In July 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) released the long-requested CCTV footage from the jail cell where Jeffrey Epstein died, along with a memo attempting to settle years of online speculation.

Donald Trump allies Pam Bondi and Kash Patel, now heading the DOJ and FBI, claimed the release would shut the door on misinformation about Epstein's death. It did not.

The video raised more questions than it answered, with some viewers claiming it confirmed exactly what they'd always suspected: Epstein didn't kill himself.

Memes about Epstein's death have now returned with a vengeance, but here's how they started, and here's why they still haven't stopped.

When Did Jeffrey Epstein Die, And What Were the Biggest Conspiracy Theories Surrounding His Death?

Jeffrey Epstein died on August 10th, 2019, and the official line declared his death by hanging. But the story quickly unraveled in the public imagination.

Within hours, hashtags like "#ClintonBodyCount" trended on Twitter / X, accusing Bill and Hillary Clinton of orchestrating a hit to protect themselves from exposure.

Then came the forensic photo sleuths. Some claimed Epstein's corpse had a different nose, or the wrong ear shape, sparking conspiracy theories that the body wheeled out wasn't Epstein's at all.

CBS's 60 Minutes aired autopsy photos in January 2020 showing Epstein's hyoid bone was broken in three places, a rare occurrence in typical hangings, according to Dr. Michael Baden. Meanwhile, others clung to the idea that Epstein had been exfiltrated and was still alive somewhere.

Why Were People So Convinced That Epstein Didn't Kill Himself?

Jeffrey Epstein wasn't in some backwater jail. He died inside the Metropolitan Correctional Center in New York, supposedly under 24/7 surveillance. This was a man accused of trafficking underage girls to the ultra-wealthy and well-connected, and he was known to have ties to presidents, billionaires and intelligence contractors.

Many on the internet had already assumed he wouldn't live long enough to talk, and sure enough, months before his actual death, Epstein survived an apparent attempt on July 23rd, 2019.

The day before he died, his cellmate was transferred out with no replacement. The night of his death, both guards assigned the task of checking on him every 30 minutes reportedly fell asleep, and the camera pointed to Epstein's cell "malfunctioned." Even the backup video was erased due to a technical error.

The investigative report released by the authorities laying out this perfect storm that led to Jeffrey Epstein's death turned "Epstein didn’t kill himself" from a crackpot fringe theory into a national punchline that many people came to wholeheartedly believe.

What's the 'Epstein Didn't Kill Himself' Meme?

While the exact origin of Epstein Didn't Kill Himself memes is unknown, one of the earliest known examples of the joke is a October 2nd, 2019, post by iFunny user @MrFate77, who posted a version of the Charmander Is the Best meme that showed a PlayStation and Xbox with the final panel reading, "But deep down we all know Epstein didn't kill himself." The format soon caught on.

The line became a plug-and-play, bait-and-switch type punchline in memes that otherwise had nothing to do with Epstein conspiracy theories.

People tacked on the line on a number of irrelevant memes, like this candy corn diagram, and another post about condiments.

But it wasn't just edgelords and meme accounts parroting the line. The meme went mainstream when Navy SEAL Mike Ritland dropped it live on Fox News on November 2nd, right after telling viewers how to adopt a military dog.

Fox News Guest US Navy Seal and founder of warrior dog foundationMike Ritland, sneaks in “Epstein didn’t kill himself” at the very end. pic.twitter.com/0CgiXe1NDN

— Rising serpent 🇺🇸 (@rising_serpent) November 3, 2019

A week later, Congressman Paul Gosar tweeted 23 times during Trump's impeachment hearings, with the first letter of each tweet spelling out, "EPSTEIN DIDN’T KILL HIMSELF."

Epstein conspiracy theorist Paul Gosar appears on Tucker Carlson to discuss his tweets pic.twitter.com/cahUQpqeTT

— Acyn (@Acyn) November 15, 2019

On December 20th, the news featured a story about a New Jersey Christmas Lights Display created by a man named Kevin Gibson that read, "These lights didn't hang themselves. Neither did Epstein." Gibson told NJ.com, "I just do it for fun… just trying to change things up is all… This year I've got mostly great feedback. Here and there somebody said it isn't appropriate for the holidays but you always have one."

