Epstein's Disgraced Publicist Peggy Siegal Coordinated a PR smear campaign against Virginia Roberts Giuffre.
Newly unsealed emails reveal the depths of Siegal’s collaboration with the convicted sex offender, including creepy emails to Epstein describing her own daughter's physical appearance.
In the summer of 2011, Virginia Roberts Giuffre went public with explosive allegations that Jeffrey had “loaned” her out—at the age of 17—to Prince Andrew.
Epstein turned to his longtime New York publicist and “friend” Peggy Siegal, to help destroy Giuffre.
Siegal was one of Hollywood’s most sought after publicists, referred to as the “PR Maven.”
Siegal was known for her campaigns on blockbuster movies including E.T., Top Gun, Moonstruck, and The Untouchables. Her clients included A-listers and major studios.
But her career was disrupted in 2019, when the New York Times1 and The Hollywood Reporter2 exposed her relationship with Jeffrey Epstein. She was described as one of Epstein’s powerful female friends who served as one of his “social guarantors” and a “gatekeeper for A-list events.”
Siegal lost major studio clients including Netflix, FX Network, and Annapura Pictures. She told The Hollywood Reporter that Epstein had said he “served his time” and assured her he had “changed his ways.”
Siegal rebounded a bit. Her enablers said she was unfairly ostracized. Little was publicly known about the extent of Siegal’s relationship with the pedophile until this week when Congress released more emails from the Epstein investigation.
The emails show Epstein instructing Siegal in 2011 to push a smear story portraying his victim Virginia Roberts Giuffre as a “total liar” with a “long criminal record.” Epstein even dangled royal perks: “you and i will be able to go to Ascot for the rest of our lives.”
Siegal’s reply was immediate: “If you rewrite your last email in better grammar . . . I can cut and paste and send it to Arianna Huffington from me.”
This was not a one-off favor. The newly released emails and reporting paint a shocking relationship in which Siegal repeatedly whitewashed Epstein’s image, threw lavish parties for royalty at his mansion, and helped rehabilitate him — all while he was a registered sex-offender and under continuing investigations for raping and trafficking underage girls.
Timeline of Peggy Siegal’s Relationship with Pedophile Jeffrey Epstein
March 2005 — Palm Beach Police Department opens an investigation after receiving a report that Epstein raped a 14 year old girl. Siegal claims she first became “friends” with Epstein in 2005 because he was somewhat of a “movie buff.”
July 2006 — Epstein is arrested and charged with soliciting prostitution from minors. The Palm Beach Post portrays Epstein as a “mysterious” billionaire and implies he was unfairly put in jail overnight with more serious criminals, including drunk drivers and drug dealers. Epstein quickly posted bail.
December 2007 — A month prior to the scheduled start of Epstein’s criminal trial, Siegal enthusiastically burnishes Epstein’s image in a New York magazine profile.
Siegal gushes about Epstein’s “magnificent” Manhattan townhouse (where much of the abuse occurred) and calls him “very mysterious,” saying “not that many people get close to him.” The article quotes her extensively as Epstein’s “publicist friend.”
January 2008 — Epstein strikes a deal with Florida prosecutors and pleads guilty to soliciting prostitution from a minor. Epstein is sentenced to 18 months in Palm Beach County Jail.
June 2009 — Epstein emails Siegal from jail and asks for her “help” to spin a story in the Times. Epstein wants to be known as whistleblower who has been working behind bars to help Feds indict managers at Bear Stearns for running a ponzi-scheme.
Epstein emailed Siegal from jail:
HELP ; a reporter for the ny times wants to write the following; Epsteins lawyers were contacted and they said they had no comment.. We have checked with some of the worlds financial experts, both in and out of govt, the consensus is that if Epstein is cooperating with the feds the average intelligence of the u.s. government, just went up dramatically. . .
Later that month, Siegal emailed Epstein about a “coming home celebration” once he is released from jail.
December 2009 – Months after Epstein is released from jail, Siegal sends the registered sex-offender a bizarrely intimate email from Amsterdam, describing her then 21-year old daughter Mattie Siegal’s physical appearance in detail: “she is dressed as a runaway in ripped jeans and a hoodie . . . Will take photos and send. . . . Miss you. xoxo Peg.”
