A photograph released in a recent tranche of US Justice Department materials related to Jeffrey Epstein has prompted renewed scrutiny of the late British astrophysicist Stephen Hawking, after the image showed him reclining on a sunbed between two women wearing bikinis whose identities were blacked out in the document release.
Hawking’s family has since moved to clarify the circumstances of the picture, saying the two women were long-term carers who travelled with him from the UK and were part of the round-the-clock medical support he required as his motor neurone disease progressed. A representative for the family told the Mirror: “Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme.”
The image, which circulated widely after appearing in the files, shows Hawking smiling while holding a drink, with the two women on either side also holding cocktails. The Department of Justice release did not identify the women and did not provide a caption detailing where or when it was taken. The lack of context led to speculation online, despite no allegation being made in the release that Hawking committed any crime or knew of criminal activity.
According to reporting based on the Hawking family’s account and on contemporaneous records of his travel, the picture dates to 2006 during a visit to the US Virgin Islands when Hawking was among a group of scientists invited to a physics meeting held on St Thomas. The event is widely associated with a conference titled “The Energy of Empty Space That Isn’t Zero,” which brought together more than 20 researchers for a programme of talks and informal discussion. The gathering has been the subject of public attention in the past because it was funded and hosted by Epstein, who cultivated relationships with academics and other high-profile figures for years before his 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution from a minor and his later federal indictment in 2019 on sex trafficking charges, which he denied before his death in custody.
Hawking, who died in 2018, lived for decades with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or motor neurone disease, after being diagnosed in his early 20s. As the disease advanced, he relied on a ventilator and a speech-generating device, and required full-time assistance for daily care and travel. His family has pointed to that reality in pushing back against claims circulating online, arguing that the photograph has been used to imply misconduct where none has been established.
The same Justice Department release that included the bikini photograph also contained other images and references involving Hawking from the 2006 trip, including pictures showing him in the company of other scientists and, in at least one instance, on a submarine excursion in the waters near Epstein’s private island, Little Saint James. The existence of those images has fuelled renewed debate about how Epstein used scientific philanthropy and elite networking to draw prominent names into his orbit, often years before his criminal conduct became widely known.
Hawking’s appearance in the files sits alongside older material that has circulated publicly since early 2024, when US court documents connected to litigation involving Epstein’s former associate Ghislaine Maxwell were unsealed. In one email contained in those records, Epstein discussed the possibility of offering a reward to anyone who could disprove allegations made by Virginia Giuffre, an accuser who said she was trafficked by Epstein and Maxwell as a teenager, claims Maxwell has denied. In that email, Epstein described what he believed were the “strongest” allegations and referenced Hawking by name. The email stated: “The strongest is the Clinton dinner, and the new version in the Virgin Islands that Stephen Hawking participated in an underage orgy.”
The email has been repeatedly cited online as evidence of wrongdoing by Hawking. However, it is an assertion made by Epstein about what he said Giuffre alleged, rather than a finding by a court or law enforcement body, and Hawking was never charged with any offence connected to Epstein. Hawking’s family has said such insinuations are baseless. Public reporting at the time of the unsealed documents also noted that being named in records connected to Epstein does not itself establish criminal conduct.
The 2006 conference has been described in contemporaneous online posts and later commentary as a retreat-style meeting combining formal scientific presentations with opportunities for informal discussion. One account of the event published in 2006 described it as a chance for attendees to “meet, discuss, relax on the beach,” and to visit a “nearby private island retreat” linked to Epstein’s funding. The meeting included sessions on cosmology and the puzzle of dark energy, topics that were central to Hawking’s work and to the broader theoretical physics community.
For Hawking, the visit was part of his continuing role as one of the world’s most recognisable scientists, whose public standing extended well beyond academia. Best known for his 1988 book A Brief History of Time, Hawking became a global figure through his research on black holes and the origins of the universe, as well as through his public lectures and media appearances. Even as his physical limitations became severe, he continued to travel with assistance and to participate in conferences, often with teams of carers managing logistics and medical needs.
The Hawking family’s intervention reflects concern that a single image, detached from its context, has been used to imply something improper about a man who, by the final decades of his life, could not speak without technology and required constant care. The family’s statement, delivered through a representative, underscored both his scientific legacy and the degree of disability he lived with, framing the photograph as a snapshot from a trip in which carers accompanied him as part of routine support, not as evidence of any inappropriate behaviour.
The renewed attention also comes amid wider debate in the United States about the release of Epstein-related records, including disputes over the pace and scope of disclosures and the treatment of redactions that conceal personal data. The Justice Department has released batches of material over time, with names and identifying details sometimes withheld. In the Hawking photograph, the women’s faces were blocked, leaving viewers unable to determine who they were without additional information.
Online reaction has ranged from conspiracy-driven allegations to calls for caution, with some social media users pointing out that Epstein’s connections encompassed a broad network and that appearance in a photograph or travel itinerary is not, by itself, proof of wrongdoing. The release has nonetheless revived interest in how Epstein blended legitimate philanthropy, social prestige, and access to influential circles, including elite universities and scientific institutions, while allegedly committing crimes.
Hawking’s family has sought to draw a clear line between documented attendance at a conference and any suggestion of criminality. Their position, echoed by past reporting that Hawking was never accused in court proceedings or criminal charges connected to Epstein, is that the photograph’s implications are being exaggerated and distorted. The representative’s statement calling insinuations “wrong and far-fetched in the extreme” is intended to close down speculation that has flourished in the absence of a caption or official explanation attached to the image itself.
As the Epstein files continue to be examined and debated, Hawking’s appearance in them illustrates a recurring pattern in the public response: the tendency for partial records and provocative images to prompt sweeping conclusions. In this case, the family says the reality is straightforward. The women beside Hawking were carers. The setting was a 2006 trip linked to a scientific conference in the US Virgin Islands. And despite his name appearing in documents connected to Epstein, Hawking has not been shown to have engaged in wrongdoing.
