, and court filings—do not contain evidence of cannibalism by DeGeneres.

PolitiFact tracked the origins of the viral allegation to The People’s Voice, a fringe outlet that published a story along with an alleged “whistleblower" audio clip making shocking accusations. Experts who examined the recording using deepfake detection technology concluded that the audio was likely AI-generated rather than authentic. Specialists told PolitiFact that the voice did not display the natural speech characteristics expected in genuine testimony, and there was no reliable documentary evidence to substantiate the claims.

The US Department of Justice has made public over three million pages of records tied to Epstein, including emails, photographs and investigative files. DeGeneres is among the numerous well-known names that appear in parts of the released material. However, her mentions are largely contained in third-party correspondence and media recaps, and there are no allegations of misconduct linked to her in the documents.

Several independent fact-checking organisations, including PolitiFact and other news outlets, reviewed the Epstein document archive and found nothing connecting DeGeneres to cannibalism. While keyword searches showed that both “Ellen DeGeneres" and “cannibal" appear somewhere within the vast database, they do not appear together in any context suggesting wrongdoing. In fact, references to cannibalism in the files are unrelated—appearing in academic course materials, food-related discussions, or media summaries—and are not linked to any credible evidence of criminal conduct by DeGeneres.

News viral Is Ellen DeGeneres Hollywood's 'Most Prolific Cannibal'? Fact-Checking Viral Epstein Files Claim

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