Gigi Hadid has addressed how “disturbing” it has been to see her name appear in documents connected to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Over recent months, the Department of Justice has made public millions of pages tied to the late financier, who died by suicide in 2019 after being found dead in his jail cell in Manhattan.
The release of the material has prompted scrutiny of various figures, including Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, who was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office in February.
It’s important to note that appearing in the Epstein files does not automatically indicate that a person has committed any wrongdoing.
Hadid and her sister Bella were referenced in the documents after a redacted person wrote in a December 2015 email exchange: “How did the Hadid sisters became models and make so much money?! I don’t understand…”
Epstein responded: ‘You know’, after which the unidentified person claimed the sisters’ father, Mohamed Hadid, had ‘paid’ the agency.
Epstein replied with ‘no’, then added: “Because they follow directions, it’s that simple.”
In a recent Instagram post, Gigi pushed back against any implication her career was bought, saying she was raised by her parents to understand the “value of hard work”.
“The same hard work that got them to this country and gave them careers,” she wrote.
“To be named in those files, I think I was 20-21 at the time he would have written that email – is disturbing, and I want to state unequivocally that I have never had any affiliation with that disgusting human being.”
Her comments followed a message from a social media user last month who said they “had to unfollow” her because she hadn’t publicly addressed being mentioned in the Epstein files.
Hadid replied that the documents “made me sick to my stomach”.
“Horrible to read someone you’ve never met speak about you that way. Especially in this context,” the 30-year-old added in a message posted on March 30.
“I didn’t comment because I don’t want to take away from the stories of real victims of his; but your comment made me realize maybe its not clear—and it’s important to let you know.”
Epstein was facing charges shortly before his death, including sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of minors. He had previously been convicted in 2008 of soliciting a minor for prostitution and procuring a child for prostitution, serving 13 months in jail.
If you’ve been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.