Melania Trump Director Defends Epstein Photo
Brett Ratner found himself in the spotlight after photos with convicted criminal Jeffrey Epstein surfaced. He had to explain the connection on a talk show.
Apr 24, 2026 0
Brett Ratner claimed he met Epstein only once at some event.
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Director Brett Ratner found himself in hot water after shocking photos linking him to convicted criminal Jeffrey Epstein and two unidentified women appeared in the latest release of court documents. According to media reports, this was discussed during a tense interview on a talk show.
Ratner refused to name the woman he said was his fiancée in the photo with Epstein.
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Ratner, 56, was happily promoting his first directorial project in over a decade — a glamorous documentary about Melania Trump — when the atmosphere suddenly shifted. Host Piers Morgan, 60, began questioning him about the recently surfaced photos showing him with the deceased criminal. The situation looked dubious, as the images appeared on January 30, the same day the film Melania was released worldwide.
Piers Morgan repeatedly questioned Brett Ratner about his connection to Jeffrey Epstein.
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«As you know, a photo has appeared showing you with Jeffrey Epstein and two seemingly young women. What can you say about that photo? And how do you view the broader scandal surrounding the Epstein documents?» — Morgan asked Ratner on Monday, February 2.
The director, known for the film Rush Hour, replied: «This particular photo was taken about 20 years ago. Nineteen, 20, 21 years ago, because it shows my fiancée, who invited me to this event, and that is where the photo was taken.» Ratner claimed that was the only time he encountered the convicted criminal. «I never had contact with Jeffrey Epstein before this photo and had no contact afterward. So this is a photo of me and my fiancée at some event,» he explained.
Ratner seen at the world premiere of the film Melania in Washington.
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In the photo, Ratner is sitting cuddled on a couch with a blonde woman whose face is obscured. She has her hand on Epstein«s left shoulder, while another blonde with a hidden face sits on the other side, resting her head on the financier»s other shoulder. When Morgan asked about the identity of that fiancée, Ratner refused to name her. «She doesn«t want me to name her in this matter, but she is 100 percent my fiancée,» the director stated, noting they are no longer together. «20 years ago, when this photo was taken, we were engaged,» he added.
Morgan seemed unconvinced, replying: «Okay... And you claim you never met Epstein before or after that evening?» «No. Never. Never,» Ratner insisted.
Then Morgan asked Ratner about his opinion on the Epstein documents scandal, «since more material keeps surfacing. More people, very famous ones, are getting dragged in.» «It«s horrible,» Ratner replied. «You see, I got caught up in it because of one image. So many stories about different people. It»s hard to tell what«s true and what»s not.» He added: «One photograph sort of places me next to him, and then all the stories start spinning. So I really don«t know, because I didn»t know him. It«s not exactly my world.»
By that point, Morgan realized he would get nothing more and said: «You know what? I asked you about the photo. You gave a pretty definitive answer. Let«s leave it at that.»
Despite skeptics« predictions that Melania would flop at the box office, the film grossed $7 million in the US over its opening weekend. Ratner had not directed a film since 2014 (Hercules). In 2017, during the Me Too movement, he was banished from Hollywood after allegations of sexual misconduct from six women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge.
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