End Sexual Violence Now

This email exchange shows up in the DOJ's January 30, 2026 document dump released under the Epstein Files Transparency Act. It's dated December 3, 2015. The recipient's name is redacted, but the context points to a young woman in Epstein's circle who wanted to get into modeling.

When this email was sent, Gigi Hadid was 20 and Bella was 19. They'd already broken out as stars through IMG Models and built huge social media audiences. The recipient saw what they'd accomplished and couldn't figure out how they made it, thinking they came out of nowhere.

Epstein's first reply was vague. Then he made crude s*xual allegations about what the sisters supposedly did to reach success in modeling. When the woman wrote back "If they can, why couldn't I?", Epstein answered: "Because they follow directions, it's that simple."

Outlets including Thought Catalog, Yahoo, and The Tab have confirmed the email is real. It's in official DOJ records you can find at justice.gov.

Nothing in the Epstein files, victim statements, or any investigation links Gigi or Bella Hadid to Jeffrey Epstein in any capacity. There's no evidence they ever met him, spoke to him, or had anything to do with his crimes. This is the only time their names appear in the entire release. They've publicly said they had no connection to him.

What this email actually shows is how Epstein manipulated people. He used the same pattern with young women who wanted modeling careers: tear down successful women in their field, treat s*xual exploitation like a normal part of the business, present himself as the gatekeeper with all the access, and frame s*xual compliance as just the cost of making it.

The recipient clearly had no idea about the Hadids' real story. Yolanda Hadid modeled professionally in the Netherlands and across Europe during the 1980s and 90s with agency contracts and editorial credits. She went on to star in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills from 2012-2016, which gave the family serious visibility in LA just as her daughters were taking off. Mohamed Hadid is a wealthy Palestinian-American real estate developer known for building high-end homes in Los Angeles. The family had financial resources, industry ties, and the usual advantages in modeling.

Both sisters joined IMG Models around 2013-2014. Gigi's career blew up in 2014-2015 with campaigns for Guess and Tommy Hilfiger, major runway shows for Chanel and Versace, and huge Instagram traction at the perfect moment. Bella came up right behind her. By the time this email went out in late 2015, they were already walking top shows and landing magazine covers.

The modeling world does have real, documented problems with s*xual exploitation and transactional power dynamics. Epstein absolutely went after models using his ties to Victoria's Secret CEO Les Wexner. But this email doesn't prove a thing about the Hadid sisters. It proves how Epstein turned industry rumors and women's insecurities into grooming tools.

For Epstein, women could only succeed by s*xually submitting to men with power. He reduced two young women's real careers to vulgar gossip so he could convince the person reading his message that s*xual submission was her only option, too.

The email's blowing up right now because it captures his grooming process as it happened: separate the target from reality, tear down her self-worth, make exploitation seem standard, then position yourself as the answer.