Innocent word used 859 times in Epstein files speculated to be disturbing secret code
Warning: This article contains discussion of child abuse, which some readers may find distressing.
President Donald Trump has made good on his promise to release the Epstein files, and while it’s said they still haven’t been released in their entirety, some three million pages, 180,000 images, and 2,000 videos were just added to the pile.
Although anyone can access the Department of Justice's own virtual version of the Epstein files, some are disappointed that whole swathes have been redacted – something the DoJ has defended as protecting the identities of potential victims.
There are plenty of conspiracy theories surrounding Epstein's death, the tragic passing of Virginia Giuffre, and the many high-profile figures who've been connected to him over the years. Still, it’s important to note that just because someone is mentioned in the files or pictured alongside Epstein, it isn't an accusation of wrongdoing.
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The latest release has seen Elon Musk and Bill Gates both speak out, but as conspiracy theories continue to swirl, many seem to be transfixed on the specific mention of one seemingly innocuous word. In fact, 'pizza' appears 859 times in the Epstein Library.
Breaking Points with Krystal and Saagar once again returns to the 'Pizzagate' drama of the 2016 United States presidential election cycle, where false reports claimed the NYPD had uncovered a pedophilia ring linked to certain members of the Democratic Party.
Away from Pizzagate, The Telegraph previously reported on how online safety groups maintain that cheese and pizza emojis have been used as a secret code by pedophiles on social media sites like Instagram and X (formerly) Twitter. In 2020, the outlet explained how the idea is that cheese and pizza were translated as 'CP', meaning 'child porn'.
In a video following the latest release of the Epstein files, Krystal Ball has referred to several Epstein emails and noted, "There was also a lot of language that appears to be coded regarding food."
Joined by co-host Saagar Enjeti, the pair discussed an email from an unknown Roy and Stephanie Hodges that said, "I wanted to let you know the crew really appreciated the pizza today. Thank you for letting us do that.” Another from a redacted email wrote: "This is better than a Chinese cookie. See attached. Let's go for pizza and grape soda again. No one else can understand."
A third talks about 'radiating a soft glow' and simply says: "Yeah, that's the pizza..."
The pair went on to discuss Epstein's previously revealed Amazon orders, although it's the specific reference to pizza and 'no one can understand' that has dominated the conversation.
Enjeti mentioned the potential of a secret code hidden in Epstein's emails as he added: "Everyone likes to make fun of Pizzagate and all that, and sure, you know it got out of control. However, the original idea of people referring to CSAM [children being sexually abused or exploited] as pizza was a thing."
He continued: "You can't deny that a lot of these emails are very strange, and do not make any sense in the context of actually talking about pizza."
Ball and Enjeti ended by reminding us that aside from Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, no one else has been implicated.
As you can imagine, the comments were full of others fuelling conspiracy theories about pizzas, pizza emojis, and Pizzagate – despite the latter being largely debunked.
If you’ve been affected by any of these issues or want to speak to someone in confidence regarding the welfare of a child, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453) operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and receives calls from throughout the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam and Puerto Rico.