On 12/19/09, Siegal emailed Epstein about her travels to Kenya:
We are sitting in the Amsterdam airport about to take off for Nair. Headed to Cottar’s Camp in the Masai Mara . . . . got Mattie in tow. . . she is dressed as a runaway in ripped jeans and a hoodie and sits on the floor of every airport repacking her knapsack. She is now passed out, like the homeless. Will take photos and send. We are going to photograph ourselves with the Masai in the mud huts and say we crashed the winter White house and are posing with Obama’s relatives. Miss you. Keep you posted. Did you see Sarah, the D on tv or speak to her? xoxo Peg
This photo was taken just ten days before Peggy Siegal (right) sends a bizarre detailed physical description of her then 21-year old daughter Mattie Siegal (left) to Jeffrey Epstein—months after he got out of jail.
On 1/12/10, Siegal emailed Epstein:
. . . Will call later...Mattie keeps saying she is going to show me how to email photos- will try to do today and call.
September 2010 — Siegal helps Epstein re-enter high society. She co-hosts a Yom Kippur “Break Fast.” 120 guests, including children attend Epstein’s Upper East Side Mansion for the Jewish Day of Atonement.
December 2010 — Siegal helps Prince Andrew host a dinner at Epstein’s mansion attended by Woody Allen, Katie Couric, George Stephanopoulos, and Chelsea Handler.
February 2011, Daily Mail breaks Virginia Roberts Giuffre’s story of being raped by Prince Andrew when she was only 17 years old.
Photo of Prince Andrew (left), then 17 year old Virginia Roberts Giuffre (center), and Ghislaine Maxwell (right). Photo taken by Jeffrey Epstein in March 2001 at Maxwell’s townhouse in London.
March 2011 — BBC’s Today show requests to interview Epstein about Prince Andrew. Epstein forwards the request to Siegal.
April 2011 — Siegal describes Epstein to the Daily Beast: “I and many others that know him describe him as brilliant[.]”
July 2011 – Epstein and Siegal launch a PR campaign to destroy Giuffre. On 7/1/11, Epstein emails Siegal:
Siegal encourages Epstein to revise his pitch and tells him she will sent it to Ariana Huffington (in her own name):
Epstein revises the smear pitch and sends it back to Siegal:
![“I think a great opportunity has arisen. Just like the headlines of a hotel maid now proven to have lied in the Stauss Kahn case. The girl who accused Prince Andrew can also easily be proven to be a liar. I think Buckingham Palace would love it. You should task someone to investigate the girl Virginia Roberts, that has caused the Queens son all this agro. I promise you she is a fraud. you and i will be able to go to ascot for the rest of our lives. I know there is a public police report that no one has had the courage to publish, as they do not want to be seen attacking a “ vicitm”, but being falsely accused will be the new headline[.]”](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!4-k2!,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F5f68e9f9-9ec0-49ae-8fbf-668ebe0f6348_1432x426.png "“I think a great opportunity has arisen. Just like the headlines of a hotel maid now proven to have lied in the Stauss Kahn case. The girl who accused Prince Andrew can also easily be proven to be a liar. I think Buckingham Palace would love it. You should task someone to investigate the girl Virginia Roberts, that has caused the Queens son all this agro. I promise you she is a fraud. you and i will be able to go to ascot for the rest of our lives. I know there is a public police report that no one has had the courage to publish, as they do not want to be seen attacking a “ vicitm”, but being falsely accused will be the new headline[.]”")
Siegal presumably forwarded the pitch (in her own name) directly to Arianna Huffington, co-founder and then editor-in-chief of The Huffington Post.3
October 2017 — Siegal claims she ended her relationship with Epstein at the height of the #MeToo movement.
November 2017 — Epstein indirectly pays a large donation for a group of $10,000 seats at the 27th Annual Gotham Independent Filmmaker Project Awards.
Congress’ new release of Epstein’s emails reveals that Epstein had IFP Director of Development Steven Pfeiffer send the invoice to The Peggy Siegal Company. Epstein wrote to Pfeiffer: “[I]t’s better for her.”
July 2019 — The Times exposes Peggy Siegal’s relationship with Epstein. Siegal’s major clients including Netflix and FX cut ties. Siegal tells Business Insider, she “did not learn until recently — that [Epstein] had been abusing underage girls.” Notwithstanding that she had been working with the registered sex offender throughout his jail sentence.
November 2025 — Congress releases 20,000 emails obtained from the Estate of Jeffrey Epstein.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/13/nyregion/jeffrey-epstein-new-york-elite.html?searchResultPosition=5
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/peggy-siegal-jeffrey-epstein-a-hollywood-event-planners-symbiotic-relationship-a-sex-offender-1225732/
https://www.huffpost.com/