Vanity Fair Publishes Epstein Profile — Abuse Allegations Removed

The March 2003 issue of Vanity Fair featured a lengthy profile of Jeffrey Epstein written by journalist Vicky Ward. The article, headlined as a portrait of an influential and enigmatic Wall Street figure, presented Epstein as a mysterious billionaire financier with an extraordinary client list and lavish homes.

The published profile focused heavily on Epstein’s wealth, connections, and social world — his Manhattan mansion, Palm Beach estate, private jet, and relationships with prominent figures including Prince Andrew and former President Bill Clinton. It was the first time a major American media outlet had given Epstein such sustained national attention.

What was not published proved equally, if not more, significant. Ward later disclosed that she had reported on and included accounts from women who described being sexually abused by Epstein, including one account from a woman who named herself publicly. Vanity Fair editor-in-chief Graydon Carter removed those sections before publication.

Carter has disputed aspects of Ward’s characterization. Whatever the editorial reasoning, the removal meant that the first major profile of Epstein contained no mention of what he was allegedly doing to young women.

The incident became a focal point of discussion about media complicity — or at minimum, media failure — in suppressing information about Epstein’s crimes while presenting him as a glamorous figure. Ward spoke extensively about the incident after Epstein’s 2019 arrest and has said she was pressured in various ways during and after reporting the piece.

The 2003 Vanity Fair article was thus a double monument: evidence of Epstein’s social ascendancy even then, and evidence that his crimes were known to some within elite media circles.