Topline
Renewed scrutiny of Jeffrey Epstein's relationship to President Donald Trump and calls for the government to release all of its information on the convicted sex offender have re-sparked the public’s fascination with the Epstein case and pushed podcasts, documentaries and books about his scandal to the top of most-watched lists.
FILTHY RICH: (L to R) Chauntae Davies and Jeffrey Epstein in episode 3 of FILTHY RICH. Cr. NETFLIX © ... More
Views of Netflix's 2020 docuseries “Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich” spiked 268% between the week of July 4-10 and the most recent tracking week, from July 11-17, according to Luminate data.
The docuseries, which has four episodes, was watched for 13.6 million minutes last week, up from 3.7 million minutes the week before.
On Apple’s list of top podcasts Monday, seven of the 24 most-listened-to episodes touched on the latest drama surrounding Epstein and the federal government, with a three-day-old Pod Save America episode titled "Trump's Secret Epstein Letter Revealed" in the No. 1 spot.
Other top episodes came from Tucker Carlson, Ezra Klein of The New York Times, Megyn Kelly, Ben Shapiro, Tim Dillon and NPR's "Up First."
Harper Collins, which published reporter Julie Brown's 2021 book “Perversion of Justice" about Epstein, confirmed to CNN it has ordered a third printing of the book after it sold out in recent weeks online and at brick-and-mortar stores.
YouTube videos on the topic updated in the last week from "The Daily Show," "The Late Show," MSNBC, "Late Night," Tucker Carlson, Candace Owens and others have already racked up millions of views.
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Interest in the case of the disgraced financier and his relationship with Trump has skyrocketed in recent weeks. In early July, the Justice Department said it would not be making any more of its investigative files on Epstein available to the public despite promises from Attorney General Pam Bondi, and said there is no "Epstein client list" as touted by the Trump administration. Bondi said earlier this year that a dossier of clients for whom Epstein trafficked underage girls not only existed but was “sitting on my desk” waiting to be released. Weeks ago, however, the Trump administration walked back the statement, claiming Epstein did not have a client list and Bondi was instead referring to the documents in their entirety. Pressure to release more documents has built both from within Trump's base and from Democrats seizing on their anger. Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., last week sponsored an amendment in the House Rules Committee that could have forced Congress to vote on whether to release the documents, but some Republicans blocked the measure. Trump then told Bondi to release grand jury documents related to Epstein, and she said she would ask the court to unseal the filings, but it could take months for any documents to actually be released—if it happens at all. Trump’s directive for Bondi to release the grand jury documents came after The Wall Street Journal reported he sent Epstein a suggestive letter for his 50th birthday in 2003. The card allegedly included a drawing of a naked woman and a message telling Epstein, “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.” Trump has denied being behind the letter, while Donald Trump Jr. called the report “insanity” and said it doesn’t match his father’s “very specific way of speaking" and right-wing activist Jack Posobiec called the article a "hit piece." Trump has called reports of the letter “fake news” and has sued media mogul Rupert Murdoch and The Wall Street Journal’s publisher over the report.
Investigations into Epstein became mainstream pop culture fodder after his 2019 arrest on federal charges of sex trafficking minors. He died in his jail cell one month later, while awaiting trial. His death was ruled a suicide but launched a series of conspiracy theories, including that was murdered to cover up compromising information about his powerful and wealthy friends. Netflix released "Jeffrey Epstein: Filthy Rich" in 2020, and the Lifetime documentary Surviving Jeffrey Epstein premiered months later. There were reports at the time that HBO and Sony Pictures were considering developing shows on Epstein's life and death, but they have not come to fruition. There are several books on the Epstein scandal, most notably Brown's "Perversion of Justice" and a 2016 book from James Patterson’s true crime series, “Filthy Rich,” which CNN reports has moved up Amazon’s sales chart in recent days. A half-dozen podcasts have examined the Epstein case, including Brown's "BROKEN: Jeffery Epstein," "Truth & Lies: Jeffrey Epstein" by ABC News and Wondery's "The Mysterious Mr. Epstein."