Peter Attia, the prominent physician and longevity influencer known for his podcast, book Outlive, and focus on health optimization, has resigned from his role as a contributor to CBS News effective immediately.
The decision comes amid intense backlash following the recent release of additional Jeffrey Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice. These documents, which included over 1,700 references to Attia, revealed extensive email correspondence between him and the convicted sex offender between approximately 2014 and 2019, years after Epstein's 2008 guilty plea to charges involving a minor.
Attia, who had been hired in January as part of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss's effort to bring in high-profile voices for the network's coverage, never appeared on air in the role. A spokesman for Attia described the position as newly established and not yet meaningfully active, and stated that he stepped back to avoid becoming a distraction to the network's work.
The Epstein files exposed chummy and sometimes disturbing exchanges, including Attia providing medical advice to Epstein, crude and demeaning comments about women, jokes, and references to Epstein's lifestyle. In one notable exchange, Attia lamented that Epstein's "outrageous" life was something he couldn't share with others.