New Delhi: Author of self-help books and India’s spiritual export, Deepak Chopra maintained a warm, informal, and at times inappropriate correspondence with the late Jeffrey Epstein, years after the sex offender’s 2008 conviction. The latest tranche of the Epstein Files released by the US Department of Justice is evidence. Correspondence between the two included social planning, introductions to celebrities, and misogynistic messages that have since triggered a public backlash.
The disclosures have pushed the new age guru into an unusually direct public reckoning. In a statement issued after the emails resurfaced, Chopra said he was “deeply saddened” by the suffering of Epstein’s victims, denied any criminal or exploitative involvement, and admitted that some of the exchanges reflected “poor judgment in tone”.
“Do you know Marla Maples?”
One of the earliest emails in the newly unsealed set shows Chopra, 79, asking Epstein whether he knows Marla Maples, US President Donald Trump’s ex-wife.
Chopra tells Epstein he has known Maples “since those days”, says he is meeting her for lunch, and adds that she seems “very troubled”. In the same exchange, Chopra talks of confidentiality, writing that whatever they share is “between us” and that he shares nothing with anyone else.
Epstein replies with a personal anecdote involving Maples and Trump, claiming he lost a $10,000 bet with Trump when Maples became pregnant and paid it off by sending a truck full of baby food. He also says that he has not spoken to Maples for many years.
The exchange also includes flippant and sexually explicit remarks by Epstein about a third person, to which Chopra responds casually.
Skype or FaceTime?
Across the same email chain, Epstein suggests connecting by Skype or FaceTime and proposes specific times to speak. He also invites Chopra to visit his private island and offers a stay at his ranch in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Chopra replies that he can do video calls, proposes meeting for coffee, and says he can drop by if Epstein is in town. He also writes that he has the galley proofs of a new book with him.
In a follow-up message, Chopra tells Epstein that he will take him up on his offer to visit one of his properties when Epstein is present.
Leonardo DiCaprio and Woody Allen
Epstein emailed Chopra asking whether actor Leonardo DiCaprio might be willing to have dinner with “Woody”, the filmmaker Woody Allen.
A separate email thread from November 2017 shows Chopra being invited to a dinner hosted by Epstein that would include Woody Allen, Allen’s wife Soon-Yi Previn, and Slovakia’s then foreign minister Miroslav Lajčák, who has also been named in the files. Chopra initially confirms that he is looking forward to the evening.
Hours later, he writes back saying he has been delayed in Washington, DC, and is unable to attend. He explains that he has a meeting in Congress the next day, events scheduled in New Jersey and Boston, and that he will be back in New York for an extended period after early December.
“Cute girls are real”
Another set of messages released in the same justice department tranche, and now circulating widely online, shows Chopra inviting Epstein to travel with him and a group to Israel.
In those emails, Chopra encourages Epstein to use a fake name if needed and tells him to “bring your girls”.
In another exchange, they talk about god and cells before Chopra says, “Cells are human constructs. No such thing! Universe is human construct. No such thing. Cute girls are aware when they make noise.”
Then comes the line that has since drawn intense criticism: “God is a construct. Cute girls are real.” Epstein also asks Chopra later: “Did you find me a cute Israeli?”
Chopra’s clarification
On 5 February, Chopra issued a public statement on X responding to the release of the emails, saying he was “deeply saddened by the suffering of the victims”, adding that he condemns “abuse and exploitation in all forms.” He also issued a clarification:
“I want to be clear: I was never involved in, nor did I participate in, any criminal or exploitative conduct. Any contact I had was limited and unrelated to abusive activity. Some past email exchanges have surfaced that reflect poor judgment in tone. I regret that and understand how they read today, given what was publicly known at the time.”
Also read: Deepak Chopra exposed in Epstein Files. So is the Indian guru-industrial complex
And then, a confrontation
After the “cute girls are real” email began circulating, a TikTok video showed Chopra being confronted at an airport by a content creator while traveling with his family.
In the clip, the creator repeatedly asks Chopra about the Epstein emails and presses him specifically on the “cute girls” line, challenging Chopra’s apology that it was poor in “tone”.
Chopra didn’t engage. Smiling and continuing to walk, he repeatedly said he is not answering. When asked directly whether there had been any misconduct, he replied: “No misconduct. Zero.”
As he walked to his car, Chopra told the creator, “It will all come to light.” He also answers “yes” when asked whether he would testify before Congress. The video cuts off as his wife intervenes and urges the creator to “talk about something nice” before the family gets into their car.
Chopra is among scores of politicians, business leaders, and influential figures whose names now surface in the latest release of more than three million records from the Epstein investigation. Elon Musk, Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky, a former Harvard President, an ex-Israeli prime minister, and an English prince are among the many who maintained correspondence with Epstein long after his conviction. They all deny any wrongdoing.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)