Health guru Peter Attia, who was brought to CBS News under the new leadership of editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, has resigned after correspondence between him and the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was released, according to reports.
Attia, a doctor known for his social media content on longevity, told CBS News he would resign effective immediately, The Hollywood Reporter and NBC News reported Monday.
Days after Attia was announced as a new CBS News contributor last month, crude emails between he and Epstein, who died by suicide in jail in 2019 while facing federal sex trafficking charges, were released by the Department of Justice. The emails were part of millions of documents the DOJ was compelled to release by the Epstein Files Transparency Act.
CBS News staff were told of Attia’s decision to step down as a contributor by the news division’s booking department Monday, according to reports.
Attia’s “contributor role was newly established and had not yet meaningfully begun,” the doctor’s spokesman told NBC News. “He stepped back to ensure his involvement didn’t become a distraction from the important work being done at CBS. He wishes the network and its leadership well and has no further comment at this time.”
The Independent has reached out to CBS News and Attia for comment.
Attia had kept in contact with Epstein years after the disgraced financier pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor in Florida in 2008.
In one email from February 2016, Attia told Epstein, “P**** is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten content, though.”
Following the emails’ release, Attia apologized and said he was “ashamed” of his behavior, but made clear he was not involved in any criminal activity.
“I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me. I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it,” Attia said in a message shared on X earlier this month.
Attia was announced as one of 19 new CBS News contributors by Weiss during a company meeting on January 27, the outlet reported at the time.
Weiss has faced scrutiny since becoming editor-in-chief, particularly over her decision to pull a 60 Minutes segment about Venezuelan migrants sent from the U.S. to CECOT, an El Salvadoran prison accused of having inhumane conditions. The segment aired nearly one month later.
