Several celebrities are addressing their connection to Jeffrey Epstein following the release of files connected to the late convicted sex offender.
Epstein was arrested in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking and conspiracy to traffic minors. He pleaded not guilty to the charges. Before the case went to trial, Epstein died in a New York jail. His death was ruled a suicide.
Seven years later, a series of documents titled the Epstein Files were released by the United States Department of Justice. The files have been released in multiple batches. Many stars including Prince Andrew, J.K. Rowling, Bill Gates, Whoopi Goldberg, Naomi Campbell and more were mentioned in the controversial legal documents.
Keep scrolling to see what some celebrities have said about being named in the Epstein Files:
Whoopi Goldberg
During a February 2026 episode of The View, Whoopi Goldberg set the record straight on why her name was mentioned in a new release of the Epstein Files.
“In the name of transparency, my name is in the files, yes!” the Oscar winner said. “And what does it say? ‘Whoopi needs a plane to get to Monaco. John Lennon’s charity is paying for it.’ It should say Julian’s Charity. ‘They don’t want to charter, so they are looking for private owners. Here’s the info,’ and they give all the information and they are saying do you want to offer your G2?”
Goldberg clarified that she and Jeffrey Epstein were not friends at any point in her life.
“I wasn’t his girlfriend. I wasn’t his friend,” she said. “I’m speaking about me because I’m getting dragged. People actually believe that I was with him. Honey, come on. Every man I’ve been with, you’ve known about him because either the Enquirer wrote about it. People wrote about this stuff.”
The actress also added that she never got on Epstein’s plane because she is afraid of flying.
Naomi Campbell
Naomi Campbell’s name appeared in the Epstein Files in emails, schedules and call sheets written by Jeffrey Epstein’s assistants. The model released a statement via her lawyer denying she had any knowledge of Epstein’s crimes.
“Prior to Epstein’s 2019 arrest in New York, my client knew nothing about his appalling criminal conduct,” Campbell’s lawyer, Martin Singer, wrote in the statement to Black Enterprise in February 2026. “If my client had ever encountered any young woman whom she thought was being victimized by Epstein, she would have personally taken immediate action to help her.”
Tony Hawk
In one portion of the Epstein Files, Tony Hawk was mentioned in an email saying he got married on Jeffrey Epstein’s private island. However, the skateboarder clarified that he was never married on the island and explained the confusion came from his 2006 wedding to ex-wife Lhotse Merriam.
“One of the guests in 2006 shot photos of the Fiji ceremony and licensed them to Getty Images,” Hawk explained. “His name is [coincidentally] Mark Epstein. An accomplished action sports photographer from Wyoming and of no relation to Jeffrey Epstein (who I never met and whose island I never visited). This is all easily verifiable information. Facts are not fungible.”
Jon Stewart
Jon Stewart addressed himself being mentioned in the Epstein Files during a February 2026 episode of The Daily Show.
“Of course, to get ahead of the story, I am also in the files. We all searched our names, right?” the host quipped before explaining how his name appeared in an email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and producer Barry Josephson. “I take you to the scene: It is midnight, Aug. 29, 2015. Jeffrey Epstein lies wide awake, his mind turning with ideas.”
Stewart shared that Epstein and Josephson were having a discussion about the next career move for someone named “Woody.” Epstein suggested that Woody should “do a new stand-up routine for either Apple TV or Amazon.”
“Jeffrey Epstein always had his finger on the pulse of what America was clamoring for in 2015!” Stewart joked. “But Barry Josephson, thinking like the out-of-the-box television professional that he was, pitched this idea. This is true, quote: ‘Make a true biographical experience with his stand-up being the capper. Somebody like Jon Stewart could host/narrate the biographical part.’”
Stewart continued. “Excuse me? I am offended! Somebody like Jon Stewart, or Jon Stewart?! My point is, do I have the offer, or is this an audition?”
Bill Gates
Bill Gates expressed his regrets for being connected to Jeffrey Epstein after being mentioned in the Epstein Files in February 2026. In the files, Epstein alleged in an unsent email that Gates had sexual relations with two “Russian girls” and got a sexually transmitted infection. Gates denied the allegations.
“Apparently, Jeffrey wrote an email to himself. That email was never sent,” Gates told 9 News Australia at the time. “The email is false. I don’t know what his thinking was there. Was he trying to attack me in some way?”
Gates added, “Every minute I spent with him, I regret, and I apologize that I did that.”
The tech founder also claimed he never visited Epstein’s island.
“I never went to the island, I never met any women,” he told the outlet. “And so, the more that comes out, the more clear it’ll be that, although the time was a mistake, it had nothing to do with that kind of behavior.”
Later that month, Gates addressed his staff during a Gates Foundation company town hall.
“It was a huge mistake to spend time with Epstein,” Gates said, per a recording obtained by The Wall Street Journal. “I apologize to other people who are drawn into this because of the mistake that I made.”
Gates claimed that he never did or saw anything “illicit” while spending time with Epstein. “To be clear, I never spent any time with victims, the women around him,” Gates alleged.
A Gates Foundation spokesperson told the outlet that Gates hosts town hall meetings with his staff twice a year. The statement noted that Gates “spoke candidly, addressing several questions in detail, and took responsibility for his actions” at this meeting.
Joy Behar
During a February 2026 episode of The View, Joy Behar explained why her name could be found in the files.
“That list has a lot of crazy names on it. It’s almost a way to muddy the waters,” Behar shared during the show’s Hot Topics segment. “So you say Whoopi [Goldberg’s] on the list and so am I, I think. We’re on the list because we were at a party or a wedding or something that somebody [else] might’ve been [at]. That’s what I found out.”
Behar continued, “I was at [Donald] Trump‘s wedding to Marla [Maples]. Maybe Epstein was there too? Who knows! That means that I’m not guilty, obviously, but these other ones, how are you going to decide who’s guilty and who’s not? It’s very tricky.”
