Stephen Hawking Epstein Files Ties: A fresh photograph has recently resurfaced online shows the late theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking seated between two bikini-clad women has sparked widespread attention online, as discussions around his past association with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have re-emerged.
The image reported by the Daily Mail, shows Hawking reclining on a blue lounge chair in what appears to be a resort setting. He is seen smiling and holding a red cocktail, seated between two women whose faces were redacted in documents released by the US Department of Justice (DOJ).
The photograph is believed to have been taken in 2006 during a scientific symposium at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel, St Thomas, where Hawking delivered a lecture on quantum cosmology, according to a representative of the Hawking estate. He was among 21 scientists who travelled to St Thomas and visited Epstein’s 75-acre private island, Little Saint James, as part of the event, the Daily Mail reported.
In response to speculation surrounding the image, Hawking’s family clarified that the two women pictured were his professional caregivers. They stated that the women were Hawking’s “long-term carers from the UK," who supported him throughout much of his adult life as he lived with motor neurone disease (ALS). The degenerative condition left him reliant on a wheelchair, ventilator, voice synthesiser and continuous medical care.
“Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme," said the spokesperson for the Hawking family.
While the Hawking estate declined to comment on who captured the photograph or how it was included in the Epstein-related files, it reiterated that any claims suggesting misconduct were unfounded.
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The image resurfaced as part of broader public examination of court records and communications released by the DOJ in connection with Epstein. Hawking’s name reportedly appears more than 250 times in the compiled documents, which include contact logs, court filings and email exchanges tied to the financier.
In one email dated 2015, Epstein referred to a claim that Hawking had participated in an “underage orgy" in the Virgin Islands and described the allegation as false, indicating efforts to dismiss the accusation.
The renowned physicist, best known for his pioneering research on black holes and general relativity, reshaped modern cosmology through his groundbreaking work. Hawking never faced formal charges or accusations of misconduct during his lifetime. He died in March 2018 at the age of 76, more than five decades after being diagnosed with early-onset ALS.