Stephen Hawking seen sandwiched between bikini women; family says caregivers

A newly surfaced photo from the Epstein files showed Stephen Hawking lounging with two bikini-clad women, holding a cocktail.

Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking was seen laughing between two bikini-clad women in a newly surfaced photograph that is part of the Epstein files. However, his family said the women were his long-term caregivers.

Hawking was seen in the viral photo reclining on a blue lounge chair, appearing to smile while holding a red, fruit-garnished cocktail in what appears to be a poolside or resort setting.

As the court documents related to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein do not specifically mention the occasion on which the photo was taken, the British astrophysicist’s family said it was captured at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel on the Caribbean island of St Thomas in 2006, where the Professor reportedly gave a speech on quantum cosmology.

A representative told the UK’s Daily Mail that the two women were Hawking’s "long-term carers from the UK". "Any insinuation of inappropriate conduct on his part is wrong and far-fetched in the extreme," they added.

The event on St Thomas island was hosted by Epstein, with Hawking among 21 internationally renowned scientists who attended the conference in March 2006, five months before the financier was first charged with soliciting prostitution.

The name of Hawking appeared multiple times in the US Justice Department’s cache of Epstein-related files, which includes court documents, communication records, contact details and other materials linked to the disgraced sex offender and paedophile. The professor died in 2018 at the age of 76 after battling early-onset ALS for more than 50 years.