Dr. Peter Attia stepped aside from his newly established CBS News contributor role after correspondence between him and Jeffrey Epstein became public, triggering backlash inside and outside the network. The move came days after CBS announced a broader contributor expansion tied to a newsroom restructure led by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.
The scrutiny escalated after a U.S. Justice Department document release on January 30, 2026, in which Attia’s name appeared repeatedly. The files included mid-2010s messages described as friendly, including instances where Epstein sought medical advice. Some exchanges were characterized as crude and Attia later said parts of the email record were embarrassing and indefensible.
In a lengthy public apology shared with his team and patients, Peter Attia denied involvement in criminal activity and said his interactions had nothing to do with Epstein’s abuse or exploitation of anyone. He also stated he never flew on Epstein’s plane or visited his island. On February 2, 2026, he reiterated those points on X and said he was ashamed of the tone of the messages.
The reporting also framed the departure as preemptive, noting internal distancing before the resignation became public:
- His name was omitted from a circulated contributor contact list
- Staff learned of the change via a booking-department email
