Longevity expert Peter Attia leaves CBS News amid Epstein email fallout
Longevity expert Dr. Peter Attia has resigned as a contributor to CBS News following the public release of his past email exchanges with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A spokesperson for Attia said his role at CBS was newly established and had not fully begun. “He stepped back to ensure his involvement didn’t become a distraction from the important work being done at CBS. He wishes the network well and has no further comment at this time,” the statement read. CBS has not issued a comment on his departure. Attia has not been accused of any wrongdoing in connection with Epstein.
Earlier this month, CBS pulled a “60 Minutes” segment featuring Attia from a repeat airing after emails between him and Epstein were released by the Department of Justice as part of the Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell files. The emails included exchanges that Attia has described as “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible,” though he has stressed they were never connected to any criminal activity or sexual exploitation.
In a public statement, Attia detailed that he first met Epstein in 2014 through a female health leader while raising funds for scientific research. He said he met Epstein on roughly seven or eight occasions in New York City, only for professional purposes or to meet other scientists and business leaders, and never visited Epstein’s private island, ranch, or flew on his planes. Attia confirmed he asked Epstein directly about his 2008 conviction and acknowledged he was “naïve to believe him” regarding the seriousness of the charges.
Attia also addressed a June 2015 email to Epstein showing a shipment of metformin, to which Epstein responded with a photograph of an adult woman. “I responded with crude, tasteless banter,” Attia said. “Reading that exchange now is very embarrassing, and I will not defend it. I’m ashamed of myself for everything about this.”
His resignation comes amid a wave of public scrutiny over individuals mentioned in the DOJ Epstein files. Being named in the documents is not evidence of criminal wrongdoing, and no one in the files has faced charges solely due to their inclusion. Attia was part of a group of new CBS contributors recruited by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss following a merger between CBS’s parent companies.
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