Celebrity doctor Peter Attia’s friendly, raunchy Epstein emails rattle his fans

By Leah Asmelash, CNN

(CNN) — On Tuesday of last week, CBS News announced a slate of 19 new contributors, part of ongoing efforts by its recently installed editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss, to revamp the network’s public profile. Among the names — “all experts in their fields,” as CBS put it — was Dr. Peter Attia, a celebrity doctor specializing in longevity medicine.

Three days later, the Department of Justice released a new trove of documents from the Jeffrey Epstein files, which included a friendly and salacious correspondence between Attia and the convicted sexual predator. In one particularly crude response, Attia wrote: “P*ssy is, indeed, low-carb. Still awaiting results on gluten content, though.”

Some of Attia’s fans have expressed disgust since the emails were made public. One fan on Reddit, who said they learned “a lot” from Attia’s work over the years, called him a “morally bankrupt, social climbing, Egomaniac.” Attia’s most recent Instagram post was flooded with angry replies, including one from an influencer and retired nurse which read “YOU HAVE A DAUGHTER.” Another from a former follower said: “Wish I could get back every penny I spent on your book and recommending you to people. You make me sick.”

Attia has a small, if expensive, medical practice, called Early Medical, with a waitlist for patients to join. As of 2025, he told CBS’ “60 Minutes” he saw fewer than 75 patients. He did not disclose the exact price of his services, just that he charged “closer to $100,000 than $500,000.”

But his interest in lengthening life has made him a prominent name in the last few years. His appearances have included spots on “The Joe Rogan Experience” and on CNN International, where he was interviewed by Becky Anderson about how technology is changing health. He was also interviewed by Oprah, where the two chatted about “living better for longer.” That video, which had been viewable earlier this week on YouTube, is no longer publicly available.

And before Weiss took over at CBS News, he spoke with her for her podcast, “Honestly.” In that interview, Weiss said Attia “consistently cuts through all that noise” in the health and wellness industry.

In a statement posted to X on Monday, Attia said he “was not involved in any criminal activity,” had “nothing to do with (Epstein’s) sexual abuse or exploitation of anyone,” and he was never “present at any sex parties.” Attia has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

“To be clear, I never witnessed illegal behavior and never saw anyone who appeared underage in his presence,” he wrote.

As of Tuesday, CBS News has reportedly pulled a planned rebroadcast of a “60 Minutes” segment featuring Attia from October that was expected to air against the Super Bowl, The Guardian first reported. The network is also possibly weighing Attia’s dismissal, TheWrap reported.

Attia and CBS News did not respond to CNN’s requests for comment.

From residency dropout to bestseller

In the last few years, Attia has become a household name for those curious about longevity medicine, the science behind extending one’s lifespan while protecting health and vigor. He calls his program “Medicine 3.0” — which he says uses medical technology to fight chronic diseases associated with aging before their onset, focusing on prevention rather than treatment.

Before he became a scientific health guru to the wealthy, Attia graduated from Stanford University’s School of Medicine and trained at Johns Hopkins Hospital as a resident in general surgery. But he quit residency in 2006 with two years left, according to his 2025 “60 Minutes” appearance, and went to work for the consulting firm McKinsey & Company.

He opened his own private practice in 2014 and focused on preventative medicine and longevity. He built out his brand by blogging, with articles like “Is sugar toxic?,” and posting early YouTube videos focused on body weight exercises and proper form. In 2023, he shot to mainstream fame with his book “Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity,” a bestseller that touts how to extend one’s lifespan before diseases such as Alzheimer’s, cancer or type 2 diabetes strike.

That book, co-authored with Bill Gifford, has sold more than 3 million copies. Now, Attia has more than 3 million followers combined across X, Instagram and YouTube, and has drawn the interests of high-profile names like billionaire Bill Ackman and Hollywood elites Hugh Jackman and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Attia’s signature approach involves discussing science in deep detail. In recent episodes of his podcast, “The Peter Attia Drive,” which run nearly two hours apiece, he brings in other doctors or accredited health researchers to discuss topics like seed oils versus saturated fats, going into the histories of each fat and explaining the associated studies, and examined what research has said about whether Tylenol has any effects on pregnancy.

Though these are hot topics among the Trump administration’s “Make America Healthy Again” movement, Attia avoids sweeping claims in favor of measured conclusions. In the case of Tylenol and pregnancy, for example, he described the chance that taking acetaminophen would cause a child to develop autism, as Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has warned against, as a “low-probability event.”

Still, his focus on exercise and self-optimization has made him popular in the bro-first precincts of the “manosphere.”

Associations with Epstein

In his statement, Attia said he met Epstein in 2014 while raising funds for scientific research – a common practice for Epstein, who had ties across academia. Between 2014 and 2019, the two met on “approximately seven or eight occasions” at Epstein’s home in New York, he wrote.

Attia’s name appears many times in the Epstein files released on Friday, including in emails that cover scheduling visits, phone calls, back pain and an unspecified “little ‘situation’” Attia sought advice about. Throughout the emails, Attia appears in awe of Epstein, attempting to make plans to chat or visit.

In one email thread, from 2015 with the subject line “Got a fresh shipment,” Epstein replies “me too” with the attached photo redacted. The exchange continues:

Attia: “Please tell you found that picture on line…bastard”

Epstein: “fraid not”

Attia: “You the biggest problem with becoming friends with you? The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can’t tell a soul.”

In his statement, Attia said the “fresh shipment” was bottles of metformin, a medication he’d received. Epstein’s response included a photo of an adult woman, Attia stated, and what followed was “crude, tasteless banter.” He called the exchange, “very embarrassing, and I will not defend it.”

He also borrowed an apartment from Epstein in 2016, writing to Epstein’s assistant: “I go into JE withdrawal when I don’t see him…”

Later that same year, he wrote directly to Epstein: “I miss you!” and “Maybe I need to visit you” in Palm Beach. In a separate email, he wrote about Epstein’s private island, saying “I need to visit some time…” In his statement, Attia said he never went to Epstein’s island.

Then came the “P*ssy is, indeed, low carb” line, also sent in 2016.

“I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public,” Attia said in his statement.

Some content, like the email referencing a vagina, “is disturbing,” wrote Dr. Jen Gunter, an Ob/gyn, on Substack, “and well outside anything most physicians would consider appropriate to email someone required to register as a sex offender because they had coerced a minor into prostitution.”

Attia has stepped down from his role as chief science officer at David Protein, a popular brand of protein bars, its CEO Peter Rahal said on X. AG1, a powdered supplement brand, also no longer employs Attia as an adviser to the company, according to a statement.

In his Monday statement, Attia said he was “nauseated” when he read the November 2018 Miami Herald article about the systemic protections provided to Epstein when federal prosecutors gave him a nonprosecution agreement in 2008, in exchange for pleading guilty to prostitution charges in Florida state court. He told Epstein he needed to take responsibility, according to his statement, and insisted that Epstein fund the care the victims would need.

According to the files, less than a week after the story’s publication, Attia spoke with Epstein in an email thread titled “are you in FL?” After mentioning work stresses, Attia asked, “What is fallout from recent story?” There was no response from Epstein included in that series of emails.

“I am not asking for a pass from you. I am not asking anyone to ignore the emails or pretend they aren’t ugly. They simply are,” Attia wrote in his statement Monday. “The man I am today, roughly ten years later, would not write them and would not associate with Epstein at all. Whatever growth I’ve had over the past decade does not erase the emails I wrote then.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2026 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.