Gigi Hadid speaks up about her and sister Bella's mentions in Epstein files
Supermodel Gigi Hadid has addressed her and her sister, fellow supermodel Bella Hadid's, mention in the Epstein files.
Per PEOPLE, the sisters were mentioned in a 2015 email exchange between the late Jeffrey Epstein and an individual whose name has been redacted in the documents.
The controversial files, which are in the custody of the US Department of Justice, contain millions of documents, images, police reports, witness statements, and flight logs documenting the sex trafficking operations of Epstein. Dozens of women accused the sex offender of sexual abuse between 2008 and 2019.
In the email exchange, the anonymous person asked the disgraced late financier how the Hadids came to "become models and make so much money."
Epstein replied, "You know."
The person then wondered if their father, Mohamed Hadid, a real estate developer, had "paid the agency."
"No," Epstein responded, adding later, it was "because they follow directions, it's that simple."
In reference to this, a social media user left a comment in Gigi's March 29 Instagram carousel, saying she "had to unfollow" the model because of her silence about the mention in the Epstein files.
Gigi gave a since-deleted reply, explaining she initially kept her silence out of respect for the true victims of Epstein's operations.
"Horrible to read someone you've never met speak about you that way. Especially in this context. I didn't comment bc I don't want to take away from the stories of real victims of his; but your comment made me realize maybe it's not clear—and it's important to let you know," the model wrote, quoted from E! News and InStyle.
"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," Gigi continued.
She added that while she did grow up "privileged," her parents "protected [her] and taught [her] the value of hard work." After signing with a modeling agency in 2012, Gigi wrote, she "worked hard for every moment since."
In July 2019, Epstein was arrested and charged with one count each of sex trafficking of minors and conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of minors. According to the BBC, the released files contain numerous big-ticket names, including Donald Trump, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, Bill Gates, and Elon Musk.
On Aug. 10, Epstein, who was waiting to go on trial for federal conspiracy and sex trafficking, was found dead in his jail cell, apparently by suicide.
