Just three weeks after the Justice Department insisted there was nothing more to disclose about the years‑old criminal case against the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, calls for more answers have only grown louder. Congress has now opened its own investigation, while some MAGA leaders are accusing the Trump administration of hiding the truth. At the same time, new reports about Trump’s long friendship with Epstein are fueling questions about what the president knew — and when. As the president tries to distance himself, the renewed spotlight on the disgraced financier feels deeply personal and painfully triggering for some survivors like Jess Michaels.
In an exclusive interview with Katie Couric, Michaels shared that seeing Epstein’s name back in the headlines has deeply affected her mental and physical health. “It’s been excruciating — and it’s not just his name, it’s seeing his face,” she says.
“What that looks like is constant anxiety, insomnia, inability to eat, which then weakens my body, brain fog, creating limited mental and physical capacity. I have to really pace out my energy so that I can get work done,” she adds. “Luckily, my team understands that I have post-traumatic stress disorder from this.”
Michaels’ story is part of a far longer and darker history of abuse — one that began decades before Epstein ever faced public accusations. In March 2005, a 14‑year‑old girl accused the New York financier of sexually molesting her at his Palm Beach home. That case became the first of dozens of allegations and ultimately exposed years of sex trafficking and exploitation of underage girls, leading to Epstein’s 2019 arrest.
But Michaels says Epstein raped her much earlier, in 1991, when she was a 22‑year‑old professional dancer. She had been introduced to him by a former roommate, Christine, who told her Epstein was training her in massage — a common side hustle among dancers.
“[Christine] was telling me how this man wasn’t just paying her to train as a massage therapist, but also flying her around the world on his private plane,” Michaels recalls. “She said, ‘Yeah, we go to Europe for a week. I do two or three massages, and then the rest of the time is mine. He knows I’m a dancer, so I can audition whenever I want, and if I get a dance contract, he’s fine with it. It’s the dream job.’”
When Michaels first arrived at Epstein’s penthouse, she was startled to find him wearing only a white robe, which he quickly removed. Trying to stay professional, she began the massage, but when he told her to take off her clothes, she felt she had no choice but to do as he said. In that moment, she says, her body went numb and her mind grew hazy. “It was like I was falling back and trying to get back to myself,” she recounts.
After the assault, Epstein abruptly stood, pulled a few hundred‑dollar bills from his robe, tossed them on the table, and told her to call his assistant to book another appointment. “I couldn’t believe what had just happened,” she remembers. “He walked out, leaving me alone to get dressed. I remember picking up the money — it felt so disgusting.”
The next day, she confided in her friend Joanne, who, years later, encouraged her to share her story publicly after news broke of Epstein’s abuse of other women. But at the time, Michaels felt certain no one would believe her. “I remember thinking, wait a minute — who’s going to believe me? A 22‑year‑old dancer over Jeffrey Epstein,” she says.
The assault left her with lasting scars that changed the course of her life. “I cannot tell you how devastating it is to be that age where you’re launching into your life and going from infinite amounts of confidence and bravado and probably a lot of ego at 22,” she says. “And I turned into what? I turned into a mouse of a girl.”
Over time, though, Michaels found her voice. Today, she hopes to support other women who’ve been in her position. She has become an advocate and founded 3Joannes, which is preparing to launch the #WithYouToo social safety app — a tool designed to help people support survivors in the critical aftermath of an assault.
“Everyone thinks, Oh, it’s for survivors. And I say, ‘No, it’s for everyone else.’ It’s for everyone else to understand what’s happening in the first 24 to 72 hours — what’s happening in that first week to two weeks afterward,” she explains.
Watch the full interview to find out what Michaels thinks is in the Epstein files and how she’s protecting herself during this relentless news cycle.
