Peter Attia resigns from CBS News after Epstein messages spark controversy

A famous longevity doctor Peter Attia has resigned from his job as a contributor at CBS News after his messages with convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein became public. The news of his resignation was first reported by The Hollywood Reporter,.Attia had joined CBS News less than a month ago as one of 19 new contributors hired under editor-in-chief Bari Weiss to improve the network.

Just days after he joined, the US government released more than 3 million investigation files related to Epstein, which included Attia’s messages. These files showed that Attia and Epstein had many communications during the mid-2010s, even after Epstein had already pleaded guilty in 2008 to prostitution charges involving a minor, as stated by The Guardian.The messages suggested they had a friendly relationship, and Epstein sometimes asked Attia for medical advice.

Epstein files reveal messages

One 2016 message from Attia included a crude joke about female genitalia being “low carb,” which was mentioned in the documents. After the files became public, Attia posted a long apology on social media and also shared it with his team and patients. In his apology, Attia said he regretted putting himself in a situation where “embarrassing, tasteless and indefensible” emails became public. He also said he was not involved in any criminal activity and that his contact with Epstein had nothing to do with abuse or exploitation.


Attia said he had never visited Epstein’s island, flown on his plane, or attended any of his parties. After the controversy, Attia also stepped down from his role as Chief Science Officer at protein bar company David. Inside CBS News, some staff were unhappy that the network did not remove Attia quickly after the revelations. His name later disappeared from a list of new contributors shared internally by CBS executives. His resignation was officially shared with CBS booking department employees through an internal email on Monday.

CBS News staff reaction

A spokesperson for Attia said he stepped back because his role had just started and he did not want to become a distraction for CBS News. The spokesperson also said Attia wished the network well and had no further comments. Attia is well known as host of the podcast The Peter Attia Drive and author of the bestselling book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity. According to CNN, the newly released Epstein files also included personal and inappropriate messages exchanged between Attia and Epstein.

Attia faced strong backlash from fans after his name appeared in the Epstein documents. In another statement on X, Attia again said he never witnessed illegal behavior and never saw underage individuals around Epstein. Attia has not been accused of any crime in connection with Epstein. Earlier, Bari Weiss had praised Attia publicly and said he “cuts through noise” in the health industry, according to past comments. CBS News has not publicly commented on the resignation, according to CNN reporting.

FAQs

Q1. Why did Peter Attia resign from CBS News?

Peter Attia resigned after his old messages with Jeffrey Epstein became public and caused controversy.

Q2. Is Peter Attia accused of any crime in the Epstein case?

No, Peter Attia has not been accused of any crime and says he was not involved in any illegal activity.