Stephen Hawking Photographed with Bikini-Clad Women in Epstein Files Release
A newly uncovered photograph included in the Epstein files shows the late Professor Stephen Hawking posing with two women wearing bikinis. The groundbreaking British astrophysicist and cosmologist, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 76, appears grinning in the image, which was released this month by the US Department of Justice alongside millions of documents related to the convicted paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Details of the Photograph and Historical Context
No specific date or location is provided for the photograph, though many images accompanying it seem to have been taken on Epstein's private Little Saint James Island in the US Virgin Islands. Hawking is already documented to have visited this island in March 2006, attending a five-day physics conference on gravity with 20 other prominent scientists. At that time, Epstein had not yet been charged with any sexual offences.
Previous photographs from 2015 showed Hawking at a barbecue during this visit, seated in his wheelchair, and later participating in a submarine tour of the seabed around the island. The newly released image adds to this visual record, though it does not imply any misconduct by Hawking.
Hawking's Extensive Mentions in the Epstein Files
Hawking is referenced approximately 250 times throughout the Epstein files. It is crucial to note that being mentioned in these documents does not constitute an accusation of wrongdoing, and Dr. Hawking has never been accused of any crimes. His name appears in a 2015 email from Epstein to his associate, Ghislaine Maxwell, in which Epstein proposed offering a financial reward to friends or family of Virginia Giuffre.
The email suggested that the reward would be for anyone who could help disprove an allegation that Hawking had participated in an "underage orgy" in the Virgin Islands. Epstein wrote: "You can issue a reward to any of virginias friends acquaionts [sic] family that come forward and help prove her allegations are false. The strongest is the clinton dinner, and the new version in the virgin isalnds that stven hawking particpated in an underage orgy."
Virginia Giuffre, who famously accused Prince Andrew of sexual abuse, died by suicide in 2025. The release of these files continues to shed light on the connections and activities surrounding Epstein's network, though many details remain unverified and subject to ongoing scrutiny.
