Horrible to Read' Gigi Hadid Reacts to Her Name in Epstein Files—'Made Me Sick to My Stomach'

Gigi Hadid has broken her silence after discovering her name in newly released Jeffrey Epstein files, calling the reference 'horrible to read' and saying it left her 'sick to my stomach'.

Hadid's reaction surfaced in a now-deleted social media comment. 'I have never had any affiliation with that disgusting human being.' In a document dump as sprawling as this one, where fragments of emails risk being lifted out of context, Hadid is drawing a hard boundary around her own story.

The files in question, released by the US Department of Justice in January, run to more than three million documents. They have dragged a wide range of public figures, named or referenced in passing, into renewed scrutiny.

The Email That Sparked It

At the centre of the episode is a December 2015 email exchange between Epstein and an unnamed individual. The message mentions both Gigi and Bella Hadid, questioning how the sisters 'became models and make so much money'. Epstein's reply is direct, suggesting their father, Mohamed Hadid, 'paid the agency'.

There is no evidence in the material that Hadid had any direct contact with Epstein. That absence, however, does not prevent reputational fallout.

Hadid addressed that imbalance directly. She said she believed Epstein used references to people like her 'to try to take responsibility for people's careers in order to manipulate his victims'.

Drawing A Personal Line

Part of Hadid's hesitation to respond, she explained, was rooted in not wanting to detract from victims' accounts.

'I didn't comment bc I don't want to take away from the stories of real victims of his,' she wrote, before deciding that silence risked allowing assumptions to linger.

She acknowledged growing up 'privileged', while stressing that her parents 'protected' her and instilled a work ethic she credits for her career. Hadid also placed a timeline on the reference, noting she would have been around 20 or 21 when the email was written.

The detail underscored the distance she is trying to establish, not only from Epstein himself but from any suggestion of involvement in his network.

She did not temper her language when addressing him. 'May he rest in [fire emojis],' she concluded.

The Weight Of Epstein's Shadow

Epstein's history remains central to understanding why these references carry such force. Arrested in July 2019 on federal charges of sex trafficking, he died by suicide in jail a month later while awaiting trial.

His earlier 2008 conviction for soliciting prostitution, including from a minor, and the leniency of his sentence have long been cited as examples of systemic failure.

The release of millions of documents has reopened scrutiny not just of Epstein himself but of the broader ecosystem around him. Names appearing in emails, whether substantiated or incidental, are being re-examined in public view.

As more material is parsed, further names may surface, each bringing its own set of denials, clarifications or silence. Hadid's intervention offers a glimpse of how quickly reputations can be pulled into a story that is not theirs, and how difficult it is to step back out.