Newly hired CBS News contributor Peter Attia is reportedly secure in his position, despite recent revelations that Attia was close to and had exchanged lewd messages with accused sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein.
The Guardian reported on Monday that CBS insiders believe the messages between Attia and Epstein that have surfaced haven’t dissuaded CBS News Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss from keeping the self-described longevity expert on board, even if it creates a bad look for the increasingly right-wing network.
Attia was one of 19 newly hired contributors announced by Weiss in January, even as longtime journalists left the network while protesting the shift to Trump-friendly content.
A CBS staffer told the outlet, “Everyone internally unofficially concluded he was staying as of about a week ago.”
In one 2015 email to Epstein, 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...”
Attia also told one of Epstein’s assistants, “I go into JE withdrawal when I don't see him.”
In 2016—eight years after Epstein had been jailed for soliciting a minor for sex—Attia wrote to him, “Pussy is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten content, though.”
Epstein also seemingly allowed Attia to stay at one of his apartments, and Attia wrote a 2016 email thanking Epstein for the favor.
As part of the trove of Epstein-related documents that the Justice Department has released, several email exchanges were found between Epstein and Weiss’ wife, Nellie Bowles. In one strange exchange, Epstein joked with Bowles about Bill Cosby, who was convicted of sexual assault.
Attia’s hiring and the new disclosures are another stain on Weiss’ short tenure leading CBS News. Just last week, network producer Alicia Hastey quit her job and revealed that, under Weiss, stories are being “evaluated not just on their journalistic merit but on whether they conform to a shifting set of ideological expectations.”
Weiss has also come under fire for preventing the network from airing stories that would make the Trump administration uncomfortable. In December, a story discussing harsh conditions at a Salvadoran prison, a favored destination for Trump’s deportation operations, was shelved hours before it was supposed to air.
CBS parent company Paramount also paid millions to Trump to settle a frivolous lawsuit, and soon afterward, the administration approved Paramount’s merger with Skydance. Congressional Democrats have called the exchange “suspicious and troubling,” with many calling it a “bribe.”
Oliver Willis February 16, 2026 at 10:30PM From Daily Kos
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