What to Know
People are calling the Trump administration out for including a photo of Diana Ross and Michael Jackson as part of its release of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein case. The photo of Diana, Michael, Bill Clinton, and several redacted children suggests that they were somehow involved in Epstein’s crimes. In reality, Diana and Michael were posing with their own children in Washington D.C. in 2003.
Diana’s son Evan Ross was among the people who noticed the false implication. Evan recognized the photo included in the release because he was in it, and his face was covered. Reacting to the image in an Instagram post, Evan set the record straight: “That’s me, not unidentified women.”
The real photo is publicly available.
While it was included in the batch of Epstein files, the image is also available via Getty Images. The Getty Images version shows everyone in the photograph, making it clear that the redacted people were actually Evan, and Michael’s kids, Michael “Prince” Jackson Jr., and Paris Jackson.
White House Deputy Press Secretary Abigail Jackson shared the photo on X on Friday, December 19, writing, “Per the Epstein Files Transparency Act, DOJ was specifically instructed only to redact the faces of victims and/or minors. Here is a picture of Bill Clinton with his arm around Michael Jackson, and redacted individuals.”
Per the Epstein Files Transparency Act, DOJ was specifically instructed only to redact the faces of victims and/or minors.
— Abigail Jackson (@ATJackson47) December 19, 2025
Here is a picture of Bill Clinton with his arm around Michael Jackson, and redacted individuals. pic.twitter.com/D4Jreq8Wr5
People immediately called her out.
Per the Daily Beast, Abigail’s post was corrected by a community notice on X. The notice read, “Those photos are not new and are not related to the Epstein case. The actual photo with the children was for a charity concert.”
Progressive media company MeidasTouch Network also called Abigail out for misleading people and perpetuating a false narrative. “How dare you,” they wrote. “Those are Michael Jackson’s sons and Diana Ross’ son — not victims — as you are implying. This is a publicly available photo from an event they attended together.”
Others accused the Trump administration of using the unrelated photo as “a distraction” and outright lying to people. “Why lie about things so easily checked?!” one person questioned.
Diana’s son Evan reacted to another post about it.
On Instagram, Hollywood Unlocked clarified that the redacted photo was misleading. “Reports claiming Diana Ross was spotted in Jeffrey Epstein’s files has surfaced, but new reports reveal that the singer was with her son Evan Ross,” the account stated. Evan commented on the post, writing, “Thank you. These people r rediculous.”
On Reddit, people criticized the Trump administration for being far more than ridiculous. To many critics, the inclusion of this photo seemed malicious. One critic called it “blatant deception,” adding, “Not only are they trying to cover it up, but they’re also intentionally misleading the public and their base.”
Another person added, “Not only that, they went out of their way to draw attention to this photo specifically by posting it on X.”
That’s why some people thought “ridiculous” was putting it nicely. “The Trump administration isn’t ridiculous,” a third critic argued. “They are depraved, petty, spiteful, evil and liars.”
