Deepak Chopra’s name appears more than 3,300 times in the Department of Justice materials released as part of the Epstein files, as messages show him trading invitations and affectionate language with Jeffrey Epstein—while also referring at least five times to
In July 2016, Deepak Chopra reached out to Jeffrey Epstein to thank him for his hospitality.
By email. Chopra wrote that he was “glad” philanthropist Barnaby Marsh had introduced them in person. and Chopra said he was “grateful” for what he described as the beginning of a friendship. Within weeks. that “friendship” deepened into a steady exchange of emails and texts—gossipy. conspiratorial in tone. and intimate enough to suggest more than a purely financial connection.
Chopra and Epstein discussed Epstein’s relationship with Donald Trump and Trump’s second wife, Marla Maples. Epstein recounted a story about losing a $10. 000 bet to Trump and mentioned a rumored connection involving a friend of Maples. saying the friend allegedly used high-heeled shoes as sex toys. Chopra replied with a line of philosophy. writing “Nothing human is foreign to me. ” which he attributed to “a Roman poet whose name I forget.” (The quotation is from the Roman playwright Terence.).
The language grew even more personal. Chopra wrote later in July, “Anything we share is between us,” and added, “I share nothing with anyone but trust you.”
The scale of the paperwork that followed now lands in the public conversation in a way that feels less like scandal and more like evidence. Among the 3.5 million Epstein files released so far by the Department of Justice, Chopra’s name appears more than 3,300 times. The report notes that duplicate messages can recur in different places in the files. so the actual number of messages between Chopra and Epstein is somewhat less than 3. 300—but the volume is still striking.
What those messages show, according to the released FBI files described in the material, is not only philosophical conversation. On at least five occasions. Chopra mentioned Epstein’s “girls.” The notes say the phrase appears to refer to young women who frequently accompanied Epstein. How Chopra perceived or understood these women’s relationship to Epstein is not clear.
There is no evidence in the file material that Chopra was aware of Epstein’s criminal abuses. Still. the communications are threaded with enough familiarity—inviting Epstein to wellness events. discussing how his guests might “enjoy” retreats. and using language that frames the women as part of the social setting—that the revelations have become difficult to separate from the broader question of what kind of access and influence the wellness industry grants to powerful men accused of the worst crimes.
By the time Chopra and Epstein first met, Epstein was a registered sex offender. He had been convicted in 2008 on two counts of soliciting a minor for prostitution and had served a brief sentence in Palm Beach County jail. The extent of Epstein’s alleged sex trafficking network did not become clear until his indictment on a broader range of criminal charges in 2019. and his subsequent death in a Manhattan jail cell.
The files also place Chopra in the orbit of locations where some of Epstein’s accused or apparent criminal acts took place, according to the description of the exchanges: Chopra visited Epstein’s homes in New York and Palm Beach—locations where some of those acts occurred.
Chopra’s critics and former fans say the embarrassment is not only personal; it’s structural. For them. the emails are another example of what happens when “moral authority” is fused to celebrity and a marketplace that rewards charisma and certainty. Ronald Purser. a professor of management at San Francisco State University and the author of “McMindfulness: How Mindfulness Became the New Capitalist Spirituality. ” argued that the controversy reflects the “contemporary guru economy. ” which he said has three elements: moral authority. celebrity culture and the marketplace. “As soon as someone becomes a brand. ” Purser said. “the incentives become relentless: preserve the image/persona. the audience. the flow of money and. last but not least. preserve the aura.”.
For Purser, scandals aren’t just accidents. They are tied to the model itself.
Chopra disputes any suggestion that he took part in abuse. In early February 2026. after the large-scale release of most of the FBI’s material on Epstein. he issued a statement on X denying involvement in “any criminal or exploitative conduct” during his friendship with Epstein. He described his contact with the convicted sex trafficker as “limited” and “unrelated to any abusive activity.” He did not directly apologize for anything he did or said. but wrote. “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.”.
That statement put a boundary around his intentions—but the messages described in the file material are difficult to confine to intention alone.
In a November 2016 email included in the FBI files. Epstein sent Chopra a link to a Daily Mail article about a “troubled woman” who claimed she had been assaulted by Donald Trump when she was 13 years old. at a party hosted by Epstein. The article reported that those allegations had not been substantiated and that the woman’s lawsuit against Trump was dismissed. Chopra asked, “Did she also drop civil case against you?” Epstein answered “yup.” Chopra responded: “good.”.
