Gigi Hadid Abruptly Breaks Silence on Epstein Files — Here’s Why Her Name Actually Appeared

Earlier this year, when the Epstein files were released to the public, they made waves across the internet. After all, the documents featured some of the most prominent names in the world, and, surprisingly, that included supermodels Gigi Hadid and Bella Hadid.

After a couple of months, Gigi Hadid has finally broken her silence. While she acknowledged that her name appeared on the list, she was clear that her success in the fashion industry had nothing to do with the disgraced financier.

According to reports from E! News, suspicion was raised among people when a 2015 email exchange between Jeffrey Epstein and a redacted individual was shared. During the conversation, the person asked him how the Hadid sisters became such successful models and are making so much money.

Epstein replied, "You know," to which the individual wrote, "The father paid the agency." Epstein pushed back: "No. Because they follow instructions, it's that simple." The exchange prompted at least one social media user to unfollow Gigi over her alleged ties to the financier.

The user wrote, "I had to unfollow u bc u ain't talk bout those files Gigi." In now-deleted comments, the 30-year-old replied that the documents "made me sick to my stomach," adding that it was absolutely horrible to read Epstein discussing her in such a demeaning way.

Hadid clarified that she did not reply to the comment because she did not want to take the attention away from Epstein’s victims. She added, “Your comment made me realize maybe its not clear, and it’s important to let you know.” She clarified that she was 20 or 21 years old when the email was written and called it “disturbing.”

She concluded: "I want to state unequivocally that I have never had any affiliation with that disgusting human being."

While denying any ties to Epstein, Hadid also addressed how she and her sister rose to the top of the modeling world. She explained that she "grew up privileged" and that her parents had always protected her and instilled in her the value of hard work, per E! News.

After her parents paid the modeling agency in 2012, she said she "worked hard every moment since," categorically distancing herself from any suggestion that Epstein played a role in her career. This is consistent with how she has long spoken about her background; Hadid has never shied away from acknowledging that her family had the means to open the right doors.

In a separate report by AP News, she spoke candidly about her "big guilt" over her privileged upbringing. She recognised that while she worked hard and wanted to honour her parents' investment, countless girls around the world "work their a**** off and send money to their parents."

Rather than try to compete with or overshadow those women, she said the awareness pushed her to prove herself, and has driven her to keep pushing for a better version of herself ever since.