CBS News staffers are furious after the network quietly decided to keep its new “star” contributor despite his ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Peter Attia, who joined the ranks of MAGA-curious editor-in-chief Bari Weiss’ CBS News last month, was exposed days later for his close relationship with Epstein, the disgraced financier who died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
The Justice Department’s latest tranche of Epstein-related documents named Attia, a self-anointed longevity expert, more than 1,700 times.
Attia, 52, faced swift backlash, including being ousted from several of his business ventures—but not at CBS, which remained silent amid the controversy.
Two weeks later, network staffers have concluded that Attia is staying, according to The Guardian. “Everyone internally unofficially concluded he was staying as of about a week ago,” one CBS News staffer told the outlet.
“We’re p—d off about it,” another added.
The decision followed reports of an internal battle at CBS, with Weiss rallying behind Attia and refusing to yield to the “mob.” Meanwhile, “the mob” raised concerns about a medical expert who maintained playful interactions with Epstein after the financier’s 2008 conviction for procuring a minor for prostitution.
Attia’s medical expertise included telling Epstein that “p---y” was low carb. He also fawned over the financier’s “outrageous” lifestyle and lamented that he could not disclose it to others.
What’s more, records released by the DOJ also revealed that Attia chose to meet with Epstein in New York in 2017 while ignoring pleas from his wife to come to the hospital where their infant son was being treated.
Weiss’ reported defense of Attia has put her at odds with billionaire Skydance owner David Ellison’s corporate advisers for the first time. Ellison—backed by his father, Oracle founder and Trump ally Larry Ellison—acquired Weiss’ anti-woke Substack for $150 million last October. Weiss was later installed as CBS News editor-in-chief, a move widely viewed as an attempt to placate Donald Trump. Last year, she greeted the president with a kiss.
For his part, Attia issued a lengthy statement earlier this month offering justifications and explanations—but little apology—for his relationship with Epstein. He described being awed by Epstein’s elite social connections, his private plane, and his ownership of “the largest home in all of Manhattan,” saying the financier’s lavish lifestyle led him to overlook Epstein’s 2008 conviction, which Attia said Epstein downplayed at the time as “prostitution-related charges.”
Attia’s critics have dubbed him as a “wellness grifter,” likening him to a snake-oil salesman–turned–podcaster who offers longevity advice through a $2,500 subscription service despite having limited formal medical training.
The Daily Beast has reached out to CBS and Attia for comment.
