In the polished studios of CBS News, where Dr. Peter Attia had just been welcomed as a fresh voice on health and longevity, the celebrated physician—author, podcast host, and anti-aging guru—watched his burgeoning media role evaporate overnight. The bombshell came from freshly unsealed Justice Department Epstein files: over 1,700 mentions of Attia, revealing hundreds of chummy emails with Jeffrey Epstein from the mid-2010s onward—long after the financier’s 2008 conviction for soliciting a minor.
The exchanges included Attia providing medical advice and testing arrangements for Epstein, joking about his “outrageous” lifestyle he couldn’t share publicly, and making crude, lewd remarks about women’s bodies, including one infamous quip calling female anatomy “low carb.” Attia insisted he was never involved in criminal activity, never visited Epstein’s island or plane, and expressed deep regret for the “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible” messages now exposed.
Amid mounting backlash, public outrage, and a pulled “60 Minutes” segment, Attia resigned as CBS News contributor, his spokesman citing the need to prevent the Epstein association from becoming a “distraction.” The fall of this high-profile doctor sends shockwaves through the wellness world and media elite: if even the longevity expert couldn’t escape the Epstein shadow, who else remains vulnerable?
In the polished studios of CBS News, where Dr. Peter Attia had recently been welcomed as a fresh expert voice on health, longevity, and preventive medicine, the celebrated physician—author of the bestselling book Outlive, host of the popular podcast The Drive, and a leading figure in the anti-aging movement—saw his emerging media role collapse overnight.
The trigger was the U.S. Department of Justice’s massive release of Jeffrey Epstein-related documents in late January 2026, part of the ongoing “Epstein files” disclosures. Attia’s name appeared over 1,700 times across the trove of millions of pages, including hundreds of emails exchanged with Epstein primarily from the mid-2010s through 2019—years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction in Florida for soliciting prostitution from a minor.
The correspondence revealed a surprisingly chummy relationship. Attia provided Epstein with medical advice, recommended tests, and arranged health-related arrangements. In one exchange, Attia lamented that he could not publicly share details of Epstein’s “outrageous” lifestyle. More disturbingly, the emails included crude, lewd banter, such as a 2016 message where Attia made a vulgar joke referring to female genitalia as “low carb,” followed by a quip about awaiting results on “gluten content.” Other messages showed playful scheduling of meetings and discussions veering into personal territory.
Attia has consistently maintained that he was never involved in any criminal activity, never visited Epstein’s private island, never flew on his plane, and was never present at any events involving sexual exploitation. In a lengthy statement posted on X on February 2, 2026, he expressed deep regret, describing some of the emails as “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible.” He apologized to his team, patients, and followers, accepting responsibility for putting himself in a position where such private communications could become public and cause humiliation.
The backlash was swift and intense. CBS News, which had announced Attia as a new contributor in late January under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’s push to diversify voices, pulled a planned rebroadcast of a 60 Minutes segment featuring him. Amid growing public outrage and scrutiny from fans and media critics, Attia resigned from his CBS News contributor role. His spokesman stated that the decision was made to prevent the Epstein association from becoming a “distraction” to the network’s work. The resignation took effect immediately, with Attia wishing CBS well but offering no further comment.
The episode marks another high-profile casualty in the 2026 “Epstein tsunami.” The DOJ’s release has exposed persistent ties between Epstein and figures across medicine, finance, politics, and media, leading to resignations, investigations, and reputational damage for those whose contacts extended well beyond Epstein’s initial conviction. For Attia, a physician whose brand is built on science-based health optimization and ethical living, the revelations have tainted his public image despite no evidence of wrongdoing in Epstein’s crimes.
At a time when wellness influencers and experts face heightened demands for personal integrity, Attia’s abrupt exit from one of America’s major networks highlights how associations from the past, once private, can now swiftly undermine even the most carefully constructed professional legacies in an era of unprecedented transparency.
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