Overview
- - The U.S. Department of Justice released new Epstein materials that include a photograph of Stephen Hawking seated between two women in bikinis.
- - A Hawking family spokesperson said the women were his long‑term caregivers and that the image was taken at the Ritz‑Carlton in the U.S. Virgin Islands in 2006.
- - The documents indicate Hawking’s name appears about 250 times, mostly connected to his participation in a 2006 Epstein‑funded science conference in St. Thomas and nearby Little Saint James.
- - Emails in the archive describe Virginia Giuffre naming Hawking in an allegation, which Epstein denied while discussing paying associates to help rebut the claim.
- - Multiple outlets note there are no court records charging Hawking in relation to Epstein’s crimes, even as tabloids republished the photo and it spread widely on social media.