Prominent physician Peter Attia is stepping down as a CBS News contributor amid increased scrutiny over his email exchanges with the late convicted criminal Jeffrey Epstein.
Attia, known for his social media content on longevity science, told CBS he intended to resign effective immediately, and the news station’s reservations department notified CBS News staff on Monday, the people said.
A spokesperson for Attia said in a statement that his “role as a contributor is newly established and has not yet meaningfully begun.”
“As such, he has stepped back to ensure his involvement does not interfere with the important work being done at CBS. He wishes the network and its leadership success and has no further comment at this time,” the spokesperson added.
Attia’s name appears frequently in a cache of Epstein files released by the Justice Department earlier this month. In the 2010s, the two exchanged jokes, scheduled meetings and talked about the late financier’s health, documents show.
Atia has not been charged with any crime.
In a February 2016 message, Attia made a crude joke about her genitals being “low carb.”
In a lengthy post in X magazine on February 2nd, Attia claimed that “my interactions with Mr. Epstein had nothing to do with sexual abuse or exploitation of anyone.”
“I have never been involved in any criminal activity,” Attia said in the post, adding: “I have never been on a plane, never been on an island, never attended a sex party.”
“I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails (some of which were embarrassing, in bad taste, and inexcusable) were made public. It is my responsibility. I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it,” Attia wrote.
Epstein was convicted in Florida on child prostitution charges in 2008 and died in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex trafficking charges.
Attia is the author of the best-selling book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity and host of the popular podcast The Peter Attia Drive. He is a leading expert on longevity science, a medical philosophy centered on ways to extend life.
He was part of a group of contributors recruited in January by CBS News editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who was hired by Paramount Skydance chief David Ellison to “revitalize” the network’s news division.
Weiss’ stable of contributors also includes historian Niall Ferguson and wellness influencer Andrew Huberman.
