The Secrets Behind “The Talented Mr. Epstein”
Reveal
The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX
4.7 • 8.7K Ratings
🗓️ 6 May 2026
⏱️ 34 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
More To The Story: In 2002, journalist Vicky Ward—then a writer for Vanity Fair magazine—was assigned to investigate a mysterious New York City financier named Jeffrey Epstein. During her reporting, she stumbled upon sexual abuse allegations against Epstein by Maria and Annie Farmer whose account was ultimately cut from Ward’s piece, titled “The Talented Mr. Epstein.” That decision sparked recriminations between Ward and then-Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter that have continued for more than a decade.
On this week’s episode, Ward looks back at the editorial decisions surrounding her 2003 Vanity Fair profile of Epstein, the role Ghislaine Maxwell played in Epstein’s crimes, and shares what she thinks about the circumstances surrounding the convicted sex offender’s death.
Following our interview with Ward, we reached out to Maria and Annie Farmer for comment. Portions of their response appear in this week's episode, and their full comment can be read here. We also reached back out to Vicky Ward. Her response to the Farmer sisters’ statement can be found in full here.
RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline: 800-656-HOPE
Producer: Josh Sanburn with help from Ashley Cleek | Editor: Kara McGuirk-Allison | Theme music: Fernando Arruda and Jim Briggs | Copy editor: Daniel King | Digital producer: Artis Curiskis | Deputy executive producer: Taki Telonidis | Executive producer: Brett Myers | Executive editor: James West | Host: Al Letson
Read: I Analyzed 1,500 “Pizza” Mentions in the Epstein Files. Here’s What I Found. (Mother Jones)
Listen: Inside America’s Race to Hide the World’s Money (Reveal)
Read: The Talented Mr. Epstein (Vanity Fair)
Listen: Chasing Ghislaine (Audible Original)
Read: Why Didn’t Vanity Fair Break the Jeffrey Epstein Story? (The New Yorker)
Read: Graydon Carter on Vanity Fair, Jeffrey Epstein and an editor’s power (The New York Times Magazine)
- Donate today at Revealnews.org/more
- Subscribe to our weekly newsletter at Revealnews.org/weekly
- Follow us on Instagram and Bluesky
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | I think if you had asked me in 2003 and 2004 about Jeffrey Epstein, I would have told you |
| 0:09.9 | that I never wanted to hear his name ever again. |
| 0:14.0 | And I would have been shocked if you had told me then that here we would be in 20, 26, kind of talking about nothing else. |
| 0:24.0 | Coming up on more to the story, investigative journalist Vicky Ward on what she knew about |
| 0:29.1 | convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein years before anyone else. Stay with us. |
| 0:42.2 | Okay. else. Stay with us. Want to make a lasting difference to reveal and protect independent journalism right now? |
| 0:48.5 | It won't cost you a thing. Hi, it's Jane Butcher from Boulder, Colorado. I've spent my life fighting for justice, which is why I'm a longtime supporter of Reveal and the Center for Investigative Reporting. |
| 1:02.4 | I'm stepping up to protect the future of fearless, independent journalism, and you can too by joining CIR's Legacy Challenge. |
| 1:11.4 | Just let Reveal know you're going to include them in your legacy plans, provide some basic information, |
| 1:17.9 | and here's the really exciting part. |
| 1:20.4 | A generous donor will contribute up to $10,000 now to fund Reveal's essential reporting in honor of your gift. Your legacy |
| 1:29.8 | gift of any size makes an impact, not just in the future, but right now. If you'd like to |
| 1:35.7 | join me or want to learn more, please reach out to Gifts at RevealNews.org. Again, that's Gifts at revealnews.org. The legacy challenge is only available |
| 1:48.5 | for a limited time. Stand up for the truth today. This is more to the story. I'm Al Letson. |
| 2:05.3 | With everything going on in the world right now, it's still impossible to avoid one name, |
| 2:10.3 | Jeffrey Epstein. After months of fighting in Congress, dramatic denials from the president, |
| 2:15.7 | and general ineptitude, the U.S. government released an edited, |
| 2:19.9 | incomplete trove of documents related to Epstein. Those documents show his years of involvement |
| 2:26.0 | in sex trafficking and abuse and his efforts to shape the world with his vast social network |
| 2:32.1 | of wealthy, powerful figures across the globe. |
| 2:35.7 | President Trump has been unable to shake the scandal as the Epstein saga has splintered his MAGA base. |
| 2:42.6 | But 16 years before Epstein's final arrest in 2019, one journalist assigned to profile the elusive New York millionaire, |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of The Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.