Over the following year, the exchange continued with greetings, ideas and invitations. In February 2017. Chopra invited Epstein by email to attend a course the following month called “Journey Into Healing.” Chopra added that he would also be leading a weeklong retreat in June at a Canadian resort. writing “Bamf. ” presumably meaning Banff. Alberta. and saying. “The girls might enjoy it.”.
A few days later, Chopra invited Epstein to “Come to Israel with us” to “Relax and have fun with interesting people.” He suggested Epstein might “use a fake name” and “Bring your girls.”
In April, Chopra emailed Epstein while on his way from Los Angeles to Saudi Arabia, describing a female friend as “v sweet – like your girls,” and included an emoji with hearts for eyes.
In November 2017, Chopra sent another invitation to Epstein and his “girls,” adding a “prayer hands” emoji, suggesting they attend a Chopra workshop in Switzerland.
In a July 2018 text message exchange, Chopra suggested Epstein might enjoy meeting his son-in-law, a venture capitalist, while also adding in parentheses, “can’t talk about girls.”
Even where the text turns away from explicit language, the emails show an ongoing rhythm of access. The report also includes a later account from Chopra about what those meetings were for. After details emerged about Epstein’s calendar in 2019—recording at least a dozen meetings between the two in 2016. 2017 and 2019—Chopra told CBS News in an October 2025 statement that their appointments had mostly concerned Epstein’s sleep problems.
“After meeting, he shared he suffered from insomnia and expressed interest in learning meditation, which I taught him. Our meetings, focused solely on practicing meditation, lasted about 30 minutes each,” Chopra said.
The material emphasizes that “very little” of the communication was about sleep. It notes that in November 2016 Chopra told Epstein by email that “sleep is consciousness in its default mode. ” and says this appears to be the only time sleep was directly mentioned in publicly available email and text exchanges. although the FBI files provide no information about what they discussed in person.
Instead, the letters return again and again to consciousness and reality—ideas Chopra has built his career on. In a 2016 email. Chopra shared an article he wrote arguing everyday reality is a “human construct.” In another email the following year. he told Epstein that “reality is an illusion. ” adding. “Whenever time permits I will do an experiment with you to show you why.” Epstein replied that he was looking forward to it.
In March 2017, the messages shift to a blunt exchange about “cute israeli blonde” and metaphysics. Epstein wrote to Chopra, “find me a “cute israeli blonde. Matter over mind.” Chopra replied by pushing the conversation toward atoms. galaxies. mind and body. writing: “Atoms galaxies mind body are hallucinations that imprison humanity. We have to get rid of 2000 years of human conditioning.” Epstein responded. “I would argue that there is no awareness or consciousness there is only chemistry.”.
Then. a few days later. Chopra told Epstein that biological cells and the physical universe were “human constructs. ” but that “cute girls are aware when they make noises.” Epstein answered. “So when the girl says oh my god?” Chopra replied: “Yes. That’s divine transcendence.” Epstein then responded, “oh, I thought she was just referring to me.”.
No evidence is presented that Chopra had any intention of enabling Epstein’s crimes. But the report’s description leaves enough space for multiple interpretations—especially in a public sphere increasingly focused on how “spiritual” frameworks can soften boundaries around power.
Some scholars and critics say Chopra’s philosophical framing can echo in the minds of people who want to evade accountability. Matthew Remski. co-author of “Conspirituality: How New Age Conspiracy Theories Became a Health Threat. ” said Chopra’s claims that there is no objective reality and that people must “get rid” of thousands of years of “human conditioning” may have offered Epstein a “spiritual framework” for illicit activities. even while the report states there is no evidence Chopra intended that.
Remski described Epstein as living in a world “of his own making. ” saying Epstein could decide “what he wanted to do in any given moment. ” and that Epstein organized his world “like an old-timey tantric deity.” Remski said Epstein seemed to treat his access as something he could summon—food. flights. and “somebody’s showing up to massage him and do sex work.”.
The language around “spiritual bypassing” enters the argument too. The term was originally defined by therapist John Welwood as a “tendency to use spiritual ideas and practices to sidestep or avoid facing unresolved emotional issues. psychological wounds. and unfinished developmental tasks.” In the material. Remski and others connect the wellness worldview to a hyper-individualist culture that can make accountability feel optional.
