Peter Attia leaves CBS News contributor role amid fallout from Epstein files

BREAKING NEWS Updated 10 minutes ago Epstein files Peter Attia leaves CBS News contributor role amid fallout from Epstein files The wellness influencer's name appears frequently in a cache of Epstein files released by the Justice Department earlier this month. Peter Attia at the SXSW Conference in 2025. Renee Dominguez / SXSW Conference via Getty Images file Share Add NBC News to Google Feb. 23, 2026, 2:30 PM EST / Updated Feb. 23, 2026, 2:35 PM EST By Daniel Arkin Listen to this article with a free account 00:00 00:00 The celebrity doctor Peter Attia is stepping down as a contributor to CBS News amid growing scrutiny on his email exchanges with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein . Attia, best known for his social media content about longevity science, told CBS he would resign from the position effective immediately, and the news division's booking department informed CBS News staff Monday, according to a source familiar with the matter. In a statement, a spokesman for Attia said his "contributor role was newly established and had not yet meaningfully begun." "As such," the spokesman added, "he stepped back to ensure his involvement didn’t become a distraction from the important work being done at CBS. He wishes the network and its leadership well and has no further comment at this time." Attia's name appears frequently in a cache of Epstein files released by the Justice Department earlier this month. In the 2010s, according to the files, the two men traded jokes, arranged times to meet and chatted about the late financier's health. Attia has not been accused of any crimes. In a message in February 2016, Attia made a crude joke that female genitalia was "low carb." In a lengthy post on X on Feb. 2 , Attia insisted that his "interactions with Epstein had nothing to do with his sexual abuse or exploitation of anyone." "I was not involved in any criminal activity," Attia said in the post, adding that he was "never on his plane, never on his island, and nev...