The Best People with Nicolle Wallace
Jess Michaels Survived Epstein. Now She’s Speaking Up
15 Sep 2025
At 22 years old, Jess Michaels was thriving. She was finding success as a dancer and model in New York City. Then, in 1991, she met Jeffrey Epstein. Jess Michaels was sexually assaulted by Epstein and it destroyed her stability, her career and her health. After doing the work to begin healing from this trauma, she has found renewed purpose as an advocate alongside other survivors of Epstein's abuse. The day after excerpts from Epstein’s 50th birthday book were made public, Jess and her lawyer, Jennifer Freeman, joined Nicolle to call out the decades of institutional cowardice, and with a warning for elected leaders: Jess and her fellow survivors are not going away, and they are not going to stop until they get accountability, truth and justice. A note to listeners: This episode contains discussions around sexual assault. Please listen with care.
No persons identified in this episode.
No transcription available yet
Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.
Popular episodes get transcribed faster