Craig Cashwell. a professor at Clemson University who researched the impacts of spiritual bypassing. said that while it is not possible to argue spiritual bypass was involved in Chopra’s case without more information. it is true that “sacred teachings can be twisted and used to justify actions incongruent with the actual teaching.”.
Even if no one can say exactly how Epstein understood the teachings, what the emails show—especially the references to “cute israeli blonde,” “girls,” and repeated invitations involving them—has carried real-world consequences.
The material describes a limited but tangible chain of fallout. In a statement to Salon. the University of California San Diego said it would end Chopra’s appointment as an unpaid clinical professor at its medical school in June. calling any form of association with Epstein “regrettable.” The statement said Chopra does not “have any active responsibilities at UC San Diego nor will he have any active responsibilities at any point between now and the conclusion of his appointment term.”.
Outside academia, a New Age-oriented bookstore in Regina, Saskatchewan—Aware House Books—posted a video of an employee ripping up Chopra’s books and announced it would no longer order or carry them.
Former fans also spoke. On Substack, writer Scott Mills wrote about his sense of “heartbreak” after digging into public details of the Chopra-Epstein relationship. Bestselling author Lissa Rankin posted a long message on Facebook about her disappointment that “wellness gurus” such as Chopra and Peter Attia appeared in the Epstein files. saying she would no longer “reference” either man’s work. “When physicians prioritize access to power over ethical judgment, they often break the foundational covenant of medicine,” Rankin wrote. “We need a basic standard for physicians and leaders built on the principle that scientific authority and ethical integrity cannot be separated.”.
Stephen Dinan, CEO of The Shift Network, wrote on Substack that the “global consciousness movement” was in the midst of a “global reckoning” now that one of its “most visible leaders, Deepak Chopra,” has been “deeply implicated.”
For nearly a decade. Be Scofield. a reporter on cult movements and the author of “Hunting Lucifer: One Reporter’s Search for Cults and Demons. ” has followed what she considers the New Age movement’s dark side. She described the response to Chopra’s association with Epstein as noteworthy given what she sees as the industry’s tendency to overlook or ignore its own internal scandals. “You can’t really compare how things are handled in the spiritual world with the normal world. because there are so many scandals within this field and most of the teachers and the institutions remain silent. ” Scofield said. “So for the spiritual field, what happened is very significant.”.
Still, Scofield’s view is matched by a skepticism that the disclosures will change much beyond individual reputations. Remski said there is “no more accountability in the wellness and yoga industry than there is in any other form of capitalism. ” and that it might even be “worse because there’s nothing institutionalized about any of this.” Purser described scandal as something inherent rather than accidental—“a risk inherent in the guru-celebrity model. ” he said.
Chopra’s biography has long been intertwined with access. The report notes that the 79-year-old physician and bestselling author has published more than 90 books. has been frequently described as a guru. and has served as a spiritual adviser to celebrities including Elizabeth Taylor and Michael Jackson. Chopra taught Jackson meditation at Neverland. the late singer’s California home. where Jackson was alleged to have sexually abused at least two young boys. The material says there is no evidence Chopra observed any impropriety during his friendship with Jackson. It also notes that Oprah Winfrey boosted Chopra in the early 1990s with TV appearances and that in 2021 Chopra and Winfrey launched a meditation course together.
But the Epstein file disclosures have placed Chopra’s celebrity and influence under a harsher light. The core dispute is not whether Chopra shared ideas with Epstein; the messages make that clear. The dispute. instead. is what the exchanges—especially those referring to Epstein’s “girls”—mean for how people with platforms handle proximity to known predators.
Chopra has insisted his contact was limited and unrelated to abusive activity. Yet the institutional response—UC San Diego ending his appointment in June, a bookstore ripping up his books—suggests the public memory is already moving beyond those claims.
And in the details of an email where Chopra asked. “Did she also drop civil case against you?” after Epstein sent a link about a Trump-related allegation. the relationship looks less like an abstract spiritual curiosity than a relationship conducted in private language. with an ease that now reads differently after the facts in the files have surfaced.
Deepak Chopra Jeffrey Epstein Epstein files DOJ FBI wellness industry New Age spirituality UC San Diego Oprah Winfrey Trump Marla Maples Donald Trump