Elon Musk begged Jeffrey Epstein to attend “the wildest party” on his island—and now he’s desperately trying to convince everyone it’s all “fake news.”
WHAT’S GOING ON: According to the Daily Beast, New documents released by the Department of Justice show the world’s richest man frantically emailing the convicted sex trafficker, trying to secure an invite to his infamous Caribbean island. In a November 2012 exchange, Epstein asked Musk “how many people will you be for the heli to island.” Musk’s response? “Probably just Talulah and me. What day/night will be the wildest party on your island?”
That’s not a typo. Musk literally asked a registered sex offender—who had already pleaded guilty and served time for sex crimes in 2008—which night would be the “wildest.” He wanted in.
More emails from December 2013 show Musk continuing to coordinate a visit while vacationing in the British Virgin Islands and St. Bart’s. Epstein responded warmly: “any day 1st – 8th. play it by ear if you want. always space for you.” The trip only fell through because Epstein had a scheduling conflict. He wrote to Musk: “I was really looking forward to finally spending some time together with just fun as the agenda.”
BUT BUT BUT: Musk is in full damage control mode, flooding X (the platform he owns, conveniently) with excuses. He reposted a supporter who speculated he was too busy to actually visit the island, adding that he “worked most of the weekend too. Still do.” He called media coverage “Legacy media lies relentlessly.” He shared posts praising himself as a champion for children and Epstein’s victims.
In a particularly bold move, Musk tried to redirect attention entirely: “What matters is not release of some subset of the Epstein files, but rather the prosecution of those who committed heinous crimes with Epstein,” he posted. “When there is at least one arrest, some justice will have been done. If not, this is all performative. Nothing but a distraction.”
Of course, when asked why he was the only one among named figures calling for prosecutions, Musk replied about the others: “Because they are guilty.” (For the record, Bill Clinton, Reid Hoffman, and Steve Bannon have all publicly called for full release of the files.)
THE DETAILS: Musk’s own daughter, Vivian Wilson, isn’t buying her father’s spin. She confirmed on Threads that the family was indeed in St. Bart’s at the time specified in the emails. “I can confirm we were in St Barth’s at the time specified in the emails, and therefore I believe they are authentic,” she wrote.
She added: “This has basically already been confirmed through his attempts to paint them as out of context (denial is a river in Egypt). I knew nothing about the e-mails previously so I’m learning about everything at the same time as y’all.”
WHY IT MATTERS: Musk has spent years positioning himself as the arbiter of truth on his social media platform, using it to amplify conspiracy theories and attack journalists. He’s relentlessly pushed for releasing Epstein files—apparently confident his own name wouldn’t surface in them. Now that it has, he’s deploying the exact playbook he mocks others for: cry “fake news,” deflect to other people, and flood the zone with distractions.
A lawyer for Musk did not immediately respond to request for comment.