Peter Attia Steps Down From CBS News After Appearances In Epstein Files

"Dr. Attia's contributor role was newly established and had not yet meaningfully begun,” a spokesperson for Attia told HuffPost.

Health influencer Peter Attia has decided to step away from his new position as a contributor to CBS News after his name appeared in the Epstein files.

The longevity expert was one of several new contributors named last month by CBS News’ editor-in-chief Bari Weiss, who has been pushing controversial changes at the network since taking on the leadership role in October. The Wrap reported that Weiss, who previously featured Attia on her podcast, “Honestly,” did not want to cut ties with him because she viewed it as “giving in to the mob.”

“Dr. Attia’s contributor role was newly established and had not yet meaningfully begun,” a spokesperson for Attia told HuffPost in a statement. “As such, he stepped back to ensure his involvement didn’t become a distraction from the important work being done at CBS. He wishes the network and its leadership well and has no further comment at this time.”

Attia also stepped down from his role as chief science officer at David Protein earlier this month, CEO Peter Rahal said.

Attia claimed to have met disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein in 2014, years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction for soliciting sex from underage girls, “through a prominent female healthcare leader while I was raising funds for scientific research. At that time, he was widely known in academic and philanthropic circles as a funder of science and moved openly among credible institutions and public figures.”