The family of the late British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has strongly rejected suggestions of inappropriate behaviour after a photograph from the Jeffrey Epstein files surfaced showing him with two bikini-clad women.
A spokesperson for the Hawking family told the Mirror: “Professor Hawking made some of the greatest contributions to physics in the 20th century while being the longest-known survivor of motor neurone disease, a debilitating condition that left him reliant on a ventilator, voice synthesiser, wheelchair, and round-the-clock medical care. Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme.”
The women in the photo are believed to have been Hawking’s long-term carers, and the image was taken in 2006 at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in the US Virgin Islands, where Hawking delivered a speech on quantum cosmology. He was one of 21 leading scientists attending a conference hosted by Epstein on Little St. James Island and nearby St. Thomas.
Other images from the summit show Hawking at a barbecue with fellow attendees and touring the island’s seabed inside a submarine specially modified to accommodate his wheelchair due to motor neurone disease. Hawking was not photographed with Epstein at any point during the visit.
Despite being referenced at least 250 times in the millions of emails and documents released by the US Department of Justice in connection with Epstein, Hawking was never accused of any wrongdoing. Mention in the files does not constitute evidence of misconduct.
One email sent by Epstein in 2015 offered a financial reward to anyone who could disprove an unverified claim that Hawking had participated in an “underage orgy” in the Virgin Islands. The allegation appeared only in Epstein’s correspondence; no formal accusation was ever made by Virginia Giuffre or any other party.
Additionally, an unverified tip received by the FBI in 2019 claimed that Hawking and Epstein attended an “all-male” club in 2011. The Hawking family continues to categorically reject any insinuation of misconduct, emphasising the astrophysicist’s legacy of scientific achievement and his lifelong battle with motor neurone disease.
Stephen Hawking passed away in March 2018 at the age of 76.
