Longevity doctor and media personality Peter Attia has stepped down from his role at a popular wellness brand after newly released documents revealed friendly exchanges with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Attia stepped down as chief science officer of David Protein, a protein snack bar company he helped promote and invest in, the company confirmed on Monday.
The move comes after the Department of Justice released a new tranche of Epstein-related court documents last week, drawing scrutiny to Attia’s past correspondence with Epstein.
“Dr. Peter Attia has stepped down from his role as Chief Science Officer at David. We remain focused on serving our customers,” founder Peter Rahal wrote on X.
Attia was also named among 19 new CBS News contributors just days before the emails between him and Epstein were made public. CBS editor in chief Bari Weiss has since faced public calls to cut ties with him.
CBS News and David Protein could not be reached for comment.
In emails from 2015 and 2016, included in the latest release, Attia used joking and familiar language with Epstein, including references to Epstein’s “outrageous” lifestyle and a crude sexual joke.
On Monday, Attia issued a public apology, calling some of the emails “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible,” and saying he was “ashamed of myself for everything about this.”
Attia, 52, is a well-known antiaging and longevity expert with roughly 1.6 million Instagram followers.
“I am not asking anyone to ignore the emails or pretend they aren’t ugly,” he wrote on X. “They simply are.”
He said he was not involved in any criminal activity and said his interactions with Epstein had nothing to do with Epstein’s sexual abuse or exploitation.
“The man I am today, roughly ten years later, would not write them and would not associate with Epstein at all,” he said.
The Justice Department’s long-awaited release of the Epstein files on Friday offered a deeper look at the jet-setting lifestyle of the late sex offender and financier Jeffrey Epstein — but few major revelations.
The data dump included thousands of files, mostly images,many of which were heavily redacted. The Justice Department released the documents to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law last month.
The department, citing the task of ensuring no information included in the release could be used to identify victims, did not make public its entire database on Friday, as the law required. The department said it would turn over more files in the coming weeks.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. Nine years later, the financier was charged with the sex trafficking of minors. He died by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody.
Business Insider has been reviewing the latest files, which continued to roll out late Friday evening. Here are our biggest takeaways.
Jeffrey Epstein pictured with Virgin Group founder Richard Branson.
Department of Justice
1. Lots of famous faces
The files contained numerous images of celebrities and politicians, including former president Bill Clinton, pop star Michael Jackson, and British billionaire Richard Branson.
The photos are not evidence of wrongdoing.
Not all of the celebs were pictured with Epstein, and at least one photo — of Diana Ross with Bill Clinton and Michael Jackson — can be found on the professional photography service, Getty Images, suggesting it was not Epstein’s personal photo.
The context of many of the photos is also unclear, lacking dates, locations, and other identifying information.
Clinton featured prominently in the latest round of files, including several previously unseen photos.
Angel Ureña, a spokesperson for Clinton, said on X that the former president was unaware of Epstein’s criminal activity.
“There are two types of people here,” he wrote. “The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light. The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that.”
Other famous figures seen in photos in the documents include actors Kevin Spacey and Chris Tucker, The Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger, and Sarah Ferguson, the former Duchess of York. Business Insider reached out to them for comment.
Spacey had earlier called for the release of the Epstein files and said in a post on X in July that he has “nothing to fear.” In multiple interviews before the latest release, Tucker has denied any knowledge of criminal activity. Jagger has not responded publicly. Ferguson has said she cut ties with Epstein after his conviction.
Former President Bill Clinton in a pool.
Department of Justice
2. Redactions draw criticisms
The Justice Department’s release drew criticism from some victims and Democrats for its heavy redactions and limited initial release.
In some cases, entire documents were obscured by black boxes, including one 119-page file. The DOJ has attributed its delay in producing all the documents by the December 19 deadline in part to its duty to safeguard the personal information of victims and other individuals.
Image with redactions from the Epstein files released on Friday.
Screenshot
3. 1996 complaint
The files shed some light on how long young women have been accusing Epstein of wrongdoing.
Among the thousands of documents was a 1996 FBI memo included in a complaint filed against Epstein by a woman whose name the Justice Department redacted. Business Insider confirmed the accuser was Maria Farmer, who has previously said publicly that she reported Epstein to the authorities.
In her original complaint, Farmer says Epstein stole pictures of her 16-year-old sister and is “believed to have sold them to potential buyers.” She says he once asked someone to take photos of young women at swimming pools.
“I feel redeemed. This is one of the best days of my life,” Farmer said in a statement to Business Insider shared by her lawyer.
A photo of the 1996 FBI complaint filed by Maria Farmer.
Screenshot
4. More files to come
The Justice Department was required by law to release the documents by December 19, but US Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said Friday that the files would be released in batches over the coming weeks. Four sets of files were released on Friday evening. The Justice Department posted an additional three sets late Friday, which included photos of evidence files.
The Justice Department’s delay in releasing all the files at once has led to criticism from lawmakers. Republican Rep. Thomas Massie said the move “grossly fails to comply with both the spirit and the letter of the law.”
Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna told CNN that he and Massie were now drafting articles of impeachment against US Attorney General Pam Bondi following the release.
A chain of custody evidence envelope was found in the latest release.
Screenshot
Trump stays quiet
Trump is known to have socialized with Epstein in the 1990s and 2000s, and photos of the pair together have been well publicized in recent years.
He didn’t feature prominently in Friday’s document release. There was a photo of a messy desk that contained a photo of Trump inside a drawer. Trump has previously said he ended his ties with Epstein years ago.
Blanche told ABC News on Friday that there had been “no effort to hold anything back because there is the name Donald J Trump.”
Trump had not commented publicly on the files as of Saturday afternoon.
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The Justice Department released a large trove of files related to the Jeffrey Epstein investigation.
Documents include photos of the disgraced financier with some high-profile figures.
The photos are not evidence of wrongdoing.
The Justice Department on Friday released thousands of documents related to its investigation of Jeffrey Epstein, the disgraced financier.
The trove of files, many of which were redacted, includes uncredited and undated photos that provide a snapshot into Epstein’s inner life and circle.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to solicitation of prostitution and solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. Nine years later, the financier was charged with the sex trafficking of minors. He died by suicide in 2019 while in federal custody.
Some of the images are of his longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, who was convicted in 2021 on multiple felony counts, including the sex-trafficking of a minor. Other photos show the wide spectrum of high-profile figures Epstein came into contact with during his life.
The images include former President Bill Clinton, billionaire Richard Branson, actor Kevin Spacey, and The Rolling Stones lead vocalist Mick Jagger, among others.
The photos are not evidence of wrongdoing, nor do they detail what relationship the financier had with any of the figures. Some of the figures aren’t pictured with Epstein.
Here’s what the Friday document dump included. The following list is not exhaustive.
Check back for more updates.
Bill Clinton, former US president
Former President Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein. Department of Justice
Clinton has shown up several times in investigations into Epstein, including in the flight logs of Epstein’s private jet. Clinton traveled internationally with Epstein on several occasions after his two terms as president ended in 2001.
There have been no public accusations of wrongdoing against Clinton related to his friendship with Epstein.
A spokesperson for Clinton did not respond to a request for comment from Business Insider.
In a statement posted on social media, Angel Ureña, a spokesperson to the former president, suggested that Clinton knew nothing about Epstein’s criminal activity.
“There are two types of people here. The first group knew nothing and cut Epstein off before his crimes came to light,” he wrote. “The second group continued relationships with him after. We’re in the first. No amount of stalling by people in the second group will change that.”
Mick Jagger, The Rolling Stones front man
The Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger sits between former President Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein. Department of Justice
A legal representative for Jagger did not respond to a request for comment. The Justice Department included no information about where or when the photo was taken.
Richard Branson, Virgin Group founder
Virgin Group founder Richard Branson with Jeffrey Epstein. Department of Justice
Branson and a spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment. Similar photos of Branson and Epstein were released by the House Oversight Committee earlier this month.
Kevin Spacey, actor
Actor Kevin Spacey seen with former President Bill Clinton and Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Department of Justice
A spokesperson for Spacey did not respond to a request for comment.
Michael Jackson, singer
Epstein is pictured with pop star Michael Jackson. Department of Justice
A spokesperson for Jackson’s estate did not respond to a request for comment.
Chris Tucker, actor
Comedian and actor Chris Tucker with Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell. Department of Justice
A spokesperson for Tucker did not respond to a request for comment.
Jean-Luc Brunel, global modeling agent
Jean-Luc Brunel, the French modeling agent, with Ghislaine Maxwell. Department of Justice
Jean-Luc Brunel was a French modeling agent who founded Karin Models in 1977. He also founded MC2 Model Management with funding from Epstein.
Brunel was found hanged in an apparent suicide in his prison cell in 2022. He was being held in a Paris prison while awaiting trial on charges of rape of a minor and trafficking of minors for sexual exploitation.
A legal representative for Brunel’s estate did not respond to a request for comment.
Sarah Ferguson, former Duchess of York
Former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson. Department of Justice
Former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson has faced public scrutiny for her associations with Epstein. Her ex-husband, Prince Andrew, relinquished his royal titles earlier this year amid ongoing public inquiry into his own friendship with Epstein.
A representative for Ferguson did not respond to a request for comment.
The Justice Department has officially released documents on Jeffrey Epstein, the well-connected financier who killed himself in jail while awaiting trial on sex-trafficking charges in 2019.
Friday’s disclosure is the first of what are expected to be several rounds of document releases over the coming weeks as the DOJ scrambles to comply with the Epstein Files Transparency Act, which President Donald Trump signed into law in November.
The documents contain a trove of photos, some of which feature famous names such as former President Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, and singer Diana Ross.
While a past relationship with Epstein is no indication of wrongdoing, his victims and other members of the public have pushed for the disclosure in hopes that the DOJ’s records might shed light on those connections and law enforcement’s handling of the case.
So what else do the latest Epstein files contain? Business Insider reporters have begun looking through the documents and photos and we’ll be reporting out highlights as they’re discovered.
