CBS News star set to be fired days after hiring over disgusting Jeffrey Epstein emails

CBS News is expected to fire its new 'wellness expert' after he appeared 1,741 times in the Epstein files.

Peter Attia called the notorious child sex trafficker his 'friend' in hundreds of emails they exchanged, all of them after Epstein was first convicted.

The disgraced billionaire was jailed in 2008 for procuring a child for prostitution and soliciting a prostitute, charges that were well documented at the time.

Epstein and Attia appeared very chummy in their frequent exchanges after this, which appeared to go well beyond the influencer merely flattering him for his benefit.

Many of the emails were crude or overtly sexual - some to a stomach-churning degree - though don't appear to have referenced criminal acts.

'[Female genitalia] is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten, though,' one of the emails Attia sent to Epstein read.

Attia wrote a very lengthy statement to his customers and staff over the weekend defending himself, which he posted publicly on Monday morning.

'I was never on his plane, never on his island, and never present at any sex parties,' he wrote, insisting he was never involved in criminal activity. 

'I apologize and regret putting myself in a position where emails, some of them embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible, are now public, and that is on me. I accept that reality and the humiliation that comes with it.'

CBS News is expected to fire it's new 'wellness expert' Peter Attia after he appeared more than 1,700 times in the Epstein files

CBS News is expected to fire it's new 'wellness expert' Peter Attia after he appeared more than 1,700 times in the Epstein files

Attia called notorious child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein his 'friend' in hundreds of email they exchanged, many after the billionaire's first sex crimes conviction

Attia called notorious child sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein his 'friend' in hundreds of email they exchanged, many after the billionaire's first sex crimes conviction

'[Female genitalia] is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten, though,' one of the emails he sent to Epstein read

'[Female genitalia] is, indeed, low carb. Still awaiting results on gluten, though,' one of the emails he sent to Epstein read

Attia may never have visited Epstein's private island of Little Saint James - where he brought well-heeled and famous friends for getaways - but he sure wanted to.

An email exchange from April 2016 showed the pair comparing the island with Grand Cayman, which Epstein said was very different because 'there are other people there'.

'I need to visit some time,' Attia replied. 

Another email made it clear that Attia knew his friendship with Epstein was, at best, ill-advised and would harm his reputation if it became public.

'You [know] the biggest problem with becoming friends with you? The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can't tell a soul,' he wrote in 2015.

Attia insisted this was not because he had any 'awareness of wrongdoing' on Epstein's part - despite the billionaire's conviction seven years earlier. 

'What I was referring to, poorly and flippantly, was the discretion commanded by those social and professional circles–the idea that you don't talk about who you meet, the dinners you attend and the power and influence of the people in those settings,' he wrote.

'What I wrote in that email reads terribly, and I own that.'

The subject line for that email was 'Got a fresh shipment', though it was unclear what the shipment was, as a photo of it in the email was redacted.

Another email made it clear Attia knew his friendship with Epstein was at best ill-advised and would harm his reputation if it came out

Another email made it clear Attia knew his friendship with Epstein was at best ill-advised and would harm his reputation if it came out

Attia wrote a very lengthy statement to his customers and staff over the weekend defending himself, which posted publicly on Monday morning

Attia wrote a very lengthy statement to his customers and staff over the weekend defending himself, which posted publicly on Monday morning

Attia is a favorite of Joe Rogan and has appeared on his podcast multiple times

Attia is a favorite of Joe Rogan and has appeared on his podcast multiple times

Attia claimed on Monday that the photo showed bottles of metformin - a medication to control blood sugar in people with type 2 diabetes.

'I responded with crude, tasteless banter. Reading that exchange now is very embarrassing, and I will not defend it. I'm ashamed of myself for everything about this,' he wrote.

'At the time, I understood this exchange as juvenile, not a reference to anything dark or harmful.'

Another reprehensible episode in Attia's relationship with Epstein, which the wellness podcaster did not address in his statement, was when his son Ayrton was hospitalized.

Attia wrote in his book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity about the moment his wife, Jill, rang him on July 11, 2017, saying their son had stopped breathing.

'For some reason, he had suddenly stopped breathing and fallen unconscious. His eyes were completely rolled back in their sockets, and he was lifeless and blue, with no heartbeat,' he wrote. 

'When Jill called me from the ambulance, I was in New York, in a taxi on 54th Street on my way to dinner.

'After she finished telling me the story, I just said, without a shred of emotion, 'OK call me when you get to hospital son I can talk to the doctors in the ICU'.'

Attia's son spent four days in hospital while Jill 'pleaded with me to come home'. 

'I called in daily to talk to the doctors and discuss each day's test results, but I stayed in New York, busy with my 'important' work,' he wrote.

That 'important work' was revealed on July 12, 2017, in emails released from the Epstein files, which included a meeting with Epstein the next day. 

'Can you do before 10 am ?tomorrow (sic),' Epstein asked. Attia replied: 'Sure... I can come earlier, also, if you have a hard stop at 10. Let me know.'