By late 2019, the meme had gone from fringe conspiracy theory to a bipartisan joke. So, when DOJ head Pam Bondi announced she'd release the full Epstein Files in 2025, everyone was ready for her to clear the air on the matter once and for all.

What Did the DOJ and FBI Say About Epstein in 2025, and What’s This About a 'Missing Minute' in the CCTV Video of His Cell?

On July 6th, 2025, Axios reporter Alex Isenstadt leaked a DOJ and FBI memo concluding that Jeffrey Epstein had ended his own life. The memo pointed to 11 hours of "enhanced" CCTV footage showing no movement in or out of Epstein's cell between 7:49 p.m. and 6:30 a.m. It also claimed Epstein never kept a client list.

The DOJ posted the footage online the next day, showing a silver-haired man in an orange jumpsuit, presumably Epstein, being escorted to his cell. The cell door itself is not visible.

On July 7th, Twitter user @adamscochran flagged a timestamp anomaly: The footage jumps directly from 11:58:59 to 11:59:59 p.m. His post gained 1,000-plus likes in just a day.

Turns out that the Epstein footage has also been cut, or had timestamps altered.An entire minute of footage is clearly missing! https://t.co/U2pkbiPE5B

— Adam Cochran (adamscochran.eth) (@adamscochran) July 7, 2025

YouTuber and X user Coffeezilla (@coffeebreak_YT) amplified it with side-by-side screenshots, adding, "Why is there 1 minute missing from the EPSTEIN security camera footage?" That post reached 36,000 likes in a day.

Alex Isenstadt himself acknowledged the discrepancy during a CNN appearance later that day. In a July 7th segment shared by X user @VigilantFox, Isenstadt told the anchor, "Here’s one thing that some people on the internet are picking up on, which is that there is about a minute missing between 11:58 p.m. and 58 seconds and 12 a.m., the night that Epstein was apparently killed or died." The clip, posted at 3:10 p.m., received over 11,000 likes in 24 hours.

10 Shocking Stories the Media Buried Today#10 – OOPS: CNN guest accidentally says the quiet part about Epstein out loud.“There is about a minute missing [from the Epstein cell footage] between 11:58 PM and 58 seconds and 12 AM, the night that Epstein was apparently KILLED --… pic.twitter.com/gLFv9vxYEN

— The Vigilant Fox 🦊 (@VigilantFox) July 8, 2025

Later that evening, conspiracy podcaster Alex Jones uploaded a video reacting to the controversy.

In it, he claimed, "This is a setup to make the Trump admin look guilty of a cover-up! Who edited the tape???" The post gathered over 300,000 views and 6,000 likes in under a day. Jones framed the missing minute not as evidence of foul play in Epstein's death, but as bait to smear the current administration.

BREAKING: The Epstein Jail Cell Security Footage Is Missing A Full Minute!This is a set up to make the Trump Admin look guilty of a cover up! Who edited the tape??? pic.twitter.com/UrBfRNS8lk

— Alex Jones (@RealAlexJones) July 7, 2025

Meanwhile, the memes returned. On July 7th, X user @RealDylanDanger posted an AI-generated video that inserted Hillary Clinton walking across the grainy hallway footage, timed perfectly with the 11:59 timestamp. The post reached over 600,000 views and 2,000 likes in two days.

Guys I found the missing minute from the Epstein video pic.twitter.com/eqGpK4xPlY

— Dylan Danger (@RealDylanDanger) July 8, 2025

Attorney General Pam Bondi had a more serious response for people digging into the missing minute, and on July 8th, she blamed it on a standard CCTV camera function. "Every night the video is reset, and every night should have the same minute missing."

🚨PAM BONDI ADDRESSES MISSING MINUTE FROM EPSTEIN FOOTAGE > "THERE WAS A MINUTE OFF THE COUNTER"> "EVERY NIGHT VIDEO IS RESET"> VIDEO SURVEILLENCE SYSTEM WAS OLD> "EVERY NIGHT HAD MINUTE MISSING" > "VIDEO WAS NOT CONCLUSIVE" FOR SUICIDE> EVIDENCE PRIOR TO IT WAS CONCLUSIVE https://t.co/XdmUPv3bx3 pic.twitter.com/I3b26nojLQ

— Coffeezilla (@coffeebreak_YT) July 8, 2025

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For the full history of the Epstein CCTV Footage Missing Minute be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.