Photographer Christopher Anderson, whose recent portraits of Trump's White House officials sparked controversy in Vanity Fair, has shared a disturbing account of his 2015 encounter with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
A Meeting to Negotiate Photo Rights
In an Instagram post on Tuesday, Anderson explained that he first met Epstein in 2015 while on assignment for New York Magazine. He was tasked with providing images for an article by journalist Michael Wolff, who was reportedly communicating with the billionaire financier about then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
"I didn't know much about him, other than the fact that he had heavy connections to powerful men," Anderson wrote. Before the photoshoot, Epstein requested a meeting to negotiate buying the rights to the images after their publication.
Anderson described Epstein's demeanor upon arrival: "When Epstein arrived, his eyes sized me up like someone always looking for the angles. He quizzed me about my pictures and how the shoot would go and how much I thought my pictures were worth."
The $20,000 Offer and Subsequent Threats
According to Anderson, Epstein stated he did not want anyone else to possess the photographs after they ran. He offered the photographer $20,000 for exclusive ownership and handed him a personal check. Anderson noted that New York Magazine had already granted him permission to make such a private arrangement.
"It was all the money in the world to me at the time," Anderson admitted. "I had a young family and lived basically month to month."
The situation turned when, several days later, Epstein decided to pull the story and began demanding the pictures back. Anderson reiterated that the photos would not belong to Epstein until after publication. "Then the threats started," Anderson said.
He claims Epstein sent his bodyguard and driver, a man named Merwin, to his studio to intimidate him. "A massive guy in a long black overcoat and black, leather gloves... (it worked)," Anderson recalled. After the article was killed, Anderson cashed Epstein's check. Merwin later confronted him to collect the hard drive and ensure no copies existed, though some were later found.
Revealing Photos and a Link to Royalty
Among the photographs Anderson shared from the 2015 project is a black-and-white close-up of Epstein at his desk. The image clearly shows a printed email exchange on the desk. The email was addressed to Amanda Thirsk, the private secretary of Prince Andrew (now known as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor).
A segment of the email reads: "I have expressed my concern to you that despite all our concerted efforts I still remain unpaid. The financial arrangements have been agreed directly between the Duke, the Duchess and I for some 2 months."
Anderson recently made headlines in December for his Vanity Fair portraits of Trump's inner circle, which were heavily criticized online. One photo of press secretary Karoline Leavitt led to speculation about lip injections. Anderson defended his work to The Washington Post, stating, "I didn't put the injection sites on her."
His latest revelation provides a chilling firsthand look into the methods Jeffrey Epstein used to control his narrative and the lengths he would go to acquire—or suppress—potentially damaging material.
