U.S. President Donald Trump announced a link between Tylenol, the brand commonly associated with over-the-counter acetaminophen, and autism on Sept. 22, 2025, during a press conference at the White House. Following the conference, images of a quote spread on social media that users claimed was the brand's official response to Trump. The alleged response read, "Nice try. Release the Epstein files," referring to unreleased criminal files in the case of the late, convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
For example, this post on X (archived) featured the quote with the caption, "the official response from Tylenol is just brutal" and was viewed over 8.6 million times:
The official response from Tylenol is just brutal
😏 pic.twitter.com/ABsWgk3pfa— Tara Dublin, Rock Star Wordsmith & Podcast Host (@taradublinrocks) September 23, 2025
Posts featuring the same image and similar captions also appeared on Reddit (archived) and Threads (archived).
We reached out to Kenvue Inc., a consumer health company that owns the Tylenol brand, for clarification about whether these posts featured an official statement.
The statement featured in posts seemed to mirror speculation that Trump held the press conference to distract from the release of the Epstein files, suggesting that its creator fabricated it to draw attention to the issue. It is also possible that its creator intended it as satire. We were unable to trace the statement back to a single source to confirm this.
Although the statement was not authentic, Tylenol the brand and Kenvue had released multiple, official responses to the claims that Tylenol could cause autism. A Kenvue spokesperson
We believe independent, sound science clearly shows that taking acetaminophen does not cause autism. We strongly disagree with any suggestion otherwise and are deeply concerned about the health risks and confusion this poses for expecting mothers and parents.
Acetaminophen is the safest pain reliever option for pregnant women as needed throughout their entire pregnancy. Without it, women face dangerous choices: suffer through conditions like fever that are potentially harmful to both mom and baby or use riskier alternatives. High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated.
Acetaminophen is also one of the most widely studied pain relievers and fever reducers in infants and children, and numerous randomized, controlled clinical trials support the safety of acetaminophen in infants and children when used as directed.
The facts are that over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals and global health regulators, confirms there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism. We stand with the many public health and medical professionals who have reviewed this science and agree.
We will continue to reinforce that expecting mothers speak to their health professionals before taking any over-the-counter medication and will explore all options to protect the health interests of American women and children.
A video posted on the official Tylenol Instagram (archived) brand account on the same day as the conference began as follows:
We know you may have questions about conflicting information you've seen recently in media coverage. What we can tell you is: Credible, independent scientific data continues to show no proven link between taking acetaminophen and autism. Medical and public health officials agree.
The post featured scientific studies to support this claim, and pointed viewers to the Tylenol website's FAQ (archived) for more information.
The Tylenol website was updated sometime after Sept. 7, 2025, according to the Wayback Machine, to include a pop-up containing another official response that read:
We stand with science, and we stand with you.
For generations, families have trusted TYLENOL® when it matters most.
Tylenol is one of the most studied medications in history–and is safe when used as directed by expecting mothers, infants and children.
The facts remain unchanged: over a decade of rigorous research, endorsed by leading medical professionals, confirm there is no credible evidence linking acetaminophen to autism.
Acetaminophen is used worldwide as a first line of defense for pain relief and fever reduction, at the recommendation of independent public health and leading medical professionals and in accordance with the product label.
High fevers and pain are widely recognized as potential risks to a pregnancy if left untreated, especially in the first trimester. Remember to talk to your doctor.
We prioritize science as the core of how we provide care, and that will never change.
Have questions about recent media coverage of TYLENOL®? Click here [link to the FAQ]
For further reading, Snopes published a story delving into Trump's recent claims that Tylenol usage is linked with autism.