Epstein and Attia appeared very chummy in their frequent exchanges that appeared to go well beyond the influencer merely flattering him for benefit

Epstein and Attia appeared very chummy in their frequent exchanges that appeared to go well beyond the influencer merely flattering him for benefit

Emails showed Attia met with Epstein while his son was in hospital and his wife was begging him to come home

Emails showed Attia met with Epstein while his son was in hospital and his wife was begging him to come home

Attia, in his book, used this event to show how 'out of control' he was at the time and how he got his life back on track - but conveniently left out the Epstein connection.

'I feel nauseous about my behavior. I can't believe I did that to my family. I can't believe what a blind, selfish, checked-out husband and father I was,' he wrote. 

Attia was hired only last week as a contributor to CBS News, along with 18 others handpicked by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss.

The gaggle of new faces was hired as part of Weiss's ongoing controversial overhaul of the network since she was installed four months ago.

Attia is the founder of Outlive and a popular influencer and podcaster with 1.7 million Instagram followers and a million more on YouTube.

He shares his controversial views on a range of health and wellness topics, particularly longevity, which is the focus of his company.

Attia also exchanged emails with Epstein's staff and associates, including his assistant Lesley Groff, to whom he complained he would 'go into JE withdrawal' if he didn't see his child rapist pal soon.

'See you next time, hopefully JE in town when I'm back in 2 weeks. I go into JE withdrawal when I don't see him,' he wrote. 

The email exchange appeared to be related to Attia crashing at one of Epstein's properties.

'What can I do before I leave to ease the cleanup? Strip sheets? Take the trash out?' he wrote. 

Attia's son spent four days in hospital while his wife Jill (pictured together) 'pleaded with me to come home'

Attia's son spent four days in hospital while his wife Jill (pictured together) 'pleaded with me to come home'

Attia is the founder of Outlive and a popular influencer and podcaster with 1.7 million Instagram followers and a million more on YouTube

Attia is the founder of Outlive and a popular influencer and podcaster with 1.7 million Instagram followers and a million more on YouTube

In his statement, Attia explained that he met Epstein in 2014 through 'a prominent female healthcare leader' while he was raising funds for scientific research.

This is how many people who became associates of Epstein entered his orbit: The billionaire had plenty of cash but craved connections and brushes with fame. 

Attia admitted to visiting Epstein at his enormous New York City apartment seven or eight times to talk about research studies and meet scientists, doctors, or business leaders the billionaire wanted to introduce him to.

He also had dinner with Epstein once in 2015, 'with a number of guests, including prominent heads of state.'

'In retrospect, the presence and credibility of such venerable people in different orbits led me to make assumptions about him that clouded my judgment in ways it shouldn't have,' he wrote.

Attia wrote that he never treated Epstein, but was asked general medical questions and gave him recommendations for other doctors. 

Attia was hired only last week as a contributor to CBS news, along with 18 others handpicked by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss

Attia was hired only last week as a contributor to CBS news, along with 18 others handpicked by editor-in-chief Bari Weiss

Attia also exchanged emails with Epstein's staff and associates, including his assistant Lesley Groff, to whom he complained he would 'go into JE withdrawal' if he didn't see his child rapist pal soon

Attia also exchanged emails with Epstein's staff and associates, including his assistant Lesley Groff, to whom he complained he would 'go into JE withdrawal' if he didn't see his child rapist pal soon

He claimed that Epstein misled him about the crimes he was convicted of, despite the real story being well-publicized and easily searchable.

'Shortly after we met, I asked him directly about his 2008 conviction. He characterized it as prostitution-related charges,' he wrote.

'I was incredibly naïve to believe him. I mistook his social acceptance in the eyes of the credible people I saw him with for acceptability, and that was a serious error in my judgment.

'To be clear, I never witnessed illegal behavior and never saw anyone who appeared underage in his presence.'

Attia claimed he did not learn the truth until a 2018 Miami Herald article, which 'repulsed' and 'nauseated' him.

Emails released by the DoJ showed Attia asked Epstein about the 'fallout' from the article.

Attia wrote that his intent was to convince Epstein to pay for psychological treatment for his victims, which he admitted was yet another blunder. 

Epstein with is right-hand woman and longtime lover Ghislaine Maxwell

Epstein with his right-hand woman and longtime lover Ghislaine Maxwell

Epstein hung himself in his jail cell in August 2019 while awaiting trial for sex trafficking charges that could have imprisoned him for life. 

The Justice Department was last year ordered by Congress in the Epstein Files Transparency Act to release all documents related to the billionaire.

The latest batch, including three million emails and photos of the then-prince Andrew on top of a woman, was released on Friday.

Numerous other stars were included or mentioned in emails shown in photographs with Epstein or at events he hosted.

There is no evidence of criminal wrongdoing by anyone named or pictured in the files so far.

Epstein moved in many illustrious circles and tried to forge relationships with other rich, powerful and famous people for his own gain.

Celebrities also curried his favor to gain funding for their projects or support for charities and foundations, but the vast majority cut ties after his sex crimes came to light.