Toronto-born 'longevity guru' who hates Canadian healthcare all over Epstein files

High-profile physician Peter Attia, who helped popularize the longevity movement, is facing mounting scrutiny after his name appeared over 1,800 times in the latest Epstein files release.

Born and raised in Toronto, Attia graduated from Queen's University in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics. He then graduated from Stanford University School of Medicine in 2001 with an M.D.

Attia now resides in Austin, Texas, where he hosts his own podcast, The Peter Attia Drive, and has penned the bestselling book Outlive: The Science and Art of Longevity, which has sold over three million copies. He built his career around this near-obsession with extending lifespan through exercise, sleep and proper nutrition. 

But the Canadian entrepreneur seems to have turned his back on his roots. In 2023, when Attia appeared on the Joe Lonsdale: American Optimist podcast, he heavily criticized Canadian healthcare.

"I don't think it's a great system. I wouldn't want to live in Canada if my life depended on it, no offence," he said. A bold statement coming from a mega-wealthy man who can afford private healthcare while residing in a country where medical bills are the leading cause of bankruptcy.

While having a stacked resume already, the healthspan evangelist was recently set to begin a new gig at CBS News; however, that news was quickly overshadowed by shocking revelations.

The announcement of Attia's role as a 60 Minutes contributor on Jan. 26 was followed by the Jan. 30 release of the latest Epstein files containing three million pages, 180,000 images, and 2,000 videos. 

Despite his name being featured over 1,800 times in emails to and from the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, Attia has vehemently denied any involvement in criminal activity, posting a 1,073-word statement on X to address the matter.

"My interactions with Epstein had nothing to do with his sexual abuse or exploitation of anyone," the statement reads. "I was never on his plane, never on his island, and never present at any sex parties."

In one of the many documents released by the Department of Justice, Attia emailed Epstein saying he wanted to "visit" his island "sometime." While in another email to Epstein, Attia wrote "P*ssy is, indeed, low carb," and it's safe to say no one thinks he's talking about some innovative sandwich here. 

On X, Attia described the now-public emails as "embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible." Public scrutiny quickly followed, leading 60 Minutes to pull his scheduled Feb. 6 segment (a rerun that originally aired in October). Reports say he will keep his job at CBS.