page_title: Epstein didn't kill himself
section_title: Mainstreaming
hierarchical_section_title: Epstein didn't kill himself / Mainstreaming
caption_attribution_description: English: An "Epstein didn't kill himself" sticker at a bus stop in Halifax, Canada.
context_page_description: The phrase Epstein didn't kill himself refers to the theory surrounding the death of Jeffrey Epstein that disputes the official account of suicide by hanging. Epstein was a financier and convicted sex offender with connections to several other powerful and wealthy figures, and his reported suicide generated numerous theories about the nature and cause of his death. The phrase itself became an Internet meme through widespread circulation, gaining traction in November 2019 as more of the circumstances around his death became public.
context_section_description: At the end of an interview with Jesse Watters on Fox News, former Navy SEAL and founder of the Warrior Dog Foundation Mike Ritland asked if he could give a "PSA". After being told that he could, he stated, "If you see the coverage [about combat dogs] and you decide I want one of these dogs, either buy a fully trained and finished dog from a professional or just don't get one at all. That, and Epstein didn't kill himself." Ritland later stated his purpose for suddenly mentioning the phrase was to keep the Jeffrey Epstein story alive. According to The Washington Post, the meme gained a large amount of attention in the immediate aftermath of this interview.
  Arizona Republican Congressman Paul Gosar shared the meme in a series of 23 tweets where the first letter of each tweet spelled out the phrase. Australian rapper Matthew Lambert of Hilltop Hoods, after winning the 2019 ARIA Music Award for Best Australian Live Act, included the phrase in his acceptance speech.
caption: The meme on a sticker at a bus stop in Halifax, Canada
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