Deadline

deadline.com · Feb 23, 2026 · Collected from GDELT

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Peter Attia no longer will be a CBS News contributor following disclosures of his communications with Jeffrey Epstein. Attia had been among the slate of new contributors announced by CBS News editor in chief Bari Weiss last month, as part of a new strategy for the news division. A network source said that he is now leaving. The Hollywood Reporter first reported on his departure. Attia’s emails with Epstein were part of the Justice Department’s release of millions of files last month, showing that he had extensive interactions with the convicted sex offender. Following the disclosure, Attia wrote on X on Feb. 2, “I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me. I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it.” A health influencer known for longevity medicine, Attia, in his post on X, said that he got to know Epstein because, earlier in his career, He “had little exposure to prominent people, and that level of access was novel to me. Everything about him seemed excessive and exclusive, including the fact that he lived in the largest home in all of Manhattan, owned a Boeing 727, and hosted parties with the most powerful and prominent leaders in business and politics.” He denied he participated or witnessed criminal activity. That said, there had been some question as to whether CBS News would sever ties with Attia. Weiss, an opinion journalist who launched the site The Free Press, had been a critic of “cancel culture,” or the online pressure campaigns that saw a number of prominent officials step down in the face of controversy over various comments or conduct. In one of the emails that drew the most attention, Attia sent Epstein a message on June 24, 2015 with the subject line, “Got a fresh shipment.” Epstein replied with the message, “Me too,” and a photo that was redacted. “Please tell you found that picture online…bastard,” Attia wrote. Epstein replied, “Fraid not.” Attia wrote, “You know 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 X post, Attia said that the redacted photo was of an adult woman, and that the “fresh shipment” was referring to bottles of metformin, “a medication I had just received from the pharmacy for my own use.”